Now is a perfect time to practice Do Not Feed The Trolls. I’m begging you to try it before this thread gets uglier.
Whammo, I’m so, so sorry. I feel your pain. Thanks for being the kind of person who did all he could to save your kitty. Never doubt that he knew that.
Zette
Zette: You come through with exactly the right sentiments.
Also, Zette,(changing the subject) thanks again for the line on the book you gave me, it arrived today.
When my Katy passes away I’m having her mummified and put into a pewter cast. I’m not keeping her around the house with me either. I’ll put her in storage in the attic or something, as to not scare the kids. But when I die, I want my dog buried with me. She was an essential part of my growing up. How can I not be buried with her when she will be around for at least 20% of my life. I’m going to buried next to my husband, why not my dog? I was going to have her stuffed, but I though that would be too freaky. So i’m getting a pewter cast made to look like her and preserving her inside. It is expensive, but she has provided me with much comfort and love in my life. I think I want her buried at my feet like she loves to sleep.
call me weird if you want, my husband does…
** Tubagirl **:
I was serious above when i wrote that i am a taxidermist, and that a preserved body or skeleton is an option for some people.
I don’t think it would be freaky at all to get your dog stuffed, and I have preserved pets for people before.
Sometimes people come in with rats and ferrets, and the cost to taxiderm them is more than the price of the pet itself, so it just shows how much the animal means to the person.
A preserved skeleton is a little scarier, but some people like that.
Mummifying is cool, too.
I don’t think you are weird at all.
I wanted to add my condolences, Whammo. I just now logged on and read the latest about Max. I hope your experience was like mine in that it was actually easier emotionally once I had my cat euthanized. Making the decision and living those last few hours was the hardest part; after it was over, I knew I did the right thing. I hope you find the same peace.
Max knew you loved him.
I’m truly sorry to hear about Max. It sounds like you gave him a wonderful life and family to share.
We recently had our fifteen-year-old German Shepherd euthanized. She had been steadily deteriorating. We had the vet come to the house so she could die at home on our couch. It was quick and painless for her, but so sad.
She is buried on my sister’s hobby farm. Her husband dug a big hole with their front-loader. We wrapped her in a blanket and buried her on her dog bed. Bob, my S.O., put one of her favorite chasing sticks on her.
The other animals in the house don’t seem to realize she is gone. I guess in some cases when pets have bonded with each other, they do notice.
You did your best for Max, and he was lucky to have you as an owner.
Never been owned by an animal myself, to scared about the loss. My Ladyfriend has had manny pets and at their death I have helped bury them. As has been said 2-3 feet is about right. Say a prayer and know that Max is at peace.
Whammo, I’m so sorry about Max. You both tried so hard. I wish it didn’t have to come to this 
Give him a scratch behind the ears from me, OK?
(As if you didn’t already know) - You’re a truly good person to go to the lengths you did to try and save him. Even if he can’t tell you, rest assured, he knows. He knows how much you love him.
We had our Max (a dog) creamated then we buried the ashes under his favorite tree. (Max was a very big dog and there was no way on earth that we were going to be able to dig a hole large enough.)
All of the people in my family had their caskets laid to rest inside concrete “vaults”. So, if you really want to go the burial route, the concrete idea is not really in left field - it’ll be more like a “real” people grave.
I managed to make it through most of the thread without what I would consider an unreasonable amount of crying - but this put me right over the edge:
Anthracite, it makes perfect sense.
But, you are very lucky that I waited to read this thread until I got home - had I read your post at work they would have sent me to the looney bin for having hysterics on the job, and then I’d have to track you down and kick your butt 
{{{{{Whammo}}}}}
{{{{{Max =^…^=}}}}}
That’s sad, Booker, that you’ve never had a pet. Yes, the loss is terrible – I’ve had them die of illness and age and had my most beloved cat of all stolen, which was worse. But it’s worth it a million times over, it really is.
I’m so sorry, Whammo.
Catrandom
Oh wow, the mummy thing DOES seem a little strange, even to me!
I want to be cremated when my time comes, and I plan on having all my pet’s ashes mixed with mine and then sprinkled over some beautiful outdoor place…maybe over some forest and mountains…
Depending on the soil, I have done it from 3ft (rocky soil) to almost 5 ft in sand (top 2 ft is soil, the rest is sand). Just bury him deep enought so he won’t be disturbed.
Also I recomend not using plastic as I would guess you want thecat to return to the soil. I wrapped my cats up in a wool or cotton cloth, put some soil on top, then put a paver or big rock to prevent digging if the top stone was removed. filled up the hole and put the stones from the digging twards the top to discourage digging. then put a stone on top, home made from cement with a drawing of the cat and the date and name
Whammo, so sorry. We buried our beloved fifteen-year-old cat last spring after a painful battle with cancer. After we brought his body home from the vet’s, he lay “in state” in a small room off the living room for a couple of days. That will probably sound freaky to some people, but it was helpful for us to be able to see him - we wrapped him in a blanket with just his head showing (no sign of surgery), and he looked natural, as if he were sleeping. Periodically we would go in and touch his fur, say a few words, cry some more. It was just a way to say goodbye and come to terms with the fact that he was gone. We buried him in his favorite spot in the front yard, where he used to lie in the shade of a bush and watch the world go by. SO cygnus dug a hole about three feet deep, and in the bottom we laid a pillow covered with a pillowcase that had a sunset design on it. We wrapped him completely in his blanket, laid him on the pillow, and as we stood by the grave, we had a few silent moments and then a few words to send his spirit onward. We shoveled in a layer of orange sand, then filled the hole the rest of the way with its original dirt. Soon afterward we made a stone out of Quikrete and put his name and a meaningful drawing on it, as well as two colored glass beads the same color as his eyes. We didn’t have any problem with digging, as it turned out, but we were concerned about it since there are lots of critters around here. If your dog is a digger, you would probably be smart to be a little extra cautious. We have friends with a dying labrador who also have two young rottweilers that are fierce diggers, and they don’t know how they will deal with that when the time comes. Someone mentioned putting a board over the body before filling in with dirt, and that sounded like a smart idea; a bit of insurance at no significant cost or trouble.
I know how sad you feel to lose a creature you love so much. My heart aches for your pain.
{{{Whammo}}} {{{scritch-Max-scritch}}}
So sorry about Max, Whammo.
When my beloved Boo passed away in 1996 I was devastated. When we got him back from the vets he was in a cardboard box. My BF built a wooden box and I placed some personal mementos–a St. Francis of Assisi charm, a glass heart bead from a necklace of mine, and a few other trinkets and we put the cardboard box in side the wooden box and nailed it shut. This happened in February and the ground was frozen so my BF used a little charcoal grill to thaw the ground–it took about six hours to make a deep enough hole. Boo is buried about 2 feet under. In the spring I bought and planted three white bleeding heart plants over the top of his grave, so when they bloom in the spring I remember Boo and how much he meant to me.
Bo