# Ways you've chosen to remember a beloved pet **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 9, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094 "2018-04-09T17:36:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2018, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/21 "2018-04-09T20:58:52Z")
I’m not attached to the bodies of my deceased pets, and although I have plenty of room on my farm, it’s too hard and too rocky to dig a deep enough hole to protect them from scavengers. So I do a mass cremation. But what I do is rescue transport - helping to ferry dogs to new adoptive homes. So on many weekends, I’m driving a couple hundred miles moving dogs. Last weekend it was 3 dogs. StG ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/22 "2018-04-09T21:11:55Z")
I’m a knitter and have buried each of my lost kitties wrapped in an afghan I made. But the most important way I have for remembering them is that I always go right out and adopt another cat (or this time, two cats). I can’t stand living in a cat-less home, and there are lots of kitties needing homes. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/23 "2018-04-09T21:48:47Z")
We got the pawprint as well and it sits on the mantle. But what I’ve really loved is that my wife had some socks made with little Polly heads printed all over in a pattern. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2018, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/24 "2018-04-09T23:57:46Z")
I just wanted to drop in and say I’m very sorry for your loss. Hugs to you. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/25 "2018-04-10T02:04:05Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > When my Dolly passed I got her ashes in a nice wooden box with her name on it. I also got a lock of hair and a paw print from the … funeral home? … that did the cremation (and the box). At first I had thought I wanted to bury her ashes in the yard under her favorite tree but when the time came I was like “OMG I AM NOT LEAVING MY BABY OUTSIDE!!!” and decided that she would stay in my bedroom, with me. So she’s on a little table in my bedroom and I dust her off every so often. The hair and the paw print, I don’t really do anything with those. They’re tucked in a closet. > > I thought about a tattoo for her, and I might do it yet. Just something small, not a photo. But then I thought of all the pets I’ll have over my life and didn’t want my body to be a big sad memorial. I just decided to keep her in my heart, and it’s worked so far. > > Sorry again about your Cuthbert. I thought of him this week while we played the Royals, and Cheslor Cuthbert. I had my beloved cat cremated when he died almost 2 years ago now. He is in a wooden box on my dresser. It has a nameplate with his name on it, and I placed a little orange ceramic cat on top of the box so he’s always there. I couldn’t put him outside or somewhere I don’t have control over, even though I know that doesn’t really make any sense. If they’d offered the pawprint I would have gotten that done, too, but I don’t remember them saying anything about that. I also ordered an etching made from a picture of him. It is a clear acrylic heart on a keychain and it lights up and has his beautiful face etched into it so I always have hiim with me whenever I go anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/26 "2018-04-10T02:39:18Z")
While I’ve had many cats in the last 20 years only few were actually “mine.” In any case, once they wormed their way into my heart, and I made the decision to take them in, they were entitled to a burial on my property. To answer the OP, mine are buried about two feet down, get a white painted, tapered wooden stick marking the spot. A footprint and their name is also painted on the stick. I leave those in the ground for a year, and acknowledge their contribution to my life at that year anniversary. The next day the stick is removed. That sounds cold, but I currently have eight dearly-loved-during-their-lifetimes felines in the ground around here. With one on the way and two more due in ten years. I hope I live long enough to make sure they don’t get euthanized because no one wants them if I keel over dead. The things we pet owners do. But I wouldn’t change anything. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/27 "2018-04-10T10:20:25Z")
A little wisp of fur in a separate envelope for each cat lost. They are all together in a cedarwood souvenir box I bought in the gift shop atop Mount Evans in Colorado. I touch the envelopes sometimes. Feel the fur inside them. Smell the cedar too. My kitties. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/28 "2018-04-10T10:56:28Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > When my Dolly passed I got her ashes in a nice wooden box with her name on it. I also got a lock of hair and a paw print from the … funeral home? … that did the cremation (and the box). At first I had thought I wanted to bury her ashes in the yard under her favorite tree but when the time came I was like “OMG I AM NOT LEAVING MY BABY OUTSIDE!!!” and decided that she would stay in my bedroom, with me. So she’s on a little table in my bedroom and I dust her off every so often. The hair and the paw print, I don’t really do anything with those. They’re tucked in a closet. We have our beloveds’ boxes on our nightstands. My baby girl dog (OK, she was almost 16 when she passed but will always be my baby) is the only one with a photo insert. I always say good morning/night to her. We thought about burying them in the backyard but neither of are keen on gardening. We’re also planning to sell the house and it wouldn’t feel right leaving them here even though this was their home. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/29 "2018-04-10T12:21:10Z")
We have a pet cemetery on our property where we’ve buried the remains of a few dogs, cats, a goose, a giant koi, many chickens, and two horses. Daffodils mark the spot of each burial (as I fill the hole I toss bulbs in at the correct depth). ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/30 "2018-04-10T13:09:29Z")
I have a clipping of fur in a sealed envelope, taken from my cat Mitzi, who died when I was 16. For more recently deceased cats, Miss Austen and Lucia, I also have clippings of their fur, and their ashes in little boxes with their names on them, which the vet gave me; the boxes are on a shelf with a photo of them both. The fur clippings are in an antique teapot, also on a shelf. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/31 "2018-04-10T14:14:17Z")
The first few dogs and cats we had were cremated in mass cremations so we didn’t take the ashes home. When we lost our boxers (not at the same time) about 5 years ago, we took their ashes home. The vet put the ashes in beautiful carved wooden boxes. So we have the boxes with framed pictures and their paw prints on a small table in a spare room. We also have their collars. We loved all of our pets, but those 2 boxers were something extra special to us. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/32 "2018-04-10T15:02:15Z")
I have a tattoo of a black cat silhouette that represents the two cats I had when I was 17-34. We went through everything together and the 3 of us made up the unit. When they both passed I had angel wings added to the tattoo. I also have a “memory box” that contains my old beagle’s collar, leash, jacket, food & water dishes, vet records, and printouts of all the condolences I received when she passed. The box also has both cat’s food dishes, vet records and condolences. It also has a little decoration that was in my leopard gecko’s cage, I had her for 13 years. My husband has a tattoo on his arm of a cartoon iguana wrapped around an 8 ball and holding a pool cue - it’s for the iguana he had when he was in his 20’s. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/33 "2018-04-10T15:52:39Z")
My childhood dog was cremated and his ashes are in a little wooden box on my parents’ mantle along with a little cast paw print. Our latest late pet, Reuben, who was my wife’s cat, is buried in the yard near his favorite window. The first anniversary is actually in a few days and we are going to plant flowers around his grave. I still go out and visit him and say goodnight every night before bed. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/34 "2018-04-10T16:22:18Z")
Getting difficult to read the screen for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/35 "2018-04-10T18:46:58Z")
I’ve buried a couple of our dogs\* in the yard and planted trees at the gravesites. Sorry to hear about Cuthbert. \*deceased, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/36 "2018-04-27T14:28:54Z")
Thanks to everyone who participated here, once again. I picked up Cuthbert’s paw print last Wednesday. It now occupies a lovely space on our fireplace mantel. The prior weekend, we’d basically decided that Bertram needed companionship, and that we wanted to continue to offer a good home for the four-legged folks. We spent quite a bit of time at a local shelter. So on the same day that I picked up Cuthbert’s paw print, we got a call from the shelter that our application had been approved. And I found myself that afternoon driving home with [Alistair](https://imgur.com/a/m1hg8h1) and [Neville](https://imgur.com/a/CHWFy0p), a pair of three-year-old siblings. Everyone seems to be getting along pretty well so far, although Neville is still shy/skittish, and spends most of his time in the cat condo, as pictured. Alistair is quite bold and has mostly decided the house is his, now. He’s got some interesting similarities to Cuthbert in terms of personality. Our house feels full again. We still miss Cuthbert, but we think we’re doing right by him. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/37 "2018-04-27T14:33:54Z")
That’s the greatest. Oh they look so soft and fluffy… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/38 "2018-04-27T14:52:30Z")
I’ve always buried our dogs in the backyard. When I lost my little Mackie last month, I dug the plot, put a tennis ball and jar of peanut butter in with her, and got a marker. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/39 "2018-04-27T14:58:28Z")
My wife’s dog and cat ashes have prominent places on our mantel along with memorial plaques. Both are in nice wood boxes. We will do the same with Trixie, our cat when she goes. We have decided Trixie will also be our last pet. They will all be buried with us when our time comes. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094/40 "2018-04-27T16:44:29Z")
Congratulations on your new kitties. They look adorable. I hope you have many wonderful years together. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-youve-chosen-to-remember-a-beloved-pet/812094.md?page=3)