11 Touching Pet Memorial Ideas to Honor Your Furry Friend
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Losing a pet is painful and grieving afterwards is entirely natural. It's an extension of saying goodbye to someone you loved, whether two-legged or four-legged. Wanting to have a pet memorial (something that reminds you of your furry pal) is an instinctual part of the mourning process.
"Having some kind of keepsake to remember your pet after death is important to many people," says Haylee Bergeland, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA, RBT, pet health and behavior expert for Daily Paws. "It can be as simple as holding on to your pet's favorite toy or collar. You can also turn something old into something new. I knew someone who had their dog's blankets sewn together into one big blanket they now keep on their couch. But there are lots of unique ways to commemorate your pet's life and time with you."
Consider these inspiring pet memorial ideas that include everything from personalized gifts to actions you can take to honor your furry pal.
Memorial Services
A pet funeral is a way to celebrate a pet's life, just as you would for another family member. Even if you don't bury your pet at a pet cemetery, you can still plan your own event at home or at another location like a park that your pet loved.
To make your pet's memory come to life, show a memorial video or slideshow of your pet's best moments or simply share your stories. Other thoughtful touches include serving food your cat or dog lusted after like bacon, tuna, or popcorn and handing out personalized temporary tattoos of your pet. You might also ask for donations to an animal shelter in honor of your four-legged friend.
Memory Boxes
Keep all your most cherished memories in one place with a beautiful pet keepsake box. There's room for a collar, leash, favorite toy, photos, and other favorite items that remind you of your late dog or cat.
Pet Memorial Jewelry
There's a wide array of pet memorial jewelry to choose from so you can keep your pet's memory close to you at all times. Options include cremation jewelry, which uses some of your pet's ashes, to personalized necklaces, rings, and bracelets with your pet's name, image, or paw print.
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Plaques and Frames
Pet memorial frames are specially designed to hold a photo of your furry loved one alongside a heartfelt sentiment or memorabilia like a paw print or your pet's collar for a beautiful display. Plaques can turn a favorite picture into a 3D image on a stand or, more traditionally, show an image with your pet's name and an inscription of your choosing.
Personalized Coffee Mug
A creative way to keep your pet's memory close is to get a hand-drawn and printed mug with the furry face that greeted you every morning.
Wind Chimes and Stones
If your pet adored spending time in the backyard or on the patio, creating an outdoor pet memorial would be fitting. Blown-glass stones made with your pet's ashes or engraved, resin stones with your pet's image and name can be placed in the garden. Personalized wind chimes are nice too—every time you hear the wind blowing through them you'll think of your pal.
Animal Replicas
A unique way to keep the memory of a cherished pet near is having a custom plush or felt lookalike made. Using a photo of your cat or dog, the artist creates a mini version that you can cuddle.
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Artwork
For a lasting keepsake, commission a drawing or painting of your four-legged friend to hang in your home. Or, create a framed print featuring one of these comforting quotes to serve as a tribute to the wonderful bond you and your pet shared.
Ornaments
Whether you hang an ornament during the holidays or place it somewhere in your home year-round, a personalized pet memorial ornament can be a meaningful remembrance.
Plant a Tree
Pay tribute to your passed cat or dog by planting a tree, bush, or flowers in their memory in a pot inside or outdoors. Every time you water it, catch a whiff of its fragrance, or sit in its shade you'll be reminded of your furry pal. You can even get a kit that uses your pet's ashes to grow a tree from seeds.
Memorialize Their Ashes
Lately, more services have been created that allow pet parents to create jewelry or even artwork with their pet's cremated ashes. The company EverAfter takes high-resolution digital images of microscopic crystals that are formed from the chemistry contained in a pet's ashes. The resulting abstract patterns, shapes, and often-vivid colors create one-of-a-kind art, which the company calls "your pet's essence of life."
