After a pet dies you can find the house so quiet. You aren’t hearing any nails on the kitchen floor, there’s no one waiting at the door for you, no weight at the end of the bed etc.
People who haven’t loved an animal don’t always understand how big that loss is. But if you’re here you probably do. They were family and it makes sense to want to remember them properly.
So to help we have pet memorial ideas for dogs, cats and any other animal you’ve loved. Some are things you can make or do this week but others are the type of small traditions you can keep for years. There’s also short wording you can use on a stone, frame or keepsake.
If you’d like a few words of comfort first our pet loss poems are a good place to start.
Things to Do in the First Few Days
Some memorial ideas only work early on so it’s worth thinking about them before everything gets packed away. Don’t worry if it’s too late for some of these. There are lots more other ideas further down.
- Take a paw print. A clay or ink paw print is one of the most treasured keepsakes people have. Some vets will make one for you if you ask or you can buy a kit
- Keep a clipping of fur. A small lock of fur tied with ribbon can go in a locket, a shadow box or a little glass jar
- Hold onto the collar and tags. Even if you can’t look at them yet put them somewhere safe
- Save their photos in one place. Pull pictures off your phone, old cameras and social media into one folder before they get lost
- Write down the little things. Their funny habits, the sounds they made, what they did when you came home. These details fade faster than you’d think
- Save a voice memo or video. If you have clips of their bark, meow or purr then back them up somewhere safe
Inkless Pet Paw Print Impression Kit for Dogs/Cats Footprint Keepsake
A Pet Memorial Service or Goodbye
A small goodbye can help a lot especially for kids. It doesn’t need to be formal. A few people in the backyard sharing a story is plenty.
- Hold a short burial or ceremony at home with the family
- Have everyone share a favorite memory or a funny story
- Read a poem or a few words you’ve written yourself
- Let everyone put a flower, a treat or a small note in the grave or beside a photo
- Light a candle and sit together for a few quiet minutes
- Take one last walk along their favorite route
- Play a song that reminds you of them
Our step by step guide on how to hold a pet funeral at home goes through it. If you’d like to say a few words these eulogy examples for a dog can be easily changed to fit a cat or any other pet.
Pet Memorial Ideas for Your Home
A lot of us want to keep a little reminder somewhere we’ll see it every day. It can be as simple or as big as feels right.
A Memorial Corner or Shelf
- A framed photo with their collar draped over the corner
- A shadow box holding their tag, a paw print, a lock of fur and a favorite toy
- A small candle you light on their birthday or the anniversary of their death
- Their leash hung on a hook by the door where it always was
- A windowsill spot with a photo for a cat who spent hours watching the birds
- A memorial plaque or engraved wooden sign with their name and a short line
Pet Memorial Picture Frame 4×6
Photos and Art
- A custom painted or drawn portrait from a local artist
- A photo book of their life from the day you brought them home
- A collage of favorite pictures for the hallway or bedroom
- A canvas print of the one photo that sums them up best
- A digital photo frame that cycles through all their pictures
- A simple line drawing of their silhouette, framed or turned into a print
- A children’s drawing of them, framed like real art
Things Made From Their Belongings
- A pillow or small quilt made from their favorite blanket
- Their collar turned into a bracelet or keyring
- Their name tag added to your own keyring
- A Christmas ornament with their photo or paw print, brought out every year
- A stuffed animal made to look like them, often called a pet replica or look-alike plush
- Their food bowl turned into a planter for a small houseplant
SEE MORE: Pet Memorial Plaque Wording
Outdoor and Garden Memorial Ideas
The garden is where a lot of pets spent their happiest hours. An outdoor memorial gives you somewhere to sit with them and it changes with the seasons.
- Plant a tree, rose bush or flowering shrub in their memory
- Choose a plant that blooms around their birthday or the day you got them
- Lay a stepping stone with their paw print pressed into it
- Paint a smooth river rock with their name and put it in a flower bed
- Hang a wind chime near the spot they liked to lie in the sun
- Put a small garden statue of a sleeping dog or cat by their favorite spot
- Add a solar light so the spot glows a little each evening
- Put a bench where you can sit and remember them
- Grow catnip or cat grass for a cat who loved it
- Hang a bird feeder for a cat who loved to watch or a dog who loved to chase
From You Flowers Serene Peace Lily Plant in Woven Basket
If you rent or might move a large planter or a potted tree means the memorial can come with you.
Memorials That Use Their Ashes
If your pet was cremated the ashes can be part of a memorial too. A few ideas:
- A photo frame urn with a hidden compartment
- A pendant or locket that holds a pinch of ashes
- A glass paperweight, heart or ornament with ashes swirled inside
- A biodegradable urn that lets you plant a tree with their ashes
- Scattering a little at their favorite park, trail or beach
Silver Love Heart Locket Dog Paw Print Locket Necklace That Hold Pictures
There are many more options in our guide on what to do with ashes after cremation and most of them work just as well for a pet.
Jewelry and Things to Carry With You
Something small you can wear or carry can be a real comfort on hard days. You don’t need ashes or fur for these though some can hold them.
- A necklace with their paw print or nose print engraved on it
- A charm with their name for a bracelet you already wear
- A ring engraved inside with their name
- A keyring with their photo
- A small pocket stone engraved with a paw
- A wallet card with a favorite photo on one side and their name on the other
- A small memorial tattoo of their paw print, nose print or name
Ways to Help Other Animals in Their Name
For some people the best way to honor a pet is to help another one. This can feel especially right if your pet was a rescue.
- Donate to a local shelter or rescue in their name
- Give their unused food, beds, toys and blankets to a shelter
- Volunteer at a shelter, walking dogs or socializing cats
- Sponsor a kennel or an older animal who’s waiting for a home
- Foster a pet when you feel ready
- Make a donation to the vet clinic’s fund for families who can’t afford care, if they have one
- Do a sponsored walk or run for an animal charity on their birthday
A lot of people worry that getting involved with other animals will feel like replacing their pet. It won’t. You’re just letting the love they taught you go somewhere.
Yearly Traditions and Small Rituals
The first birthday, the first holidays and the first anniversary without them can be hard. Having a small tradition helps.
- Light a candle on their birthday or the day they died
- Walk their favorite route on the anniversary
- Hang their ornament on the tree every Christmas
- Buy a toy or treat on their birthday and donate it to a shelter
- Look through their photo book together as a family
- Cook the food they always begged for and share stories
- Plant a new flower in their garden spot each spring
- Write them a short letter once a year about what’s changed
Writing to them can help more than you’d expect. Our pet loss grief journal prompts are a good place to start if you’re not sure what to say.
Pet Memorial Ideas for Kids
For many children a pet is their first real loss. Giving them a way to remember helps them feel included instead of shut out.
- Let them draw a picture or write a goodbye letter to their pet
- Make a memory jar where everyone adds notes about funny things the pet did
- Paint a rock together to place in the garden
- Make a small scrapbook with photos, drawings and their pet’s tag
- Let them choose a plant or flower to grow
- Read a children’s book about pet loss together
- Talk about the Rainbow Bridge, if that idea brings your family comfort
- Let them keep a favorite toy of their pet’s in their bedroom
If you’re not sure how to talk to them about it our guide on what to say to a child whose first pet died has wording that helps.
Short Wording for Pet Memorials
These short lines are all original. Use them on a stone, plaque, frame, ornament or keepsake. Add your pet’s name and dates wherever it fits.
For a Dog
- Good boy. Best boy. Always
- Our sweet girl, forever
- Run free, ______
- Still waiting by the door for you
- The best walks were with you
- Thank you for every wag
- Loyal to the very end
- Off chasing sunbeams now
For a Cat
- Asleep in the sun
- Queen of the windowsill
- Our little shadow
- Thank you for choosing us
- Nine lives were never enough
- Forever curled up in our hearts
- The softest friend
For Any Pet
- Never just a pet
- Loved every single day
- Paw prints on our hearts
- Gone from our home, never from our hearts
- Small friend, big love
- You made our house a home
- Our family, our friend
- Rest easy, little one
- Forever in our hearts and in our home
- Until we meet again
Tips for Choosing a Pet Memorial
There’s no right way to remember a pet. These few things might make it easier to decide.
- Don’t rush. You can do something small now and add a bigger memorial later
- Think about who they were. A dog who lived for walks might suit a bench on a trail. A cat who ruled the house might suit a portrait on the wall
- Let everyone have a say. Different family members may want different things and that’s fine. You can do more than one
- Think about moving. If you might not stay in your home choose something you can take with you
- Keep it personal. The memorials people treasure most usually include something real, like a collar, a paw print or a photo only you would have taken
- It’s okay if you don’t want one. Some people just need time and that’s a kind of remembering too
Pet Memorial Ideas for a Friend Who Lost a Pet
If someone you care about has lost a pet a small memorial gift shows you understand how much it hurts. It doesn’t need to cost much.
- A framed photo of their pet with a short handwritten note
- An engraved garden stone or wind chime
- A custom ornament or keyring with their pet’s name
- A donation to a shelter or rescue in their pet’s name
- A plant or small tree they can put in their yard
- A card that uses their pet’s name and shares a memory you have of them
Our pet loss gift ideas have plenty more if you’d like something a little different.
Whatever you decide to go with it doesn’t need to be perfect. Your pet never cared about perfect.
So take your time with it. Some of the best memorials start small and grow over the years, a little like the bond you had in the first place.