How to Take Care of Your Pet Urn

When that awful day comes and we lose our beloved pet, it can sometimes be overwhelming to deal with the logistics and arrangements. If the loss planned for in any way, there are many questions lingering regarding what to do. The most immediate decision centers on how to handle the remains of the pet. The most popular options are burial or cremation.

If cremation is your choice, pet urns are now one of the most common products purchased by homeowners to store the remains of their dear pets. Pet urns come in a variety of sizes, colors and styles, all of which allow pet owners to express their deceased pet’s personality through their pet urn choice.

However, similar to any other urn, the question of how to care for a pet urn is a common and significant one. The protection and careful preservation of a pet urn is paramount, as it contains the remains of the animal that meant so much in the life of the pet owner. Because of this, there is cause to be concerned and particular about the way in which the pet urn is handled.

Firstly, a very common question is the sealing of the urn. This depends largely on what material the pet urn is made of – wood, glass, ceramic, metal, etc. and the design of the urn and how that allows for the urn to be closed. Some urns have a closing or locking mechanism and other urns you are able to glue shut, usually simply with crazy glue or gorilla glue. Be sure to ask about this when purchasing your urn.

When it comes to cleaning, the pet urn doesn’t require much at all; simple dusting will usually suffice, once or twice per week, depending on where it is displayed. Pet owners can either use an old-fashioned feather duster for this purpose or a clean rag, lighting wiping it off. Any type of deeper cleansing methods must be determined by the type of pet urn you have, as pet urns come in a variety of materials, from ceramic to glass to solid wood.

Most importantly, be sure to keep the pet urn out of the reach of other animals or small children. In fact, particularly if there are cats in the home, the best place to keep a pet urn is in a glass cabinet with doors. This will allow the pet urn to be displayed, while the doors protect general access to it. The other option is to set it on a high shelf, but this is only a good option if there are no cats in the home as cats tend to favor high places, like shelves, for perching purposes, and the last thing you want is for your cat to accidentally knock it down.

Pet urns are a beautiful choice as a pet memorial, and just as delicate and fragile as an urn with human remains. Pet loss is a difficult and painful part of pet ownership and the preservation of our dear pets remains should be handled with thought and care.