The loss of a pet can be incredibly emotional. Pet cremation offers many ways to celebrate the memory of this special human-animal bond.
How Does Pet Cremation Work?
Pet cremation works in a similar way to human cremation. The body of the deceased pet is placed in a cremation chamber, which is heated to a high temperature using natural gas, propane, or electricity. The heat breaks down the body's organic matter, leaving behind bone fragments and ash. The bone fragments are then pulverized into a fine powder using a special machine called a cremulator.
The pet crematorium will either pick up the deceased pet from the veterinarian’s office or from your home. After the cremation, some services offer the return of the animal’s ashes to the pet owner, while others scatter the remains in a designated memorial garden at the crematorium. Depending on the pet cremation service, you may have additional options available, such as a small visitation, a memorial book, or your choice from a selection of pet urns.
Is Pet Cremation Only for Cats and Dogs?
While cats and dogs are the most common pets that undergo cremation, other animals, like rabbits, ferrets, goats, and horses, can be cremated, too. Accommodation for each animal strongly depends on the pet crematorium’s capacity and services offered.
Is Pet Cremation Expensive?
The cost of pet cremation depends on many factors, starting with the size of the animal. A small cat or dog will not require the same accommodations that a larger pet, like a horse, will require. Therefore, the cremation of smaller animals tends to cost much less.
There are two main types of pet cremation: individual and communal. In an individual cremation, the pet's body is placed alone in the cremation chamber, and the resulting ashes are returned to the pet owner. In a communal cremation, multiple pets are cremated together, and the ashes are not returned to the pet owner.
"Dog" ceramic urn for ashes by Pulvis.
Another distinction in cost is based on if the pet will be cremated communally with other animals or individually. Many pet crematoriums offer both services, and individual pet cremation can be significantly more expensive than communal pet cremation.
Will my Pet be Cremated Alone?
While many pet crematoriums offer both individual and communal cremation services, be sure to specify which service you would like. If a pet crematorium does not mention individual cremation on their website, there’s a good chance that all their cremations are done communally.
Can I Keep My Pet’s Ashes At Home?
Most pet cremation services offer the option to have the ashes returned to the pet owner for safekeeping and memorialization. However, if you are requesting the ashes, be sure to specify if the cremation will be performed individually or communally. Individual pet cremations are the only way to ensure that the ashes you receive belong only to your beloved pet.
What Can I Do With My Pet’s Ashes?
Lots of people pick special, handcrafted urns for their pet’s ashes, because artisan urns offer an incredible variety of styles to choose from. The creative designs allow pet owners to choose a handcrafted urn that honors the unique personality of their pet. The benefit of using cremation urns for ashes is that you can keep the memory of your pet with you over the years, even if you move homes.
But not all pet owners are interested in keeping urns at home, and there are many other ways to honor the memory of your pet after cremation. Dog owners may like the idea of scattering their dog’s ashes at a nearby park where they shared walks together, while others may plant a memorial garden to scatter their pet’s ashes.
Creating pet urns for ashes is also very common when it comes to memorializing pets, and there are now many companies that help you design jewelry, statues, and other mementos with your pet’s ashes.
There are many ways to honor the memory of your pet. Whether you decide to scatter their ashes at a park or keep their ashes in a ceramic urn at home, pet cremation offers a beautiful way to find closure.
Join us in helping families honor the memory of their loved ones and pets through art!
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