When my beloved cat died last year I had her cremated and her remains now reside in a wooden urn, in the shape of a curled up sleeping cat, at the top of the stairs where she used to like to lay …
If my mother’s vet clinic ever hears of this idea… {{{shudder}}}
Since Mum now keeps rats, and rats only live about 2 years (give or take) and Mum’s possibly the most misguidedly sentimental person alive… I just don’t know what family heirloom she’d throw away to make room for dead rat plaques in the loungeroom display cabinet.
for a few thousand dollars there is the post cremation diamond option.
tortuga, while joking around about death and dying, my cousin and i figured with most of the family wanting to be cremated; we would all end up in a file cabinet in someone’s house. the thought of the filing system cross referenced with pets had us laughing for quite sometime. oddly we didn’t think about being knickknacks scattered around the house and up for introductions.
I am sorry that you were dismayed by the receipt of the keepsake. But I think that anyone who is responsible, ethical, and compassionate enough to euthanize a guinea pig (so many people would let it expire on its own or drown it in the kitchen sink) likely would be viewed by the veterinarian as somebody who would want a little memento.
When our late corgi was sick, I got him a St. Francis medal for his collar. When we took him to the vet that last time, we brought along an urn we had made here that now sits in our living room. With him inside is his medal.
If you have no use for the little heart, throw it away. You didn’t ask for it, and you don’t need it to remember your pet. I think it’s a nice idea; they might ask first if you would like it so as to save you the surprise of getting it unsolicited. I think I will make some footprints myself now while my dogs are in good health.
I have, and I’ve recently paid to have lab tests done on one of my pigs because she was losing weight rather rapidly*.
Why? Because they’re my damn pets. When I get pets, it’s with the understanding that I’m taking care of an animal that is dependent on me. Why is basic health care more understandable for a dog or cat? Because they cost more? My pigs are just as much my pets as my dog is and you bet your booty I get the best pig food for them and get real vegetable selections** for them.
If a guinea pig is not worth taking care of (to you), then don’t get one.
- Luckily it seems like she’s recovered from whatever it was (they couldn’t conclusively determine anything from the lab work) and is putting some weight back on.
** Romaine, endive, escarole, bell peppers, occasional carrots (sparingly since they’re sugary), cilantro, kale, occasional higher-calcium treats like spinach, etc.
Forgot to address this: Yes, we did indeed. The poor fellow had no joy in his life - he always hated any petting so it wasn’t like our cat (decades ago) who at least enjoyed being petted until the end, he wasn’t eating even the yummiest of treats, he wasn’t even showing off for his ladyfriend (rumblestrutting, which evidently even neutered males do for their neutered ladies). The alternative was to let him starve to death, and possibly having the kids watch his death throes. They didn’t need that, hell neither did I. Or I suppose I could have tried to do him in myself, but I know of no humane means of doing that.
I may not have loved the critter that much (he never in 4 years warmed up to us or responded with any pleasure to us), but as a responsible pet owner it was the least I could do.
Er, and to the best of my knowledge, they did not have an extra cost for the plaque. Oddly, if I had wanted to be there when they euthanized him, that would have cost extra!! Not sure why… but I had no interest in being in the room at the time. We were there when they put our cat to sleep (actually that was a house call, done in our living room), but the cat actually liked us and I think derived some comfort from having us there.
Lenny, my smart cat, died somewhat suddenly earlier this year. I already had a “what if” scenario prepared, so that when the time came, I’d know excactly which vet to call, make sure he’d be euthanized at home, where to find his last will and testament…
But I had neglected to determine ahead of time what to do with his remains. Did I want them back?.. Uh…
I didn’t really know, and I was a bit shaken by the sudden onset of his illness and imminent death, so I couldn’t really decide. So, I figured it would suck more to say “No, dispose of them as you wish” only to regret it later. I asked to ahve Lenny returned, and the really nice people who came to euthanized my buddy, sowed me a catalog to choose a cat urn. It was all really weird.
I picked up the urn from my vet. It looks really stupid. I have no idea what to do with it either.
I think it’s sweet. We had to put down a couple of pigs ourselves, and Nashiitashii cried all the way home both times. Nuku-Nuku got buried in a lovely park full of rolling hills and grass, Pee-bee left to the vet to dispose of. I wouldn’t have minded getting little pig-prints to remind me of them, though like you, I’ve no idea what I’d DO with them.
…zombie threads also make good pet memories, adelle…