How do you guys feel about cremation ?

seems like everyone is doing it to their pets am i the only one that has a hard time with this
maybe because I love my cat so much and the image of his body being burned scares me
just seeing my cats body in an oven in fire is in the back of my mind leaving nothing but ashes is so sad

and on top of everything those ashes chemically have no difference than some random dirt on the ground there is no trace of dna or anything in those ashes left of my cat.

am i the only one who thinks this way ?

To start, I think it all depends on your beliefs and there is nothing wrong with how you feel. Everyone has their own set of norms and beliefs. I personally can't stand boba, tapioca or anything creamy with something chunky in it. Gives me the absolute creeps just thinking about is *shudder* but that doesn't mean I think people who do like it are weird or gross. We just have different ideas on what tastes good and there is nothing wrong with that. Just like there is nothing wrong with you being freaked out by the idea of cremation. 

The image of the body decomposing is not appealing to me (and eventually leads to the same end result of  no DNA or trace of the cat left and I took forensic classes so well aware of the process) nor is taxidermy (seeing fake eyes in my dead cats body? Nope) so cremation is the way to go for me.

Personally, my cats body isn't what makes them special; it is their soul or spirit. When they go over the rainbow bridge that essence is gone and the body is just an empty shell. Cremating it is an efficient way to dispose of it and then the ashes can be used in glass art, memorials, or spread in their memory. In the end what matters most is my memories, my photos and the time we shared.

Frankly, be less concerned with what others think and do and more focused on your own happiness. In the end you will appreciate more and worry less. 

Totally agree with Kieka we have had all our previous kitties cremated, not that I think there is anything wrong with burial its all a matter of personal choice or preference. And I would like to have my own ashes scattered with my cats.

A burial wasn't my top choice either 

seeing a body decompose with insects eating it while its in the ground, I think id chose cremation over that part

but then at least with a burial you will be left with bones and those will be around forever and they are something you can hold and belonged to your cat afterall .. and there is some form of DNA. 

while with ashes on a chemical level theres nothing there.. no difference between the ashes they give you and the dirt you see in your backyard 

which is why i made the thread to help me decide what to do. 

both ways are horrible to imagine // fire melting vs decomposing but with burial at least theres bones. 

call me crazy but i even thought about freezing the body and I would if I had room in my freezer but thats just being crazy and desperate to hold onto my cat. 

any more thoughts on the subject?

I just tied this thread and your other one together. Sorry for your loss. 

It really is a personal choice. Yeah you have the bones with burial but if you move or leave the area will you dig up the bones to take them with you? If you do a pet cemetery will you go and visit if you move out of the area? While the ashes might not seem much different than normal ash or dirt I know what they are and that they are the ashes of a beloved pet. They are also much more portable or can be integrated into memorial artwork.

I actually don't have ashes or burials for any of my past cats. It just wasn't something that ever matter to me. I mourn in a different way and my family doesn't do funerals (my uncle passed away this week and we won't be having a memorial service or funeral we didn't for my grandparents either, I can't explain why we just don't. The two or three people closest to the person take the ashes and scatter them where they feel its best and that is it.) 

If I had to, I would commission a glass piece integrating the ashes into it as a memorial that is portable and beautiful. 

Bones will break down eventually too. It's a very sensitive decision, but I have always believed that the remains when someone dies are no longer that person or animal. Sure, you could hold a bone, but that's not your cat anymore. Your memories are your relationship to your cat now.

I'm sorry for your loss.

I know of a service locally that uses chemicals to melt all the flesh off and leave with clean white bones behind.. 

I was thinking making to do that and keep the skull ? 

is that crazy thing to do ?

the service is meant for skull collectors of large animals like bears and stuff but I was gonna ask to do my cat so i could get the bones back 

Tuna211216 said:

 
seems like everyone is doing it to their pets am i the only one that has a hard time with this
maybe because I love my cat so much and the image of his body being burned scares me
just seeing my cats body in an oven in fire is in the back of my mind leaving nothing but ashes is so sad

and on top of everything those ashes chemically have no difference than some random dirt on the ground there is no trace of dna or anything in those ashes left of my cat.

am i the only one who thinks this way ?

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I went to a witnessed cremation for Kitten. That means she was the only animal in the oven and I was able to say good by, We have paw prints and hair clippings. I watched her remains being taken out of the oven. It was horrible and hard but necessary for me. I know what is in that little box are the earthly remains of my precious little girl. She was an indoor cat and a diva and a princess and our queen. The thought of putting her in the dirt was horrible. Pet cemeteries do not have the same protections in place that ones for humans do.

I know many people bury their cat in a spot that was special to that cat. Where they liked to sit in the garden etc.

What is in that box is as real to me as her living body was. It's a personal decision that only you can make. There is no right or wrong.

I've thought of that because I'm kind of fascinated by skulls. . .but I would feel weird keeping the skull of an animal I knew personally. But again, it's all about what makes YOU feel better; there's no right or wrong way to grieve or memorialize a pet.

Tuna211216 said:

 
I know of a service locally that uses chemicals to melt all the flesh off and leave with clean white bones behind.. 

I was thinking making to do that and keep the skull ? 

is that crazy thing to do ?

the service is meant for skull collectors of large animals like bears and stuff but I was gonna ask to do my cat so i could get the bones back 

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Since I'm a bit on the weird side I don't see anything wrong with that. Some might find it morbid but again there is no right or wrong. Except maybe keeping your cat in the freezer. My biggest fear was not getting just HER back. Seeing she was the only one in a well cleaned out oven and being there through the process of her being put in an urn was comforting and as I said before horrible at the same time.

Kittens Mom said:

 
I went to a witnessed cremation for Kitten. That means she was the only animal in the oven and I was able to say good by, We have paw prints and hair clippings. I watched her remains being taken out of the oven. It was horrible and hard but necessary for me

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wow thats horrible to watch

Willowy said:

I've thought of that because I'm kind of fascinated by skulls. . .but I would feel weird keeping the skull of an animal I knew personally. But again, it's all about what makes YOU feel better; there's no right or wrong way to grieve or memorialize a pet.

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if could drink wine out my cats skull i would 

not srs...

id prolly cry if i did that and id try to pet the skull and have it next to me at the office

Kittens Mom said:

 
 Except maybe keeping your cat in the freezer.

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i dont see anything wrong with that... your cats body will be fully intact and maybe your kids one day can bring it back to life at 2080 with advanced cloning technology 

Tuna211216 said:

 
wow thats horrible to watch

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You don't see the body burn. the oven door is solid. For us it was beyond important that she be cremated alone and we receive only her ashes back. I was advised by the company providing the service that only witness cremations were truly singular.  In the end it's what you feel shows respect to your pet and what your emotional needs are. I will say that when you opt for something like bones or the taxidermy type procedures you need to think of what will happen to those things when you die. You probably don't want those things tossed in the trash. Most family members will respect a wish to have the buried, mixed with your ashes or scattered. Realistically no one but you wants your pets bones or stuffed body.

Kittens Mom said:

 
I went to a witnessed cremation for Kitten. That means she was the only animal in the oven and I was able to say good by, We have paw prints and hair clippings. I watched her remains being taken out of the oven. It was horrible and hard but necessary for me. I know what is in that little box are the earthly remains of my precious little girl. She was an indoor cat and a diva and a princess and our queen. The thought of putting her in the dirt was horrible. Pet cemeteries do not have the same protections in place that ones for humans do.

I know many people bury their cat in a spot that was special to that cat. Where they liked to sit in the garden etc.

What is in that box is as real to me as her living body was. It's a personal decision that only you can make. There is no right or wrong.

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We did that for Cindy. When it came time for her to go into the furnace, he told us we might want to not look, so I buried my face in DH's chest and just cried for a while. We got to say goodbye to her the way you would a human at the wake (brought us back after they fixed her up and she looked beautiful). It felt right for us to be there for her like that, just like we were there for her when she passed on our bed on the blanket that she loved to sleep on.  I also couldn't bear the thought of putting her in the ground. She is in a beautiful little urn on our mantle. 

I think I will go with cremating after all. 

what do you guys think about this urn 

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Egyptian-Bas...91e59d7&pid=100623&rk=3&rkt=6&sd=171938539783

Thats a nice urn

When my cats die I will definitely cremate them.  And my Last Will & Testament instructs my survivors to do the same for me.

You might want a whisker and a fur clipping from your kitty before the little fellow is cremated. I just buried one of mine yesterday, Tom Kitten. He loved the outdoors but was never allowed out alone. He loved to sit near the edge of the yard near a tree, looking into the woods but never venturing in. That there is his final resting place. I really like the urn you have posted there. May your kitty and mine be having fun and playing over the rainbow bridge. Do you have a picture of your kitty?

nansiludie said:

You might want a whisker and a fur clipping from your kitty before the little fellow is cremated. I just buried one of mine yesterday, Tom Kitten. He loved the outdoors but was never allowed out alone. He loved to sit near the edge of the yard near a tree, looking into the woods but never venturing in. That there is his final resting place. I really like the urn you have posted there. May your kitty and mine be having fun and playing over the rainbow bridge. Do you have a picture of your kitty?

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Yes i posted lots just take a look at my other thread . The one titled tuna below this one