As many of you may know, I lost my cat of 21 years at the end of January. Now, I know many of you are like, whatever, it was a cat. But I ask you, what has been by your side almost every day of your life for the past 21 years? Who has listened to you cry and laugh? Who has laid by your side when sick...every single time! Who has been there when you had your first boyfriend, the first fight with a boyfriend, prom, college keg parties, met at you at the door after your first day at your first "real" job... The list goes on and on. Anyhow, she was a really cool cat too and many of my friends and roommates who weren't even fans of cats liked Hannah.
I really have a hard time with cremation. I don't know why but something about burning a fuzzy- wuzzy animal just weirds me out. However, with my current ever-changing living arrangements, I didn't have anyplace to bury her. So, I made the decision to have her cremated and it was really hard. When I picked her ashes up, I was pleasantly surprised by the care they had taken. Her ashes were in a pretty tin box with a flower and the box was put in a velvet bag with a nice card. It wasn't freaky or weird at all. Then when I got home I actually kept the box near me alot. I know, I think it is kind of odd too but until you lose someone/thing important, you don't know how you will mourn. She was by my desk during the day and under the other pillow at night.
This wasn't a long-term solution and I wanted something to put her ashes in. Holy moly, there is a business idea...have you ever looked for an urn? I don't want to offend anyone but the ones they have for pets are generally very tacky and god-y. Pure awfulness!!! However, I also don't want to put her inside on a shelf and I didn't know where to scatter her ashes. The people who mentioned the ocean, if you were a cat and couldn't swim and hated water, would you want your ashes put in the ocean??
Finally, after many hours of research, I fell upon
Precious Pet Memorials. It was perfect! They basically are rocks in different sizes that either come as an urn or just a memorial. They look perfect outside in a garden or under a tree without looking too "cemetery" like. The urns are a little pricey but they are solid rock. Mine is 67 pounds yet only cost $60 to ship. Victoria Secret costs more to ship a bra! Customer service is awesome, I think it just a family operation and they are very understanding of what you are going through.
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Sorry for the glare - haven't put it outside yet. |
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In a flower garden |
Losing a pet or anyone you care about is hard. Have you found any great ways to remember yours?