Losing a pet is one of the most painful experiences in life. They’re not just animals—they’re family. After saying goodbye, many pet owners face a difficult question: What should I do with my pet’s ashes?

Funeral planning is a responsibility filled with deep emotions, and it can be hard to know where to start. You’re looking for a way to honor the bond you shared.

This guide offers a complete list of thoughtful, creative, and comforting options to help you memorialize your pet in a way that truly reflects your unique relationship.

1. Memorial Jewelry

When you don’t have enough space at home to express your love and remembrance, consider a keepsake you can carry with you. Memorial jewelry offers a unique and heartfelt way to keep your pet’s memory close. A small amount of fur or ashes can be incorporated into a beautiful piece—like a pendant, ring, or bracelet—so you can take their memory with you wherever you go.

2. Display in a Memorial Urn at Home

Many pet owners choose to keep their pet’s ashes at home. Placing the ashes in an urn or memorial box adorned with your pet’s photo or name creates a peaceful corner for remembrance. Whether displayed on a shelf or kept in a private space, this approach offers a sense of closeness and personal reflection.

3. Scattering the Ashes in a Meaningful Location

Scattering your pet’s ashes in a place that holds special meaning not only lets them return to a spot they once loved but also offers a beautiful, symbolic way to honor their spirit. It can bring a deep sense of comfort and peace. When choosing a location, think about the places that brought your pet the most joy—a favorite walking path, your backyard, or a family cabin in the countryside.

Before scattering the ashes, be sure to check local and state regulations, as well as any rules for private property or public parks. Choose a calm, quiet day so the ashes can be released just the way you intend. Finally, consider bringing a close friend or family member for support during this emotional moment.

4. Create a Memorial Stone with Cement

Mixing your pet’s ashes into cement to create a custom stepping stone or garden stone is a beautiful and durable way to honor them. You can press their paw print into the wet cement, add their name, or even embed their tag. Placed in your garden or a special spot in your home, it becomes a physical keepsake that helps you feel like your pet is still close. If you’ve just discovered this idea and missed the chance to make one yourself, you can purchase a pet memorial stone from Cherithy and have your pet’s name and dates engraved on it.

5. Burial

Home garden burials and pet cemetery burials are both common options.

A home garden burial offers privacy and convenience, allowing you to place the ashes in an area your pet loved. You can bury a biodegradable urn or the ashes directly in the soil. Many people mark the spot with a memorial stone, a shrub, or a special garden statue.

Pet cemeteries are professionally maintained spaces designed specifically to honor animal companions. They often offer a range of plots, permanent markers, and assurance that the grounds will be cared for forever. This can be especially comforting if you move, since you’ll always know where to visit your pet.

6. Incorporate Ashes into a Painting

This is a deeply meaningful personalized way to honor a pet. By mixing a small amount of their ashes into the paint, they become part of the artwork. There are two main approaches:

1. Commission a professional pet portrait artist: Many artists specialize in memorial pieces and have experience respectfully incorporating ashes into their work. They can create a realistic portrait, an abstract piece using your pet’s favorite colors, or a scene that represents a cherished memory, such as their favorite walking path or a sunny spot they loved.

2. Create it yourself: If you have artistic talent, this can be a powerful part of the healing process. Simply mix the ashes with the paint and start creating a unique piece of art that’s entirely your own.

7. Water Burial

A water burial is a memorial tradition with a long history that allows your pet’s ashes to return to the natural cycle.

This can take place at a beach, lake, river, or even on a boat out at sea—any spot your pet loved. Just be sure you have permission and follow local regulations for the water area.

You can use a biodegradable urn made from recycled paper, sand, salt, or similar materials. These urns float briefly before dissolving and releasing the ashes. You can also use a scattering tube to release the ashes directly.

8. Use Ashes to Nourish a Plant or Tree

Using your pet’s ashes to nourish a plant or tree is a beautiful way to remember them.

This method symbolizes the cycle of life. You can bury the ashes at the base of a newly planted tree, shrub, or garden plant. As the plant grows and thrives, it becomes a living memorial, drawing strength from your pet’s remains. You can also mix a small amount of ashes with soil and plant them in a potted plant, keeping this living tribute indoors or on a patio.

9. Encased in a Glass Sphere

Encasing your pet’s ashes in a handcrafted glass orb is a stunning way to memorialize them.

Each glass orb is unique, with the ashes forming intricate patterns within the glass. These orbs can serve as beautiful decorations—you can place them on a sunlit windowsill to cast soft, shimmering light, or display them in a special memorial niche.

Websites like SpiritPieces specialize in turning ashes into handcrafted glass keepsakes, including orbs, pendants, and sculptures.

10. Place Ashes in a Memorial Stuffed Animal

Memorial plush toys offer a unique way to keep your pet close and provide comfort. These special plush toys often feature a hidden sealed compartment—usually in the chest or back—where a small amount of ashes can be placed, creating a soft, huggable keepsake.

If the toy doesn’t have a built-in compartment, you can cut a small opening, place the ashes in a sealed bag, and insert it. Whether on a bed, couch, or held during difficult moments, a memorial plush toy provides ongoing softness and comfort.

Since these plush toys are usually small, you might also consider a pet memorial pillow customized with your pet’s name and photo. The warmth and comfort from a memorial pillow can be just as meaningful as that from a plush toy.

There Are Many Ways to Honor Your Pet

Losing a pet leaves a unique mark on our lives, and how you choose to remember them is a personal decision. There are many ways to honor a pet’s passing. We often focus on ashes because we see them as the essence of a pet’s presence, but your photos, videos, memories, and your pet’s belongings are just as meaningful to preserve.

Turning those memories into a wooden memorial frame for your bedroom, a keychain you can carry with you, or an acrylic plaque printed with your pet’s portrait are all wonderful ways to honor their memory.