Cremating your Pet

[Hikergirl]

I have had one of my cats cremated and I have her ashes buried in the garden by the window she used to lay in. I have a stone over where she is buried so I don't accidentally dig her ashes up when gardening.
I plan to cremate all of my other pets, not sure if I will bury their ashes or just keep them somewhere in the house. I may be like the pp- have a spot where I tuck them away out of view, as I don't feel I need to see the container their ashes are in on display.

 

[easyas123]

No one said you can't.

I am also allowed to feel how I feel.

You absolutely are. But don't bother being sad for me or my passed pets, because of where I choose to keep their urns.

 

[Moliphino]

I have no idea what was done with my childhood dog. She died at the emergency vets with just my mom there in the middle of the night, I know we don't have ashes and didn't bring her home. This was 14 years ago.

We buried our mice in boxes the front yard with painted rock headstones.

 

[lynxstch]

It is quite common here, particularly if animals are put down at a veterinary surgery. Insurers generally pay for it.
Personally I bury my animals in my field. My beautiful golden retriever, Charlie just two weeks ago. He played there, we spent time there as a family with him and it comforts me to know he is close by. Silly old lady, I know.

Then I am another silly old lady right along with you. All of my cats are buried on our property. They each have their own stone with their names and a saying on it. It comforts me to know they are nearby, and it makes me feel better knowing that I can just walk out and visit their graves if and when I choose. So sorry about your furbaby Charlie

 

[Kaleidodad]

We have had many pets for over the last 40 years. All were cremated, not separately. And I have never requested the remains. I Only have my beloved Corgi left at the moment. He is 13 and very special to me. I may have to save his remains. But I would keep them in a place of honor not in storage.

I kind of makes me sad that people put their pets cremains in storage closets. Why bother to keep them at all ?

Well since I was the only one prior to these posts to use the term "storage," these feel like responses to my post.

Not that it's any of your business, but my home's "storage closet" also includes things like all our old family photo albums, photo boxes with 1000s of pictures and memorabilia, all my children's old artwork and schoolwork, keepsakes from relatives... so this is a place where we store our treasured memories. And besides, we are talking about a handful of small wooden boxes, in varying colors and sizes: they would look weird on display.

 

[gtpoohbear]

We've buried a few horses - obviously NOT cremated - and surprisingly haven't had any issues in terms of anything digging them up. They were out in a open field. But, and I'm trying to be delicate here....often when the horse was discovered to have passed away it had been several hours, and it necessitated the need to dig a really, really deep hole. I can see your point though, if a shallow hole was dug (or any size animal) or proper precautions were not taken -

Of the 5 family (my aunts cats, and brother in laws ferrets) pets that are buried on our current farm, 3 were already cremated. That's where my guys will go once I can let go of their cremains.

I do think it's a very different thing with horses in a big field. It's not nearly as likely to end up being disturbed. Plus, I'm assuming that if that's your situation, you probably have tools capable of digging a proper burial hole. I was picturing a typical suburban backyard with sodded grass, and going at it with a handheld garden shovel, lol! And even if you don't end up doing anything major back there, imagine the "ick" if you later sold the house and the new owners had to find it.

I kind of makes me sad that people put their pets cremains in storage closets. Why bother to keep them at all ?

Oh no... <hangs head in shame>. I hadn't thought about it in a while, but I guess that's where mine are. In fairness, they used to be on a shelf in the living room, until we moved. Four years ago. And now I'm pretty sure they are still in one of the boxes that never got "dealt with", and stored in a basement closet. Before the time came, I didn't think the ashes were something that would matter to me at all and hadn't planned to keep them. But when it's the middle of the night and you are crying hysterically in the Vet ER and they offer it... you end up getting them. It was definitely a comfort to me at the time, so I don't regret it. But I can't say it would mean much to me now. Maybe I should at least go dig them out of the box, though.

 

[Kitty 34]

As many of you know we just lost my cat, Pudgie. DH had to bury him.......I couldn't. He now is buried up in our woods and joins several cats over the almost 40 years we have lived here. If we didn't have a place to bury our animals, cremations would have been the way to go.

 

[design_mom]

Our two dogs were creamated, then we buried their urns in the back yard. There is a commemorative stone placed over it.

When I was growing up, I lived in the country and my dad would bury our deceased pets on our property... but they were generally pretty small animals (toy poodle, housecats, rabbits.) Nothing ever bothered them. However, as an adult, my dogs are 50+ lbs and we live in the suburbs. Cremation seemed the best idea, and I was kind of uncomfortable with the group cremation, so we got the ashes back. I didn't really know what to do with them though, so we buried them.

I don't know what we'll do if we move (no immediate plans to move, and I haven't really thought about it). I'd imagine we'd leave them where they are... but it's not like any future owners would be digging up a dog skeleton. It'd be something similar to a coffee can. We had some landscaping work done in the area where they're buried last year though, and I did warn the crew about where they were buried, so there were no "surprises."

Kim

 

[easyas123]

I do think it's a very different thing with horses in a big field. It's not nearly as likely to end up being disturbed. Plus, I'm assuming that if that's your situation, you probably have tools capable of digging a proper burial hole. I was picturing a typical suburban backyard with sodded grass, and going at it with a handheld garden shovel, lol! And even if you don't end up doing anything major back there, imagine the "ick" if you later sold the house and the new owners had to find it.

Yeah - we were neighbors with a horse farm and had heavy equipment at our place as a kid. My brothers got that call more than once...but they were nice people and good neighbors and so it does feel nice to be able to help out at bad times like that. I just noted that another poster said one of her boarders had their horse cremated! Learn something new everyday - I didn't know they did that. I feel fortunate that none of our horses ever passed away (in our care that is) while on our farm.

 

[ronandannette]

I kind of makes me sad that people put their pets cremains in storage closets. Why bother to keep them at all ?

FWIW, I know many people who have done the same with their human loved ones. What to do with the urn is an issue that sometimes doesn't get properly thought through in advance. My MIL was cremated and the urn was returned to her 3rd husband, who after about a year stopped communicating with the family entirely and moved away to parts unknown. None of us have the slightest idea where "she" ended up.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Having worked in veterinary medicine, I will say the vast majority of people chose to have their pets cremated, whether private or group disposition. Having an owner elect to take the body with them for burial was rare. (In Maryland and Northern Virginia, at least.)

Personally, all my pets were buried when I was younger and had access to rural property. In recent years they’ve been cremated. I keep the ashes in memory boxes along with their collars and tags, favorite toys, or whatever other little keepsakes seem fitting. Those boxes are currently packed away. Once we get settled into our new house, they’ll go in the master closet along with the rest of the sentimental keepsakes (baby boxes, high school memorabilia, etc.) that aren’t on display throughout the house.

 

[disykat]

I also have the cremated remained of my pet, and no, they are not on display.

I could not bring myself to bury her, I just couldn't do it. I still say we should bury her ashes, but it's been five years and we haven't done it.

 

[disneychrista]

FWIW, I know many people who have done the same with their human loved ones. What to do with the urn is an issue that sometimes doesn't get properly thought through in advance. My MIL was cremated and the urn was returned to her 3rd husband, who after about a year stopped communicating with the family entirely and moved away to parts unknown. None of us have the slightest idea where "she" ended up.

I'm not sure what I would want someone to do with my cremains. I have already told my kids to do what they want when I am gone.

I purposely didn't get the cremains of our cat when he passed because I didn't want to display them and I've already said how I feel about putting kitty in the closet.

 

[Drasticq]

Our dogs were all cremated. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I do like the idea of scattering the ashes, so they can be free.

 

[bballmom56]

We have cremated several dogs from St. Bernard down to a Corgi and a Corgi mix. Our cats usually are buried in the yard (we have 17 acres), but we had to cremate one when she passed in the middle of February and the ground was frozen.

We have also cremated D's horse. It was Christmas Eve, the ground was frozen and although we have many acres, there is a lot of rock running underneath. If we didn't cremate, the livestock pick up service takes them to the local landfill. We couldn't do that.

As many of you know we just lost my cat, Pudgie. DH had to bury him.......I couldn't. He now is buried up in our woods and joins several cats over the almost 40 years we have lived here. If we didn't have a place to bury our animals, cremations would have been the way to go.

I'm so sorry, Kitty. I know how it hurts.

 

[Kitty 34]

We have cremated several dogs from St. Bernard down to a Corgi and a Corgi mix. Our cats usually are buried in the yard (we have 17 acres), but we had to cremate one when she passed in the middle of February and the ground was frozen.

We have also cremated D's horse. It was Christmas Eve, the ground was frozen and although we have many acres, there is a lot of rock running underneath. If we didn't cremate, the livestock pick up service takes them to the local landfill. We couldn't do that.



I'm so sorry, Kitty. I know how it hurts.

Thank you and nice to "see" you around these parts.

 

[ronandannette]

I'm not sure what I would want someone to do with my cremains. I have already told my kids to do what they want when I am gone.

I purposely didn't get the cremains of our cat when he passed because I didn't want to display them and I've already said how I feel about putting kitty in the closet.

I realize this is slightly but I wonder then what does happen to them? I know with people, funeral/cremation facilities are not allowed by law to dispose of human cremains. The funeral home I worked at had scores of unclaimed boxes in storage, some were many decades old.

 

[LSUmiss]

Yes it is.

My daughter cremated our dog and his cremains are in a box on our fireplace mantel. I thought she wanted them for her, in her room, but nope came home one day to a box on the mantel.

Our cat we had the vet dispose of the body.

I have built-in bookcases on either side of my fireplace & have a dedicated shelf. Have 8 little boxes & all of their pics on that shelf. The little boxes are mostly hidden behind all the pics. Hoping not to need anymore space on that shelf anytime soon since my only remaining pets are both just 2 yrs old. I guess I might start burying them in the yard one day if it gets to be too much.

 

[disneychrista]

I realize this is slightly but I wounder then what does happen to them? I know with people, funeral/cremation facilities are not allowed by law to dispose of human cremains. The funeral home I worked at had scores of unclaimed boxes in storage, some were many decades old.

I'll asked my daughter this (she is a registered vet tech). I am sure I asked her before but can't remember other than it is a group cremation.

 

[mamamary]

We had both our dogs cremated and the remains given back to us. Both dogs were such an important part of my life and it made me feel a little better to know they are here with me. We keep the boxes in our family room.