Would you freeze dry your cat?

All of my RB babies have been buried; but I think I'd like to go for cremation when the time comes for any future pets.  My Soul-kitty is buried in my parent's backyard; and they are looking to move in the next few years.  Our other cat is next to her and both have special stone markers.  Our first dog is buried on a friend of my mother's farm.  She planted a rose bush where they buried her.  

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your cat.

Personally I wouldn't have any of my pets freeze dried. I think the process is too invasive and I don't like the idea of doing anything that uses chemicals or preservatives. I'd like their little bodies to be treated gently, even in death.

I've always buried my pets wrapped in something bio-degradable, then planted a small tree or bush above them. I like the idea of something that comes back into flower every year. It's a nice way to mark the passing of time and there is something very life affirming about it. 

You can get a plaque made to commemorate your cat with her paw print on it, and of course you'll always have photos of her and all of your memories. She'll always live on in your heart.

I'm sorry about your kitty. 

We have our cats cremated and their ashes are returned to us. The containers are in the living room. Banshee's container is back in the computer room on a shelf on my desk. When BooBoo passes away and we get his ashes, then I will put Banshee with BooBoo in the living room. Those two were very close in life.

There are two animals buried outside. One was Pita, one of Whisper's kittens from an early litter. The other one is Fonzie, our Alaskan Malemute (named by our son, who was a little boy when we got Fonzie as a puppy). Fonzie was cremated and originally buried in one of the flowerbeds on my parents' property. When my parents moved, we took his ashes and re-buried him in a flowerbed on our property.

I would not have any animal freeze-dried. Like Norachan, I feel the process is too invasive. Nor do I believe in taxidermy for the same reason.

mgilbert32 said:

 
Would any of you purchase coffin if you bury?

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Possibly. I really try not to think too much about the whole thing.  However, since my 1st reply, I've Googled and discovered animal hospital's here are associated with pet cemeteries so I would be able to get guidance from them.

About burying pets in backyards, I was putting in a new garden in my back corner, and my neighbour, who's lived in his house for decades, warned me not to dig too deep, as there were at least 2 cats from my home's prior owners buried there.  I wasn't really having much luck digging, due to tree roots, but I still really, really appreciated his warning.  

Deep sympathy for your loss.

I have never even considered the question before. No, I would not freeze dry or have a deceased pet stuffed. People seem to think that naked human bodies are obscene, but for me, the unoccupied body of a loved one is the true obscenity. That said, this is an intensely personal decision. Have you lost a pet before? Or some other loved one? If so, you know best how you grieve. Do whatever seems right for you. Your dear kitty won't mind either way.

As for buying a coffin, I've always just relied on the vet to dispose of the remains. If I were burying, I believe I would want some sort of coffin, but it wouldn't be anything fancy. Either that, or I'd go for Norachan 's method of burial. And it's absolutely necessary to find out what the law is about pet burial in your area.

Please beware of anyone who tries to tell you that you have to spend a lot of money on a fancy coffin so that your pet will feel more loved or be more comfortable in the afterlife. They're lying, trying to take advantage of your grief to make a profit. It's despicable behavior; don't reward them for it.

Margret

I have lost a pet before and I don't know why I have a problem about deciding now. We usually bury our pets but most of the time it wasn't my choice. I also never really knew of other choices before last pet. I can understand both sides of not doing any of the choices. I guess I have a problem because the decision is final, no turning back.

It sounds to me like you're considering this because freeze drying isn't final; you could always decide later to cremate or bury the freeze dried cat.

The problem with this is that the death of your pet is the thing that's really final. One of the stages of grief is denial. I wonder whether your subconscious isn't using this as a way to avoid admitting to yourself that your pet is really gone.

Grieving is necessary work. It's not easy, and it's not quick, but it's still necessary. If you try to avoid it the loss will keep ambushing you for years. You'll find yourself wanting to burst into tears every time you pass the pet food aisle in the grocery store. It's better to face it head on and get through it than to leave it there forever.

There are no shortcuts, no bypasses. The only way to the other side is straight through the middle. It hurts as much as it hurts. It takes as long as it takes. Don't let anyone (including yourself) get away with telling you "It's been two months (or however long) already. Why are you still grieving?" or "It was just a cat. Get over it already." You're still grieving because you're not finished yet, and it takes as long as it takes. And she (or he) was not "just" a cat, she was a member of your family.

If having your cat freeze dried will help you to grieve, do it. If it will make it harder to do this work, don't do it. That is the important consideration.

Margret

The benefit to freeze drying pet would be that I would be able to see and touch my cat again. Once she is in ground. I can no longer do that. I know it may sound weird. I just don't know if I should put her body through the process of freeze drying and it is very costly so if it doesn't work out it would be bad. I also have to wait 6 or more months to get her back which may make me feel bad all over again. I really don't know how I would feel about it.

So for six months you would be waiting for the chance to see and touch your cat again.

You have pictures of her, alive, playing, eating, doing funny things, sleeping, all the things that living cats do. Right? Those are your keepsakes. Those are the things that will help you to remember her, not just her death.

After my Sweet Thing died I was under a lot of pressure from family and friends to end my grieving prematurely. I knew it was premature. In self defense I went to the library and checked out the first book on grieving I found. That's where I picked up those rules about grieving that I posted in my most recent message to you.

One of the other things it suggested is that you look at the things that you got from your loved one, besides love, that are available elsewhere. Good meals? It's time to find a good restaurant. Back rubs? It's time to visit a chiropractor or massage therapist.

One of the things we get from cats is tactile. The soft fur. The warm animal curled up at our belly, sleeping with us. But the soft fur is on top of flesh, with the feel of flesh. There's more softness in a living cat than just the fur. Fur on a freeze dried body won't feel the same to you as petting your cat. There will be an underlying hardness that will disappoint you.

This is a decision that only you can make, but my advice, for what it's worth, is that you do what I did -- get a soft teddy bear to cuddle up with at night. It will feel more like your cat than her freeze dried body, and you can have it immediately, not just six months from now, at much lower cost. Put the extra money you're saving into getting a premium teddy bear, the one that has the fur most like your cat's.

Margret

I've seen freeze-dried/stuffed pets on tv. Personally, I couldn't do it for much the same reasons that have been already stated, the biggest being that they wouldn't be warm and interacting.

I've been around animals postmortem, well after rigor mortis has set in (most recently for a cat that died unexpectedly at home late at night. I prepared and stored his body on ice so that he could have a necropsy the next morning.) Seeing my pets in that state is almost as hurtful as loosing them in the first place.

I say that NOT to try and talk you out of doing this with your own. It's totally a personal choice.

Are you aware of this service that is offered? This company make stuffed animals in the likeness of personal pets. Might be something to consider?
http://CuddleClones.com
http://www.heidiandco.com/replicas.html

Ooh! Good idea, catpack . I've never heard of these before. Thank you.

Margret

I believe all bodies of all living things are just a shell. Once they have passed on and they have gone to the other side and are waiting there. For me it would be far too painful and  disrespectful to my cat to have them stuffed/dried like some sort of relic. I do hope you find comfort in your descision no matter what you choose. I am also sure your cat knew that they were loved and had a home. I'm very sorry to hear of the passing of them. Run free sweet kitty.

I would never in a million years freeze dry or stuff a pet.  Our two Rainbow kitties - Cindy and Darcy - were cremated and they are on our mantle.  Cindy we bought a special little urn for her, but Darcy we haven't done that at least not yet.  Having them here stuffed or freeze dried would NOT bring me comfort.

I am still torturing myself over this decision. Not to offend anyone but I do not like yhe idea of cremation or rhe idea of process of freeze drying. I want her to be at peace in death. I just would hate regretting burying her and tgab regretting later. I dont know if freeze drying would make me feel bad or her soul to feel bad. But keeping her with me could do opposite too.

mgilbert32 said:

I am still torturing myself over this decision. Not to offend anyone but I do not like yhe idea of cremation or rhe idea of process of freeze drying. I want her to be at peace in death. I just would hate regretting burying her and tgab regretting later. I dont know if freeze drying would make me feel bad or her soul to feel bad. But keeping her with me could do opposite too.

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It's not an easy decision to make and I understand how you feel. I honestly don't understand how having my pet's lifeless body in the house could ever do anything except keep those wounds open. Sure, I could see him/her but when you think about it, everything that made the cat who it was would be gone. The funny little personality, the head butts, the purrs, the cuddles, the loving expression in it's eyes. All gone so what would be left would be an empty shell and for me that would be worse than not having anything at all. It won't be an easy decision for me to make when the time comes but I know I will go the cremation route and get a small urn or a box to keep the remains in that I can put a picture and a few mementos with. 

Go with what your heart tells you to do. 

Nothing will make her soul feel bad, except you torturing yourself over it. You don't have long to make this decision; go ahead and decide -- if you have her freeze dried you can always decide to dispose of her body in another way later, if you bury or cremate her you will have more money to buy a good replica to snuggle with at night (and no, that would not be some kind of betrayal of her memory). Do what feels right to you, and quit worrying about it so much. Get on with your grieving.

Margret

No way could I freeze dry my baby girl. Our vet cremates (It is included in the disposal fee you pay when putting them down). If she dies naturally, I think I would either bury her- or surrender her to the vet for cremation. I would be very, very sad and distressed to see her in a lifeless cold frozen state.

mgilbert32 said:

I am still torturing myself over this decision. Not to offend anyone but I do not like yhe idea of cremation or rhe idea of process of freeze drying. I want her to be at peace in death. I just would hate regretting burying her and tgab regretting later. I dont know if freeze drying would make me feel bad or her soul to feel bad. But keeping her with me could do opposite too.

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My condolence in the loss of your cat.  I missed that when I read your original post.

Since you are concerned about what your cat would want, would you consider consulting with an animal communicator.  Some members here have used them and have been pleased with the information they received.

I always clip a little lock of fur from mine when they pass on, maybe you could do so also and put it away with her collar/toys/picture. I have a little box for each cat with their belongings and a single whisker inside. That way, if, I'd like to look over their things, I have them. I also still have a little tangible part of them.

mgilbert32 said:

I am still torturing myself over this decision. Not to offend anyone but I do not like yhe idea of cremation or rhe idea of process of freeze drying. I want her to be at peace in death. I just would hate regretting burying her and tgab regretting later. I dont know if freeze drying would make me feel bad or her soul to feel bad. But keeping her with me could do opposite too.

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mgilbert32, I totally believe that your kitty is at peace and it makes no difference what you do with the body.  The body is just a shell that houses the soul. And yes, I do sincerely believe that animals have souls.  Cindy died at home, and we took her body to the crematorium ourselves and had a private cremation. They let us go back with her after they prepared the body.  They gave us a lock of her fur and a paw print, and we went with her when they put her in for cremation. We had him put a little piece of her blanket too. We were instructed not to watch, and we didn't.  When I left there with her ashes in a very beautiful urn, I felt at peace and think we did the right thing.  Cindy's spirit came back briefly to let us know she was alright. 

When Cindy passed it was with vet assistance.  We allowed the vet to send her for cremation, also a private cremation (just her). We have a lock of her fur and paw print as well, in the little box she came back in from the crematorium. 

I am not sorry and don't regret it for a minute.  I would not be happy to have their beautiful little bodies stuffed in my house, it would just be a constant reminder that I don't have them anymore.  The soul animates the body, once the soul is gone, what point to keep the body around?

I hope you can find something that will give you some comfort.  I don't know when you stop missing, grieving for, or crying for one you loved so much.  I am still crying for both Cindy and Darcy, and it doesn't take much to get me started. Writing this post and thinking about your pain has me crying now.