I don’t know, when my hedgehog had cancer, the vet put him down for me. More humane than just letting the poor little guy expire on his own or any of the methods that I would’ve had access to.
That said, skinning and stuffing are just… disturbifying. I have pictures on the mantel of the first two cats my family ever had, although Tiger’s unlikely to kick it for a good while yet, fifteen or not.
OK, I’ve been thinking on this a little more.
I have petted two of my dogs immediately after they died. They were gone and couldn’t feel it anymore, but I wanted to be sure that they were feeling loved until the very last moment. Although I’d call myself agnostic, I like to believe in the Rainbow Bridge or something similar. So it’s not much of a jump to think that the pet’s spirit might be hanging around for a bit before it goes off to wherever to wait for you. And that perhaps a paw impression taken after they are gone might be a way to capture that last little wisp of them.
All of you hard-headed literal atheist types may now scoff at my belief in this version of Invisible Pink Unicorns, but that’s my take and you can’t change it.
no paw prints here… just lovely wood boxes w/ashes. my vet does a donation in the cat’s name to the uofp vet school. very nice, classy, and kitty’s name is on the donor list.
No, you’re not and I was squicked the hell out. It’s just morbid and creepy. Throw it out. Surely you don’t expect handprints from Uncle George or Auntie Mabel, do you?
I confess I don’t get this whole deifying of the family pet thing that has crept (swept?) across America in recent years. Fido is a great pet. Love him well and grieve your loss. Then go get another Fido at the pound because there are too many Fidos in this world. Why do you need an acrylic heart and pawprint? Sorry, but ugh.
Missed the edit window. Couple of thoughts:
when a newborn dies or a stillbirth occurs, the nurses at the hospital usually put together a grief package for the parents–a lock of hair, a handprint, the ID bracelet and yes, pics of the baby. Some parents can look at them right away, some (for all I know) never look at them–too painful.
I suppose one could look at this trend as something like that, but to my mind it’s different. In the stillbirth’s case, this is the first time the parents have really seen their baby, and gotten to hold it etc. It’s like a goodbye in the midst of hello or vice versa. That cannot be said for a family pet who likely features in many pics and movies and memories etc.
I’m not saying my way is right and the rest go hang, I just don’t understand the drive to memorialize in this way. YMMV (obviously).
I like rocking chair’s vet’s handling of the situation. If money is to be spent, spend in helping other pets like the one you so loved instead of a tchotke (sp?) that no one really wants.
Well, from the vet, that’s a little weird with the foot prints and all.
For my (our) dog, I ordered, online, a simple flat ‘stone’ that gave her name, the dates of her life and the inscription ‘Forever in our hearts’.
She was cremated, and she’s next to ‘her’ pond on our property (Labs love water they do). I may just have to go visit her now.
But that’s outside where your Lab loved to be etc. We have stones that mark the graves of our cat and my sister’s dog in the way backyard, too. (no inscriptions).
I mean, a guinea pig was probably never outside, but it still strikes me as odd to have a heart (I still picture The Heart as in anatomy, not Valentine, even though I know that’s wrong) with the prints etc–where are you going to put it? What’s it for? Hang it on a wall? :dubious:
If we ever have to take our cat and have him put down, I will mention the vet that we do not want any plaques etc. I don’t know what I’d do if it came in the mail (yes I do, I’d throw it out…).
Oh, jeez! I read the whole thread, and it never even occurred to me to think it was a “valentine” heart!! I mean, I knew it wasn’t the guinea pig’s actual heart, but I still pictured it looking like a little tiny human heart. What a weird image.
Mama Zappa: if you did want to hang it up, a little loop of wire and an dot of epoxy on the back would do the job. Er, not that I’m suggesting you hang it up. Are you planning to move soon? You could always “lose” it.
This thread is making me cry at the thought of losing my Max Cat. He’s just two, though, so I expect he has a number of years of biting me to look forward to.
I was out of the country when my family’s beloved dog, Lucy, died last year. My whole family was heartbroken. I don’t know what, if anything, the vet did, but my parents planted a pretty new rose bush in the front yard in her memory. We call roses from that bush Lucy Roses.
Er…I was picturing a real one, too. I’m not sure if a valentine’s heart is less creepy or kind of schmaltzy/kitschy, though.
I can see it now … “OK, kids. Guinea Pig # 2 is dead. I know - let’s do an Aztec funeral!! And after that, let me tell you about the Zombie Guinea Pig …”
Because, if the kids are going to be in therapy the rest of their lives anyway, I might as well give them a good reason. :rolleyes:
Sorry for the easily mis-interpreted OP. It was a valentine style, heart SHAPED plaque of acrylic clay. Definitely in the schmaltzy/kitschy/uncanny valley area. It just seems … odd. The kids will never see it if I have my way. OMG, if Dweezil sees the stupid plaque thirty years from now he’ll spend hours crying - I just know it. I don’t have the guts to throw it out right now, but I don’t know why.
I do like the Vet School donation mentioned up-thread. We should take that to the next level: "John Smith, DVM, is the Mister Barkie von Schnauzer Professor of Veterinary Medicine … ". It would be the best named chair since the Yahoo Professorship at Stanford.
But a simple sympathy card would have been fine. Hard to go wrong with a nice card.
Me, I’m not much for mementos or cremains personally. Pictures and my own head’s memories are sufficient. But there are those out there who need more. Though vet’s offices that provide them without permission are a little less than prudent in my opinion. I work for a very busy animal ER, we deal with death and euthanasia all the time, far more than daytime practices. We provide Clay Paws to clients, but would never dream of doing it without offering (it’s free) first.
A lot of clients find it sweet and a good alternative to expensive ashes. A lot also find it creepy and weird. We’ll also make the print pre- or post- mortem, whichever the people prefer if they request it specifically - but - We don’t actually ask for a preference. No one’s figured out a good way to ask something like that when people are already upset and dealing with all the emotions that come with the death of their pet. If they don’t ask, then it’s usually post-mortem. Honestly, because it’s a lot easier on us if the pet’s not moving, and we’re usually afraid of hurting them from pressing geriatric (mostly) paws into clay.
It just seems like a huge waste of time in the long run to make paw imprints when you don’t even know if the people wanted them.
I’m sorry for your loss. As a recent graduate (2008) of that vet school, I want to say that I apologize if you didn’t really like it. It’s not an option, and the student of the case is required to do the paw print and fill out the forms (yay more paperwork!). Luckily my cases seldom required that, and those few that (unfortunately) did, the techs graciously did it for me (I had other paperwork to push/cases to attend).
In some cases, the students, if they so want, can decorate (paint) the paw print. Personally, it creeps me out. I mean, I would probably do that to my dog (and get her skull too, but I’m weird like that), but I wouldn’t automatically want to do it for other people. I would prefer it was something more like “There is this paw print you can get as a souvenir, it is free, do you want us to send it to you?” instead of an automatic response. And yea, the client is not directly charged for it (it is already included, the practice/hospital pays for the service/baking of the paw prints).
I find it fitting the way your husband dealt with it… Your cat is in an altar! What a high honor for him! 
I don’t think there are enough :eek: emoticons in the world for this, although it could be so much worse with the head on.
This thread reminds me of the time we visited a woman (and her husband) who had adopted one of our favorite dogs from the rescue group when we were traveling through her town and she took us on a tour of their home and introduced us to every urn and box by name.
(“And this was Timmy my tabby cat.” etc.)
After the fourth one I started wondering how many more were around (suddenly the rooms seemed full of decorative urns and little boxes) that we’d be introduced to, and if I had enough unique but sympathetic responses in supply, or even how one really should respond…? I lost exact count, but we were introduced to at least 15 boxes/urns.
I mean, I see nothing wrong with having the ashes in your living areas, if it comforts you to see them there, and even telling someone who/what they are if someone asks, but being taken on a tour of the room and introducing the containers like they were members of a dead and preserved knitting circle seated about the place was a little weird.
Personally though, I’m a fan of scattering ashes in the places the pet/person loved best. But wear a dust mask.
When my wife’s favorite cat Arana, who she had raised from a kitten and died at eighteen, died she was buried in our back yard. Two of our other cats were cremated and their ashes were scattered over Arana’s grave. One of them used to lay on top of the grave when we let her out into the yard, and I sometimes wondered if she somehow knew Arana was there.
And after my wife died, some of her ashes were scattered over Arana’s grave. I like to think that they’re together now. All four of them.
If Mr. S dies before I do, I have instructions to combine his and Miss Emily’s ashes and scatter them in some sunny place.
We’ve had 4 dogs die in the last 6-7 years.* The cremains for 3 of them are sitting up on my bookcase above and to the right of the computer I’m writing this from. The
4th dog’s ashes are sprinkled around my dad’s grave. (He was my dad’s dog.)
With each of the last 3 dogs, we got a little plaque with the same text Dung Beetle posted. Tow of the plaques have cheesy little rose illustrations on them, and the third plaque has little pictures of doggy footprints. They’re not REAL pawprints, just pictures.
I thought it was thoughtful of our vet to send us those, but as they start to accumulate, I’m not sure what to do with all of them anymore.
BTW, my husband and I have an agreement. Whoever dies first (and it better be me!), the other one has the responsibility of scattering the appropriate dogs’ ashes with the dead spouse’s ashes. There’ll be no reason to keep them around after we’re gone.
We started keeping the cremains because when our Sasha died, I couldn’t bear the thought of burying her somewhere and moving away and leaving her behind. I still can’t bear to think about that. So she (and the others, except for my dad’s dog) stay with us until we’re gone to, then they go with us then.
*(Two of them were euthanized at ages 15 and 14 respectively, one died of cancer, and one died at the vet’s while being treated for a bowel obstruction. Just so you know we’re not careless.)
Good heaven. That interpretation had never occurred to me!! The thing is 4-5 inches wide, and perhaps a quarter of an inch thick.
We took Panda home to bury him and I didn’t see any evidence of any recent cardio-ectomy, then again I didn’t look that closely! They’d have had to smash it thin very quickly to get it between the layers of plastic!
A photo of the gift is at
http://picasaweb.google.com/MamaZappa
From asking around on various email lists etc., apparently our reaction (stunned horror, hysterical laughter, whiskey-tango-foxtrot) is not isolated, but is in the minority!
My SIL doesn’t believe in cremation. She’s going to be *buried * with her horse; not her husband. :eek:
Oh dear.
The fact that guinea pigs have creepy, gnomish little paws is not helping the situation.