What types of urns are available?

The type of urn you select is very individual and will reflect the unique relationship you shared with your pet. Pet Angel Memorials offers you many options, both in size and materials, to express the love you shared.

Keepsake urns are designed for a variety of purposes. They can hold a small amount of cremains or fur/hair clippings and are ideal when family and friends also want to have a remembrance of your pet.

Keepsake jewelry pieces hold a very small amount of cremains or fur/hair clippings, and are also ideal for sharing, or simply wanting to keep your pet close to you all the time.

Standard urns come in a variety of shapes, materials and designs. They can be used to hold the cremains of one pet, or multiple pets. Larger urns are also appropriate as a vessel to hold not only cremains but also other items that were of importance to you and your pet, such as a collar, a toy, or a favorite little shirt.

What size urn do I need?

We provide size guidelines for each urn, based on the weight of your pet before cremation. Basically, one cubic inch of urn volume per pound of your pet. If your pets’ weight was close to the upper end of the guideline, you may want to consider ordering the next size up.

Other factors can affect the size of urn you will need:

If you already have the cremains, look at them to see their consistency. If the consistency is like grains of sand or fine powder, you can be comfortable ordering the size provided in our guidelines. If, however, the cremains appear different than this, you should order the next size up, as the cremains will take up more volume.

Some families like to include their pets collar and favorite toy in the urn with the cremains. In this case, we recommend purchasing a larger urn.

Many households include a large family of pets, and will always want to have pets in their lives. Whether you are planning for an immediate need or planning ahead, you might want to consider a “family” urn for all of your special friends. If you plan to use the urn to hold multiple pets, now or in the future, you should purchase an urn large enough to accommodate your pet family.

There are so many different urn options. How do I know which is the right urn for me and my pet?

There are several things you may want to ask yourself when deciding which urn and memorialization items to purchase.

Where in your home will you place the urn? Will it sit alongside the urn of a companion pet, or next to a framed photo and paw print on a mantle? Do you want the urn to blend in with your décor or stand out? Will you place the urn in a private place or in a space frequented by friends and family?

Very importantly, what was your pet’s personality? Male or female? Laid back or spirited? Color and size? Did she/he have a favorite toy you would like to include in the urn? Will you use the urn for other pet family members?

Did your pet love the outdoors? Did she/he have a special spot in the back yard to lay and keep watch? Will you create an outdoor memorial and bury your pet’s cremains in that spot? A personalized rock urn or a biodegradable urn and a special marker might be the perfect way to remember your special outside friend.

Do you want to keep your pet close by every day, just like you did in life? A keepsake jewelry urn holding a bit of cremains or fur/hair, will tastefully and discretely allow you to have your pet near your heart.

The answers to these questions will make it easier to select the right urn for your beloved friend.

Should I mail you the cremains to place into the urn?

No, you can transfer the cremains to the urn when you receive it. You may want to ask a family member or friend to help to help you or transfer the cremains for you.

If you are uncomfortable doing this, your local Pet Angel Memorial Center associate will be happy to do it for you. Refer to Petangelmemorialcenter.com to locate a center near you.

How do I transfer the cremains to my urn?

Your pets cremains will be returned to you in a plastic bag placed in a temporary container or urn. For safety, we highly recommend that the cremains be placed into the new urn in the bag and not placed loosely into the urn. Should the opening size of the urn require you to funnel the cremains into the urn, place a new plastic bag into the urn and funnel them into the new bag.

Note: All brass and cloisonné urns have a screw-top lid: Heart Keepsakes have bottom access and photo/MDF urns have bottom or back access.

Should I seal the urn?

Some families prefer to seal the urn once the cremains have been transferred to it. To safely seal your urn, run a thin line of silicone type substance such as E6000 around the perimeter of the piece.  If the urn has threads, run the thin line of silicone around the threads and then securely screw the pieces together.  If the urn has a top and bottom that attach with screws, place the silicone gel around either the top or the bottom and then re-attach to the other half.

If, in the future, you plan to add the cremains of other pets to the urn, you may want to use a method of sealing that is less permanent than what we have recommended, or simply do not seal the urn.

For the safety of your cremation keepsake necklace, we highly recommend sealing the pendant onto the necklace to prevent the pieces from detaching. To safely seal your necklace, carefully dip the threads of the screw into a silicone type substance such as E6000.  When the threads of the screw are fully covered with silicone, screw the pieces back together. Let the piece dry for a few hours before wearing.

What if I ordered the wrong size urn? Can I return it?

You may return the urn as long as it has not been personalized, is a custom order, or has contained loose cremains or fur. Refer to our Returns section for more information.

Are there other ways I can memorialize the life of my beloved pet?

The Pet Angel Custom Gallery can help you memorialize your pet in several different ways. We work exclusively with exceptional artists who create:

Beautiful blown glass pieces which incorporate a small amount of your pets’ cremains that can be visible or invisible in the piece;

Ceramic vases and urns that have your pet’s fur or hair fused into them during the firing process;

Handmade ceramic urns imported from Ireland;

Ceramic urns crafted by talented potters from throughout the United States;

Beautiful had turned urns made from solid and unique pieces of wood;

Custom portraits made from your photos, which capture the true personality of your beloved companion.

We are always looking for new artists to complement our collection. If you have a specific request, contact us and we will do our best to find a piece that meets your needs as well as our demand for artistic quality and uniqueness.

If we have not addressed your specific question, please contact us.