Animals who have passed on...

plebayo · Dec 26, 2006

One of our clients had her cat euthanized today. Afterward she was hoping we knew of a company that would take her cat's paw print and set it in stone. There is no such company around. I'm thinking that is something I would like to do, just as a side project because I would think many people would want their cat or dog's paw print set in stone.

Anyway so you know it ended happy. One of the techs went out and got an at home kit to make hand prints in plaster stuff, so we mixed the stuff up, poured some in the mold, put some of the cat's hair in the middled, poured more stuff, and then after shaving the cat's paw we were able to get two good paw prints.

SO my question I guess is, would anyone use a service like this? What would you pay? What would you want done?

My idea is that when an animal is euthanized at a pet clinic the clinic can shave one of the cat's legs and paw, make a plaster mold of it [the owner could buy a plaster kit, or some kind of casting kit from me etc.] The cat goes off to be cremated or whateever. I get the foot mold, fill it with plaster or clay etc. and I can then make a cement stone and put the paw print in it with my "foot piece" that I made from the mold. This way it wouldn't have to be made right after a cat euthanized [we wouldn't need the body].

What do you guys think?

I was thinking it could be done for either dogs or cats, the biggest thing would be making a mold of the foot, however a vet willing to do it could get a cut of my profits for their time, and the owners could come prepared having already ordered what they want stone wise, they would have the mold material [whatever it may be] and then the vet's office or the owner could bring the mold to me so I could start on their piece.

Let me know what yu guys think!

4crazycats · Dec 26, 2006

I think thats a very good idea. I wish something liek that had been available when I lost my babies. I would probably pay quite a bit just to have a little something of them left.

stormy · Dec 26, 2006

My vet offers that service...I have Chuckie's pawprint

muttigreemom · Dec 26, 2006

I do mine while theyre still here. You can pick up a set to do it at Michaels.

But I know most people don't think of it while theyre furkid is still here with them, so I think it sounds like a quality idea

plebayo · Dec 26, 2006

My biggest concern is just that we almost couldn't do it for her [if we hadn't gotten the kit] and her kitty meant a lot to her. I mean really for something so simple you'd thing Pets with Dignity, or Dignity Pet Services would totally be banking on this idea.

I'm not thinking of making a profit, just enough to cover costs of supplies, because I think it would be something nice to offer as an extra especially for owners who just do general cremations [they don't take the ashes] but are okay with a less personal, but still close to your heart option, which is to have their paw prints in a nice stone for outside, or a plaster plate for inside the home.

furryferals · Dec 26, 2006

Yes I understand what your saying,There is a company who sell plaster and tray and setting instructions for anybody who wants a footprint of their beloved pet.
The footprint is usually done when the animal is alive????....sort of like a lasting reminder of the animals last footsteps?!?! If you know what I mean??
Not many people want a footprint of their pet after it died,they would rather know the pet left that there by itself,and not by manipulation.

I made my own kit for one of my furbabes ,just because the kits they sell are made from plaster of paris and don't last,they seem to 'decay' so I used a professional setting plaster

one that doesn't rot...and thats what people want...a permanent reminder

yayi · Dec 27, 2006

Does anybody know what equals a human fingerprint in a cat? I do not think it is a pawprint. I heard it's the nose that's unique for each cat. If it is, I would like to have a nose print made.

ashleigh · Dec 27, 2006

Back in September I lost my staffordshire bull terrier, I had her for 17 years since she was 5 weeks old, she had battled cancer for 6 months, had two operations and you would never have believed she was ill, after the second operation we said we wouldn't put her through another, one day she was sleeping and I went over to her and she was was pouring with blood through her nose, I knew this was the time to let her go as she was now suffering which the vet confirmed.

During her living years I never even thought to make a cast of her paw prints just never crossed my mind anything like that, now she has gone I'd say it's a service I'd have liked to have been offered to me, we do have her ashes but something like that I would of jumped at. I say go for it.

trouts mom · Dec 27, 2006

I think that would be a lovely idea..not sure how much I would pay though because I have no idea how much it would cost for you to do it.

booktigger · Dec 27, 2006

I would certainly have something like that done - I havent been able to get my head round cremation, but something like that is really nice.

plebayo · Dec 27, 2006

Not many people want a footprint of their pet after it died,they would rather know the pet left that there by itself,and not by manipulation.

You'd really be surprised WHAT people want after their pet passes on. We had a cat come in to be euthanized a few years ago, we had to wait before sending the body out because the owner needed hair samples because they saved the dna so that in "the future" the cat can hopefully be cloned.

A lot of clients don't think of doing things prior to the death of their pet. We even have many clients who don't know whether they want private or general cremation.

Anyway, I don't know that I'd offer live paw prints... only because an owner could do it themselves and just get a plaster paw print, rather than cement, and depending on how wiggly the dog was, or how impatient the cat was, it would be harder to get a good print.

lsulover · Dec 27, 2006

When we had to put our beloved Sambo to sleep in March (Sambo was a dog), a very dear friend of mine ordered him a little headstone to put in our back yard, DesirÃ[emoji]169[/emoji]e painted him name and his birthday on it.

It was very sweet of my friend to do that, and I treasure it deeply.

I think what you are talking about would be a good idea.

coolcat · Dec 27, 2006

..

....maybe I´ll use the service....

...I don´t know if I wan to keep next to me the paw of my pet..

...

clairebear · Dec 27, 2006

I think that's a lovely idea. If my pet passed I certainly would want something to remember them by. As long as you can get the vet's in your area to agree to do it, I think the idea would work wonderfully. And on a side note you don't just have to do deceased pets, I'm sure there are owners that would ask you to make one for pets that are currently alive.

furryferals · Dec 27, 2006

Originally Posted by Plebayo

You'd really be surprised WHAT people want after their pet passes on. We had a cat come in to be euthanized a few years ago, we had to wait before sending the body out because the owner needed hair samples because they saved the dna so that in "the future" the cat can hopefully be cloned.

A lot of clients don't think of doing things prior to the death of their pet. We even have many clients who don't know whether they want private or general cremation.

Anyway, I don't know that I'd offer live paw prints... only because an owner could do it themselves and just get a plaster paw print, rather than cement, and depending on how wiggly the dog was, or how impatient the cat was, it would be harder to get a good print.

Oh yes,I didn't mean there would be no-one who wanted to do that,I just meant as a business and having to be cost effective there wouldn't be that many.
I took part in a survey about 7 years ago for a local company who were doing market research for a similar venture and after their research found it would not be cost effective

I think I may have misunderstood your post,If you mean to do it at the vets and you work there then that would be an excellent Idea for people who wanted

I did my own because there was no suitable options,I only thought about it when I found out my girl didn't have long left,I personally wouldn't want to shave my pets leg after it was dead and have it done though.
But thats just my thoughts

anyway If I did want it done and knowing the approx cost of materials and workmanship I would say I would be prepared to pay about Â£20

plebayo · Dec 27, 2006

took part in a survey about 7 years ago for a local company who were doing market research for a similar venture and after their research found it would not be cost effective
I think I may have misunderstood your post,If you mean to do it at the vets and you work there then that would be an excellent Idea for people who wanted

Oh yeah... I definitley wouldn't be doing this to make it some big business where I would make money and what not hahaha. I mean essentially it would be a "business" but a private one, just offered to people who's pets have passed on [or are still alive] that want a paw print to remember them by.

I did my own because there was no suitable options,I only thought about it when I found out my girl didn't have long left,I personally wouldn't want to shave my pets leg after it was dead and have it done though.

I guess it depends on what you're doing with the body. We shaved the leg to get a more defined print because the cat had really long hair. We just shaved the pads, so I guess I shouldn't say "leg" LOL. The cat was going to be cremated anyway, so the owners and myself didn't see a problem with shaving the hair off of the foot we used for the print.

anyway If I did want it done and knowing the approx cost of materials and workmanship I would say I would be prepared to pay about Â£20

Thanks so much for your input! I was thinking around $20-$30 depending on how good we could get at it and what kind of personalizing we could do.

furryferals · Dec 27, 2006

Originally Posted by Plebayo

Oh yeah... I definitley wouldn't be doing this to make it some big business where I would make money and what not hahaha. I mean essentially it would be a "business" but a private one, just offered to people who's pets have passed on [or are still alive] that want a paw print to remember them by.

I guess it depends on what you're doing with the body. We shaved the leg to get a more defined print because the cat had really long hair. We just shaved the pads, so I guess I shouldn't say "leg" LOL. The cat was going to be cremated anyway, so the owners and myself didn't see a problem with shaving the hair off of the foot we used for the print.

Thanks so much for your input! I was thinking around $20-$30 depending on how good we could get at it and what kind of personalizing we could do.

Your welcome

The one I did for my dog was about 12 inches by 12 inches,I placed it in front of her when she was walking so she walked over it,They are not all perfect and her fur prints in her toes can be seen,but I think it just makes it more special

There are plastic moulding materials you could use too....but they are quite a bit more expensive

cinder · Dec 27, 2006

The place where I take my pets to be cremated always asks if I want a paw print or fur clipping. If I haven't taken one myself, I usually ask for the clipping, but have never requested the paw print. A friend did buy me one of the clay kits to do a paw print at home for one of my FELV+ kitties. It turned out good. We wrote her name in the clay and put a bit of fur in with it.

I don't understand why you need to shave the leg or make a cast of it. I would think that a small piece of clay could be easily pushed against a paw, no matter what position the deceased kitty is in. My kitty Smudge was quite alive when we did it, and it didn't require that much pressure and turned out well.

I drive my cats to Portland to be cremated rather than leave them to be picked up at the clinic. I have a great deal of respect for my deceased friends and I wouldn't take kindly to having their legs shaved and stuck in cement. But I've recently seen a story about someone who makes *art* out of pet ashes for their owners to display, so I'm sure there's people who would pay for such a service. I usually place the hair clipping in the urn along with their ashes and maybe a toy or something small that was theirs. Truthfully, I would probably be offended by having their pawprints done in the manner you suggest. Even though they're gone, I know my cats would not want to be subjected to that.

I don't know where in Oregon you are, but Dignified Pet in Portland does do pawprints. If you are close enough, you might call and ask them the next time a client inquires.

http://dignifiedpetservices.com/dign...age_10650.html

We just shaved the pads, so I guess I shouldn't say "leg" LOL. The cat was going to be cremated anyway, so the owners and myself didn't see a problem with shaving the hair off of the foot we used for the print.

Wow. Sorry, but this sounds a bit uncaring.

catsknowme · Dec 27, 2006

I like the idea

A pawprint block could make a nice gravemarker. My dad put old horseshoes in cement, and all of us kids would put our handprints in his cement work about the yard. My nephew's handprints are there, and so are the old horseshoes for 2 of our horses - very nice to see under the wide open sky, to remember them by.
And you could expand that to include kitten or puppy prints

I wish that I would have done something like that for Joey and JC - they were such tiny little guys, although JC hit 15lbs. by 9 mos.

plebayo · Dec 28, 2006

Wow. Sorry, but this sounds a bit uncaring.QUOTE]

Well the cat was going to be cremated. It's not that I don't care, or that the owners don't care, however, the remains were to be cremated, so shaving the fur from the pads of her foot really didn't make a difference in the long term. I don't mind botching the idea of not shaving the pets fur from between their paws, but the owner needs to expect that the print may come out fuzzy if the animal has long hair. This cat in particular had a ton of fur between her pads, some of which had matted itself. There really was no way around it in this case.

A pawprint block could make a nice gravemarker.

Click to expand...

That was kind of my thinking. I wish I had money and time because I think it would be cool if people like "Say it in Stone" would be willing to do something like this, or be able to make customized paw prints if the owners would maybe take their pets paw print and use an ink pad to stamp it onto a sheet of paper so they could make a template and potentially sandblast the paw print into a nice stone. But maybe the technology isn't there?

I don't know where in Oregon you are, but Dignified Pet in Portland does do pawprints. If you are close enough, you might call and ask them the next time a client inquires.

Click to expand...

We did call them, and they would do the same thing. Buy a kit and make a plaster stone.

I wouldn't take kindly to having their legs shaved and stuck in cement.

Click to expand...

Maybe you misunderstood what I said? I want to do cement stones, but they would be done the same as plaster. Just putting the paw onto the cement, and cleaned off afterwards. You wouldn't leave the cement on whether the animal was alive or not.
----

I have no problems offering to do it while the animal is alive, however these people didn't think of it until she had passed on, so that is what I was basing it off of. I know when my dog had to be euthanized I wasn't prepared for it and didn't have any preconception when it came to whether or not I wanted a paw print, or hair, or what have you. Fortunatley we were able to clip some of his hair, but you can't always plan ahead when your pet's time here is limited.

Animals who have passed on...

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