What to Do With Pet Ashes: 10 Ideas

By Angeline Simmons, December 28, 2024

Anyone who loses a pet knows that the very next step after saying goodbye is figuring out what to do with your pet’s remains. That’s not a decision to be taken lightly, and no one expects you to rush to decide. If you choose to have your pet cremated, you’ll be offered their ashes afterward. The question then becomes what you should do with those pet ashes. 

Some people hang onto the ashes for years, while others want to memorialize their pets right away by doing something meaningful with the cremains. If you’re looking for ideas, check out 10 options that might speak to you. 

1. Turn Your Pet’s Ashes Into Glass

Some artisans have discovered how to incorporate cremation ashes into the glass-firing process, resulting in beautiful pieces that range from paperweights and vases to marbles and candle holders.

The process involves sending some of your pet’s ashes to the artist (or taking them in person, if you’re local) and then selecting your favorite design. For instance, dog parents might enjoy seeing their furry friend’s ashes turned into bone-shaped glass art, while cat lovers may opt for a paw print in glass. 

These are on the higher end of the cost spectrum, coming in at over $150 each. If you’re looking for a more cost-effective glass option, cremation marbles or beads might be preferable, costing $30 to $50 each.

2. Consider Wearing Pet Ashes Jewelry

Turning pet ashes into jewelry may come in the form of glass beads or pendants, but it can also come in the form of lockets, bracelets or other options.

Artisans can even turn pet ashes into beads that resemble real stones. One option is to have your pet’s ashes incorporated into a pendant for upwards of $150, or to have multiple pets’ ashes turned into glass beads that are formed into a bracelet.

On the lower end of the price scale, you might consider wearing a pet ashes necklace, which serves as both a reminder of your pet and a tiny urn. You tuck the ashes into the locket and inscribe your pet’s name or photo onto the gold or silver exterior. These range from $20 to $50, depending on the options you choose, and are less expensive than having jewelry created directly from the ashes because you add the cremation ashes yourself at home. You can find even less expensive ones if you choose a pet-themed necklace urn without personalization.

3. Mix the Ashes Into Concrete Pavers

Some companies will use your pet’s ashes to make a stone paver that’s inscribed with the pet’s likeness or name.

These are typically in the $125 to $200 range, but if you want to use cremation remains in concrete, there are ways you can do it yourself at home. You can then either pick up cement mix at a local hardware store or buy a pet paw print kit or other do-it-yourself set and infuse a small amount of ashes into the mixture. Before using them, sift the ashes to ensure you don’t have bone fragments or other large pieces included and substitute them into the mixture in place of an equal ratio of cement mix. 

4. Turn Pet Ashes Into Diamonds

One very high-end way to honor your pet is to turn their ashes into diamonds.

Using heat and pressure, gem experts can convert cremains into diamonds, but the cost is typically upwards of $900. To do this, you’d send your pet’s cremains to the company and then select the design and color you want. For instance, a cremation-created diamond up to 0.19 carats would cost approximately $1,600 at one gemstone specialist. 

5. Pet Urns for Ashes

The urns that you may remember seeing during your childhood were probably large, heavy and overwhelming, but today’s pet urns are smaller, sleeker and even stylish.

In fact, someone visiting your house may not even realize they’re looking at a pet urn if they see one. 

On the less expensive side of things, one style looks like hand-carved wood, with an image of a girl hugging her dog carved right into the lid. Another is a simple, cylindrical wooden box with a cat’s paw print on top. Each of these are under $30. 

If you’re more interested in a premium offering, you can find personalized urns with stained glass and a photo of your pet on Etsy for closer to $150. These are heavier and hand-made to order based on your specifications.

6. Look Into Stuffed Animal Urns

One way to keep your pet’s ashes nearby is to snuggle with the urn. And although that may sound strange, it’s a lot easier to picture in the form of a stuffed animal.

Several companies have created stuffed animals with a hidden zipper where you can place a small urn holding your pet’s cremains. They range in price from $25 to over $100, depending on the personalizations you request, such as angel wings embroidered on the pet’s shoulders or your pet’s name on the animal.

7. Plan to Have the Ashes Buried With You or Mixed With Yours

Many people choose to be with their pets forever, including in the afterlife. How this looks may be different depending on whether you plan to be cremated or buried.

Some people plan ahead to have their pet’s ashes buried with them, while others request for their ashes to be mixed with their pet’s. Celebrities who lost pets have often spoken of doing this. For instance, actress Shannen Doherty said before her 2024 passing that she planned to have her ashes mixed with those of her dog and her father.  

8. Scatter the Ashes

A longtime tradition is to scatter a pet’s ashes somewhere that was special to them, or to you. Some people choose to drop a small amount of ashes on their pet’s favorite walking path every time they take a stroll without their furry friend.

Others may wish to scatter ashes at a beloved park or lake. Always check the local laws before spreading cremains in a public place — some parks have instructions online about it. For instance, at the Rainbow Bridge memorial in Unity Village, Missouri, visitors are invited to scatter their pet’s ashes.

9. Put Them in a Picture Frame Box (Under $10!)

One inexpensive but heart-warming pet ashes keepsake option is using a photo cube to store your pet’s ashes. They range in price from $6 to $40, depending on the type of wood, weight, size and finish.

You can put pictures of your pet into the photo slots and then place your pet’s ashes, collar, fur and any other keepsakes inside of the box. You can find these at most craft stores, and they’re available online as well.

10. Plant a Cremation Tree

There are ways you can mix your pet’s cremains with soil and plants to grow a tree out of your best friend’s ashes. You can’t simply pour all of the cremains in with the soil or it will throw off the nutrient balance required to grow a healthy tree.

Instead, you should mix a very small amount of the ashes into the soil when planting, and then scatter small amounts of ashes over the tree while it’s growing as time passes. If you prefer to buy a kit that allows you to use all of the ashes at once to grow a tree, you can find them for between $120 and $180 online, or in select funeral homes or stores.