I don't know how many of you have ever had a pet cremated but today was the second time (the last time 2 years ago) that I had to go into the vets office and pick up a little box containing the ashes of the little body that I loved so much.
I managed to keep it together till I got home.
Spicey died exactly one month ago today and I miss her so much. I am grateful she went peacefully in her sleep but I wish I could hold her little purring furry self just one more time and hug her and kiss her and let her know how much I love her. When I opened the box in amongst her ashes I found the little heart that a dear friend of mine had given all three of my cats and which had been attached to her collar, it read purrfect kitty. It was burned black and tarnished but had somehow withstood being melted. When Zody had been cremated his little gold heart had melted and I painted what was left of it bronze like his eyes and have kept it ever since. I will keep Spicey's little gold heart also. I will spread her ashes on Thanksgiving as a tribute to her and a way of letting her know how thankful I am that she was part of my life for 16 years.

I know it is such a very hard time for you at the moment ... I am so very sorry that you have had so much sadness in such a short space of time ....

But how wonderful that little Spicey's heart survived, and that you can now keep that as a precious momento of her, knowing that it spent so much time so very close to her.

It is such a wonderful picture of her ... what a very special and beautiful little girl she was. I am sure the 16 years you spent together hold many happy memories and I hope it can be some comfort to you that you gave her a wonderful life with so much love for so many years.

with love
jilly

Odin was the first pet that I have ever had creamated. I just remember looking at the tin he came in and crying over how small it was. I wasnt sure what to expect. I just remember feeling numb and hollow inside. I have the tin at work with some of his ashes. His urn is near his favorite window. We are actually planning on using a portion of his ashes to plant a tree when we move into our next home. The rest we will save until it is Loki's time. Which, knock on wood will be a long, long time. I want them to be together so I made sure that I got a large enough urn for both of them. I couldn't fathom losing Loki as well right now.

Please know that you are in my thoughts......
One day we will all see our babies again....

Take Care,
Cynthia

I know exactly how you feel. I had to pick up my Winnie girl's ashes last Saturday. I know have hers, her sister Tigger's and her brother Tommy's. It has never been an easy task, and each time I felt the same way you did, that I wanted so much to have their furry bodies back in their familiar forms so I could hug and kiss them again. But, I have found it comforting to have their ashes with me (I wasn't sure I would). A friend told me that there is a company that makes jewelry out of a little bit of the ashes. I like the thought of having a necklace with a little bit of each of my babies' earthly bodies in it that I can wear close to my heart.

Winnie would have been 17 next month, and like you I shared many wonderful years and warm, silly, joyous times with all three of my furbabies. I miss them all very much. But, I am beginning to understand that neither our wonderful companions' spirits nor their love ever leave us.

I think your Thanksgiving tribute is a wonderful thought, and I'm glad you have the mementoes from Spicey and Zody's lives to always remind you of their love for you.

Eliza

I had my dog Jack cremated 1 1/2 weeks ago. The place that did it gave him back to me in a beautiful cedar box. I have not been able to even open it. I can't really look at his pictures on my computer either. He was only 7. I have 2 older dogs, but Jack was my baby boy. He got cancer 2 years ago and survived it but the chemo messed up his heart and it caught up with him this summer. I gave up my vacation in August to stay at home with him. Vacations will come again next summer. Jack won't. His heart deteriorated over a period of 2 months. I don't think he was in pain, he just got weaker. The last 2 days was over labor day weekend and we just sat on the floor together and watched old movies. I held him when he needed to go out. I knew if he had lasted till Tues I would have had to make a decision I didn't want to make. But Sunday in my arms, he just stopped. It's torn my heart out. I'm wearing his little tag from his collar. He was always a scardy and I couldn't bear to leave him in the ground alone. He's on my nighttable. I swore to him, I would always be with him. I'm having a will made up that when I go, I'll be cremated and dropped from a plane with all my pets and we will always be together. I have had a cat that was amazing and he passed in 1983. He is in my closet still and will be with me as well. May you find some peace that you did have that kind of love. Some people will never get it. This website provides us with a great place to be among our own kind. Maddy

This is my first time on here, but it looks like it may help. I totally understand what you are going through. I picked up my baby Parker's ashes two days ago. It seems surreal. He just passes on Saturday and I am glad he is back home now......but I don't feel like he is HERE. I feel like if he was here, I wouldn't be so despondent and lonely. I am married and have a son.......but I had my baby for 13 years and we were inseperable. He was a lab/shep mix with the most beautiful eyes you've ever seen. We knew each other so well. I am trying to revel in the good memories, but I am just so sad and just wish I could smell him and touch him and kiss him again. I can't fathom that I will NEVER see him again in my lifetime. It just can't be.

I will attach a pic next time.
Kerry

Me too.

I wasn't as strong as you, I lost it when I entered the vet's office to pick up Rush. It was so hard. I think it's wonderful that you have the heart to keep with you and your idea for scattering the ashes at Thanksgiving is a beautiful idea. I was going to wait until Christmas when my son returns from college to scatter Rush's, but maybe Thanksgiving would be a good way to show our gratitude for his time in our lives. I'm hoping for snow when we do it, he was always so goofy in the snow and loved it so. He'd bounce straight up in the air just like Tigger. I have it on video and we always laugh when we see it.

Hugs!

Hobbie was my third pet to have cremated. I have to say, going and picking up the ashes is one of the hardest things to do. For me it's always bittersweet...on one hand it's good to have them home, but on the other hand it makes their passing a reality.

Spicey was so very beautiful. I think your idea to spread her ashes on Thanksgiving is a wonderful idea.

Hugs,
Kathleen

I am very sorry for your loss and know how hard it is to go through this. Because my Frankie was at the State Vet School, I allowed them to do some testing before they cremated him. (at the time, we didn't know what had happened to him. It had happened so fast, so I wanted answers along with helping the students to learn more). They were suppose to send me his ashes via UPS. That was almost 2 weeks ago and still no ashes. The vet school is over 100 miles away and hard for me to get to without taking off at least a half day of work. So when they asked about shipping them to me, I thought it was a good idea. Now I'm just not so sure. This is my first time for pet cremation and I'm almost wishing I'd just brought him home with me that day. But then I'd never have gotten the testing and the answers I needed. I've called a few times and they said they just had a lot of pet deaths, unfortuntely and each animal is cremated seperately.

*sigh* I'm sorry, I was going to support you and instead starting telling *you* my issues. Again, so sorry for your loss. This is just an unexplainable and unimagineable experience for me as I am sure it is for you.

I'm so lost.

Thank you all so much for your empathy amidst your own sorrow. I appreciate it more than any of you will ever know.

mom2adoxie, I know what you mean about the waiting. I had brought Spicey's body to the vet on August 18 and was told I'd get her back in a week or two but it ended up taking twice as long. I felt like I had a chance to grieve a bit in between but it didn't lessen the horrible heartache once I had that little box in my hands.

I have to keep thinking that the box only contains her shell, her spirit is flying free now once again a part of the universe.