After pet cremation, there’s a moment many families don’t expect. The hardest decisions may be behind you, but a new, quieter question shows up in your hands: what to do with ashes. Deciding can feel overwhelming—especially while you’re grieving—because it can feel like you’re choosing how to carry love forward.
It also helps to know you’re not alone in this crossroads. Cremation continues to rise in the United States, which means more families are navigating choices about ashes and memorialization. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to be 63.4% in 2025. The Cremation Association of North America reports a U.S. cremation rate of 61.8% in 2024. Those numbers are about human disposition trends, but the emotional question they create—how families want to remember and where ashes should live—shows up after pet loss, too.
This guide shares pet memorial ideas and practical things to do with pet ashes, from choosing pet urns for ashes to scattering, planting, or wearing a small portion as pet ashes jewelry. You can read it straight through, or treat it like a set of options you return to when you feel ready.
Start With the Question Beneath the Question
Before you pick a container or plan a ceremony, it helps to name what you actually need. Some people need closeness: a place where their pet still “belongs.” Some need sharing: a way for kids, siblings, or separate households to each have a small piece of comfort. Others need release: a moment of letting go in a place that held joy.
You also don’t have to decide everything right now. Many families start with a respectful, temporary plan and revisit the long-term decision later. Even among people thinking about their own cremation, preferences are varied. The NFDA’s statistics page notes that among those who prefer cremation, 37.1% would prefer to have cremated remains kept in an urn at home, 33.5% would prefer scattering in a sentimental place, and 10.5% would like the remains split among relatives. Your pet memorial decision can be just as flexible: one plan now, another later, and sometimes a combination that supports everyone who is grieving.
15 Meaningful Things to Do With Your Pet’s Ashes
If it helps to see the landscape of options first, here is a simple menu you can come back to later. Many families choose a primary plan (like an urn at home) plus a secondary plan (like a small keepsake for travel or an anniversary ritual).
- Keep ashes in a dedicated pet cremation urn at home.
- Choose an engraved urn with a name, dates, or a short phrase.
- Use a photo-frame urn or memorial box for ashes and keepsakes.
- Select pet figurine cremation urns that reflect your pet’s personality.
- Share ashes using pet keepsake cremation urns for multiple households.
- Use small cremation urns for a travel-friendly “share” or ceremony urn.
- Wear a portion of ashes as cremation jewelry.
- Choose cremation necklaces or pendants designed to be sealed.
- Scatter ashes in a meaningful place (with permission and local rules).
- Plan a water burial or scattering at sea with biodegradable materials.
- Create a memorial garden corner with a marker and a small ritual.
- Commission memorial glass or art that incorporates a small portion of ashes.
- Place a small portion in a memorial stone or outdoor keepsake.
- Keep a tiny portion in a “memory vial” alongside a paw print or collar tag.
- Hold a simple remembrance ceremony now and choose the long-term plan later.
Keeping Ashes at Home With Comfort and Confidence
For many families, the most comforting answer is the simplest: keeping ashes at home. It gives your grief a place to land, and it buys you time—especially if you are not ready for scattering, or if different family members want different kinds of memorials. If you want practical guidance on respectful placement and household considerations, read Keeping Ashes at Home: How to Do It Safely, Respectfully, and Legally.
When families browse pet urns and pet urns for ashes, they’re usually trying to find a “home” that fits both the space and the relationship. Funeral.com’s Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes collection includes options in wood, metal, ceramic, and more, with styles that range from discreet to deeply personalized. If you’re drawn to something that feels like a likeness—something that quietly says “this is them”—the Pet Figurine Cremation Urns for Ashes collection is designed for families who want their memorial to feel recognizable, not generic.
If multiple people are grieving, consider whether a single “main urn” might unintentionally create tension. This is where keepsake urns and small cremation urns can be a relief. Funeral.com’s Pet Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes are designed to hold a sharing portion, and the article Pet Keepsake Urns for Sharing Ashes explains how families use keepsakes to support siblings, separate households, and travel. If you want to compare non-pet categories as well, you can browse Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes and Small Cremation Urns for Ashes to see how “keepsake” and “small” differ across designs.
Cremation Jewelry and Cremation Necklaces: A Wearable Kind of Closeness
Sometimes the comfort you want is portable. Cremation jewelry holds a very small portion of ashes so you can carry your pet’s memory through ordinary life—workdays, travel days, and the moments that still sting. If a necklace feels right, cremation necklaces and pendants are often chosen because they rest close to the heart and can be worn daily.
Funeral.com’s Cremation Jewelry and Cremation Necklaces collections include pieces designed to be sealed. If you want help comparing closures, filling options, and materials, read Cremation Jewelry 101 before you buy or fill anything. That small bit of planning can prevent the most common regrets: choosing a closure that doesn’t fit your lifestyle, or picking a piece that feels comforting in theory but stressful in daily wear.
Scattering and Water Burial: Returning Love to the Outdoors
Scattering can be meaningful because it gives you a moment that matches your pet’s life: outdoors, in motion, in a place that held joy. A favorite trail, a backyard garden, a beach, or a lake can feel like the right answer to “where do we go from here?” It can also be a gentle way to include children, with simple roles like choosing a flower, reading a short note, or sharing a memory.
The most important planning step is permission. Rules vary by location and land manager. Many national parks require a permit for scattering cremated remains; the National Park Service provides an example of permit requirements and conditions in a specific park unit. If you’re scattering on private land, it typically comes down to the owner’s consent and practical respect: keep it discreet, avoid high-traffic areas, and leave no non-biodegradable items behind.
If you’re drawn to the ocean, water burial or scattering at sea can feel peaceful and symbolic. In the United States, there are clear rules to follow: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that cremated remains may be buried in ocean waters provided the burial takes place at least three nautical miles from land. Funeral.com’s guide Water Burial and Burial at Sea explains what that requirement means in real-life planning, including how families structure a simple, respectful moment on the water.
Planting, Gardens, and Living Memorials
A living memorial can be a gentle answer when you want something that grows alongside your grief. Many families create a memorial corner with a plant, a stone, a photo protected from weather, or a wind chime, and then add a small ritual—lighting a candle on an adoption day, or placing a flower on the anniversary. If you want to incorporate ashes into a garden, consider using only a very small portion and keeping the majority in a secure urn at home; often it’s the symbolism that heals, not the amount.
Memorial Art and Shipping a Portion of Ashes Safely
Not every family wants an urn to be the main symbol. Some prefer memorial glass, pottery, or other artisan-made keepsakes that incorporate a small portion of ashes into something that looks like art. If you go this route, ask clear questions about how much is needed, how the ashes are handled, what is returned, and how the maker recommends packaging the portion you send.
If you do need to mail a portion of ashes, use official guidance rather than improvising. USPS Publication 139 explains how to package and ship cremated remains, including the importance of a sealed, sift-proof inner container and protective packaging. For international shipments (when permitted), the USPS International Mail Manual guidance on cremated remains addresses eligibility and packaging requirements for human and animal ashes.
Funeral Planning and Cost Questions Families Often Ask
Even in grief, practical questions show up. Funeral planning for a pet is really about protecting your future self: confirming whether you chose a private cremation (ashes returned) or a communal cremation (no ashes returned), understanding what container the ashes will come home in, and deciding whether you want keepsakes like a paw print or a small portion intended for jewelry. If you want a calm walkthrough of terminology and options, read Pet Cremation: A Practical & Emotional Guide for Families, and if cost questions are weighing on you, start with How Much Does Pet Cremation Cost?.
Cost is part of planning, too. People often ask, “how much does cremation cost,” because numbers feel steadier than emotions. For human funeral costs, the NFDA’s statistics page reports 2023 national median costs of $8,300 for a funeral with viewing and burial and $6,280 for a funeral with cremation. If you’re planning for a human loss as well, Funeral.com’s guide How Much Does Cremation Cost in the U.S.? breaks down typical fees and what changes the total.
If your household is navigating multiple kinds of loss—or you’re simply the kind of person who feels calmer with clarity—an urn guide can help you understand categories like cremation urns, cremation urns for ashes, and keepsake urns without guessing. You can browse Funeral.com’s cremation urns for ashes collection for a broad overview, and the article How to Choose the Best Cremation Urn explains how families compare size, materials, style, and budget in a practical way.
Choosing What Feels Right and Letting It Be Enough
The best memorial choice is the one that supports your grief instead of trying to outrun it. An urn at home can be a beginning, not an ending. A keepsake can be a bridge. A scattering ceremony can be a chapter, not the whole story. If you’re stuck, ask yourself a simple question: do I need closeness, sharing, or release—and which one do I need first?
When you’re ready to explore options, Funeral.com can help you compare pet cremation urns, pet keepsake cremation urns, and cremation jewelry alongside guidance on keeping ashes at home, scattering, and planning. Your pet’s story deserves a memorial that feels respectful, real, and true to the bond you had.
