I decided to have Ginger cremated and I guess I can go to my vets office and pick "him" up one of these days..next week. I have had cats and dogs before but I have never opted to "keep" any remains before...this time is different and I am glad I made this decision BUT I wondered if you have anything to share with me about your experience with this. Someday if I die before Dave I want my ashes to be mixed up with Gingers. In the meantime though I don't know where to keep his remains--is it super sad to display them--? what can I expect when I go to pick them up? (never mind...I think I know how that will go)--if I transfer the ashes myself into a container will I be surprised with what it looks like?? sorry for so many lame questions. I feel so stupid about everything these days.
Thanks
Patti

i have tribble in the original crematory can decorated with pictures of him and some cat wrapping paper. inside i placed some food, catnip, and a toy. at funeral homes that cater to pet loss, you can find several very nice memorial containers. plenty on the web too. they can be pricey though, so shop around a bit. the ashes look like ashes or sand, with a few larger but indistinguishable bits. they usuall provide a metal canister with the ashes inside a small bag. the most surprising thing to me was how heavy the ashes were in comparison to the bag's size. some people also scatter the ashes, as we often do with humans. hope that helps!

Hi Ginger's Pal,
I just picked Jordan's ashes up a few hours ago. The hardest part for me was walking back into the animal hospital. My heart was pounding so hard that my chest hurt. I couldn't help but think about the last time my husband and I were there with Jordan.
When I walked up to the desk and said, "I'm here to pick up Jordan's ashes" the words had a hard time coming out. She disappeared into the back and returned with a gold tin.(My husband says that it looks like a coffee can.) I too, was surprised at how heavy it was. JJ weighed 72 pounds the day he died. I cried and cried in the car. When I got home we put "him" on the kitchen counter. I was curious and opened the lid. His remains are in a plastic baggie with a twist tie. It is so strange to think that is what is left of his body. I still can't believe it. It is so surreal.
We are going to place some of them near a swimming hole that JJ loved to play at. He would jump off of these tall rocks into the water. An amazing thing that he would do was to dive under the water and then he'd pop up with a rock in his mouth! Funny, huh? He was a funny, lovable, wonderful boy. My husband wants to spread all of JJ's ashes in a few different places but I want to keep some of them.
Its tough but I am finding it somewhat of a relief to have him back. I don't know if you remember my previous posts but I was worried about his body. Well, I just wanted to share, especially since I just picked him up today. I think you'll know what to do with Ginger's remains once you have them with you. Take care and good luck when you pick him up. Let me know how it goes... I'll be thinking of you.
Jordan's mom

thank you jordans mom and LS--this helps me!
thanks especially jordan's mom for the little story about the rock---you know, before all this happened the last place I would have ever had read a post was a place like this!! too heartbreaking--couldn't take it! but now that the unimagineable has happened and I read something like the rock story it is just the best thing. ...I can't help but smile. Jordan was a unique and wonderful friend and the lack of his physical presence will not change that.
Had a laugh today when my friend told me she thought "Ginger might fight with the other animals at the rainbow bridge". lol lol... (he really did love to throw his weight around--he once went a round with the bull mastiff next door..lol)

Hi!

Ben & I just came home from having a wonderful dinner at our "usual spot".....

We decided not to keep our Ernestine's remains..... because, she will always & forever live in our hearts & souls!!!

But, if I did have them, I would probably want to make myself a little locket, to wear around my neck, with some of her ashes in it...........

That may sound, "disgusting" to others that don't have a love for our very special furbabies, but, if I had kept her ashes, I would want a pretty locket with my girl's remains inside & VERY, VERY CLOSE TO MY HEART .

I don't know...............it's just a thought....

God Bless all of you!!

Love, Denise & Ben

Hi,

I found caring for their remains, in general, very healing.

We buried Freyja. But we had both Saki and Electra cremated. I have a bronze urn that looks like a catfor Saki. The urn is heavy and has a twist off cap on the bottom. Electra is in a delicate white ceramic urn that also looks like a cat. It has a rubber cap on the bottom. They sit on the mantle together. They look enough like knick knacks that I don't think people who visit in the house would notice them. I got both urns off the web (at different places). They were relatively cheap. Electra's especially.

When we picked them up at the vet, they were in little tins, with plastic baggies and twist ties. I still have the tins. We emptied Saki's baggy into her urn. With Electra, we simply put the entire baggy, still tied up, into the urn. Tim much prefered this, and has told me that if anyone out here ever asks, I should tell them to leave the remains in the baggie for the transfer.

I could not/would not scatter their ashes bc they were strictly indoor cats. They've never been anywhere except inside with us. However, I hope that when I go, Tim will remember to add some of their ashes to mine.

I find it comforting to still have them here. It's not sad. I mean, I am sad and I miss them, but having their remains nearby is a comfort.

We bought a house. We are closing today and moving this weekend. The new house does not have a mantle, and I have wondered where I will put them. ... But I am sure I will find a good spot.

Good luck.

Love,
Jennifer

we burryied cleo, but i am sorry that we did not have her cremated. i know someday we will probably leave this house, and her body here in the garden, and i keep worrying that the new owners might dig up the garden to relandscape and find my baby. the thought is terrible to me.

i like the locket idea. i wish i could have done that.

Well, the remains were actually so much smaller than I thought they would be--the size of a tea tin ...he was such a huge cat and I guess I expected it to be the size of a small coffee can. But nope, much smaller.

I didn't like the looks of the tin at all so yesterday I found a really beautiful glazed ceramic piece---really pretty! It is green and for some reason I think Ginger would approve! (good lord, I can't believe the things I write anymore!! LOL) I have found having his ashes to be really helpful to me. I am glad Jennifer that you told me to leave things intact in the plastic bag. I did just that and I am not sure I would have without your advise.

Thanks so much to all of you who replied. I feel some better today than I have--you have all been wonderful to help me through this nightmare ORDEAL. I consider you all friends. Throughout this misery I have been able to come here day or night and pour out my heart. What a bunch of pals to shore me up like you have!!
Best,
Patti

Good morning all. We buried Cuddley up on the bank with all the others that we lost. I used to worry also about moving and leaving my babies behind, I would tell my husband, if we have to move we have to take everyone with us. There's no way I would of left them behind. But we ended up buying this place after renting it for 5 yrs. So now I don't have to worry about it, I plan on staying here. Don't know how much longer my Beethoven is going to last. His time is approaching. My heart is breaking, as I just lost my Cuddley.

When we lost Tigger, we took his ashes home with us. They're sitting on our mantle next to the urn with my grandfather's ashes, but this summer, I'm saving money and I'm going to buy him a plot in the pet cemetery next to my grandmother's cemetery. That way, he can have a stone and also, he'll be with other little cats and dogs (as well as all five of our hamsters), and he'll be able to keep my gradnmother's spirit company. I'm pretty sure that it sounds weird to do all this but I figure that his spirit is always at home and always with me so I can put his ashes somewhere where he'll be happy. The cemetery borders a beautiful forest too so I know he'll have fun staring at the leaves and then running from them when they blow towards him like he used to do. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I had such a hard time with this. My husband went to the vet to pick up Chloe's ashes, because I just could not bear it. I felt so much better once her cremains were back in the house--it is hard to explain. I did a lot of searching on the web for the perfect urn for her. I have a lot of resources bookmarked on the computer. It was a big decision. I knew we wouldn't be in this house forever, so the choice of an urn was simple, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her behind...ever. I finally decided on "Rays of Joy". They made a beautiful stained glass urn with a place for a photo with her name etched above the photo. There is also a small drawer above the compartment for the ashes that I put her collar, and the paw print from the vet on that last day into. I feel better knowing that Chloe still has an area of importance in the house forever.(close to where she loved to lie). If anyone wants info on the websites I researched, please contact me.
Take Care,
chloe'smom