What to do with your pet’s ashes
After a cat or dog passes away, you may choose to have their remains cremated. It is perfectly sweet to purchase a beautiful memorial pet urn for a cat or urn for a dog and display the urn in your home.
However, if you are looking for additional ideas that would be a meaningful way to remember your pet, there are many options you could choose. Whether you choose to scatter the ashes, bury, display, or some other option, explore the choices carefully, and choose what would be most meaningful and beautiful to you, your family, and your beloved cat or dog.
Our beloved pets pass joyously through our lives, and then leave too soon. When they do, we want to memorialize them in a beautiful way.
Here are several creative and meaningful ideas for memorializing your pet’s ashes.
Scatter your pet’s ashes in a special spot on land
When your pet’s cremains are returned to you, they may be in a plastic bag or a wooden or cardboard container. If you wish, the remains can be scattered in a meaningful location to you and your pet. You may choose to scatter the remains either on your own private property, or public property.
If you scatter on public property or any place that is not your own, it is best to get permission first. There are also scattering gardens specifically designed for scattering ashes. If you live somewhere without room for scattering outside, a special scattering garden may be a good choice.
You may wish to purchase a scattering urn, which has an easy to remove cover, and a place for engraving or printing of names and dates. Of, you may wish to scatter some of the ashes, and keep some in a keepsake item for pets, as discussed below.
When scattering your pet’s ashes think of places that would be a wonderful tribute and memory of your time together. Some ideas are
- Your pet’s favorite trail
- Your back yard or lawn
- The ocean
- The lake
- A mountain top
- A field where you enjoyed time with your pet
- A park where you walked or played with your pet
Any place that has lovely memories for you. You may wish to choose a location that is a place that you still visit, to bring back memories during your activities.
Grow a memorial tree with your pet’s ashes
There are several options where ashes can be used to grow a tree and create a living memorial. These include purchased specialty urns, special forests that offer a service, or burying the ashes yourself with a special tree.
Several companies offer urns with a tree growing from them. When you receive the urn, you put your pet’s ashes in the urn, and then find a special place to bury the urn. The tree will grow from the urn and the ashes. This is such a lovely idea, when you enjoy the tree’s shade and beauty, you know your pet is with you.
Another option is sending your ashes to a specialty forest such as A Better Place Forests They will bury your pet’s ashes at the base of a dedicated tree and install a memorial plaque on that tree. This is a wonderful way to help keep our forests healthy as a memory for your pet.
Finally, you can opt to bury your pet’s ashes yourself, either in a bio-degradable urn, or simply as ashes. You can bury them at the base of a sapling tree. If you choose this option, only include a small amount of the ashes near the tree, as a large amount of ashes would not be healthy for the tree. This is a simple and beautiful option, as you can enjoy the tree for decades into the future on your own property.
Bury your pet’s ashes
If you choose, you can bury your pet’s ashes on your property. If you do not bury them by a tree, you can choose to bury the ashes in a bio-degradable urn, or as ashes alone in a special area of your property. Then, you can install a headstone, plaque, marker or even a memorial bench to memorialize your pet.
Display your pet’s ashes at home
Often people choose to display the ashes at home in a display urn or other keepsake. There are many beautiful options, specifically for pet’s ashes available. For pet’s ashes, you can choose a smaller urn, up to 70 cubic inches for a large dog.
You can purchase an urn for either a cat or dog. Many have spots for photos or other memory such as a dog tag or collar.
Jewelry
There are many keepsake jewelry options available where you can incorporate your dog or cat’s ashes into the jewelry.
There are many options for pet keepsake jewelry. You can purchase a small “urn” jewelry pendant which has a hollow portion where you add a small amount of your pet’s ashes. These come as lockets or earrings. Some of these can be engraved with your pet’s name and dates.
Another jewelry option is to have the ashes actually incorporated into the jewelry. Several companies offer the service or creating a diamond with the ashes. Another choice is to have glass jewelry created with the ashes.
All of these options allow your pet’s memory to stay with you in a physical and beautiful way in your daily life.
Water burial of pet ashes
If your pet loved to swim or enjoy the water, a water burial, or burial at sea might be a nice way to remember them. However, there are federal laws to be aware of if choosing water burial options. It is best to seek permission, and you should notify the EPA within 30 days of scattering cremains at sea.
According to the federal Clean Water Act at this time, while scattering cremains is not allowed on beaches, you may scatter ashes at least three nautical miles from land. You can use a biodegradable urn specifically designed to decompose in the water. If you do not have an urn designed for water burial, the urn must not be left in the water.
If you choose to disperse of your pet’s ashes at sea or other body of water, there are several urns available to make this process easier.
Glass keepsakes from pet ashes
There are several companies that incorporate cremation ashes into glass artwork. You would send the ashes to the company, and they send you the created item. Items include beautiful pieces of art. You can order many types of glass pieces, including paperweights in the shapes of an orb, egg, flower, glass sculpture, stained glass, and more. These glass objects can be worn as jewelry or displayed in your home.
Pet Ashes Keepsake
There are also several types of keepsakes you can choose for your pet’s ashes. One of the most common is a necklace mini-urn, where you can put some of your pets ashes and wear as jewelry. There are several options that are specifically for cat or dog ashes.
A keepsake might also be a mini urn that just keeps a small amount of ashes on display. This is a nice choice if you choose to split up the ashes in several keepsakes for family members or if you choose to bury or scatter most of the ashes.
Pet Memorial ornament
You can add the ashes to a hollow Christmas ornament and then engrave or paint the ornament with a name, date of image of your pet. Some artists offer this service. Or, you can have the ashes incorporated in a glass orb which can be used as an ornament. Either would be a nice tribute to your pet that you celebrate every year at Christmas time.
Pet ashes incorporated in portrait
I had never heard of this option until researching this article. However, there are several artists that will use some of your pets ashes to create art. These might be a drawing, a painting, with the ashes mixed in with the paint. Some artists incorporate the ashes in a resin art plaque. These are a nice idea if you want your pet’s ashes to be a part of the memorial and on display.
Cement garden stone or statue mixed with pet ashes
If you would like to incorporate your dog or cat’s ashes into a garden in some way, you can actually mix the ashes into wet cement. Then you can form a plaque or stepping stone or other piece. This cement piece then can become part of your garden, backyard or walkway. You can even inscribe their names and dates in the cement while it is still wet.
Tattoo with ashes
Tattoos are so popular in recent years. They are beautiful art, permanent and something that is alwasy there to be appreciated. Tattoos make a perfect memorial to a beloved cat or dog. There are tattoo artists who can incorporate your cat or dog’s ashes into tattoo ink. Your pet can permanently be part of you in a beautiful design!
Fireworks
One creative way to celebrate your pet and scatter their ashes is to include their ashes into fireworks! There are some companies that will add the ashes you send into fireworks for you. You can either set off the fireworks yourself or have a display created by the company.
Add to hourglass
You can add pet’s ashes to an hourglass specifically designed to hold cremains. One nice way of doing this is with a small hourglass necklace pendant.
How to Memorialize your Pet’s Ashes
If you are seeking unique ways for what to do with your dog’s ashes or what to do with your cat’s ashes, there are many creative ways to create a memorial with them. From simply scattering their ashes during a daily walk to creating a firework display and celebration, you can make your celebration as big or as intimate as feels comfortable to you.