What do you do when your dog/cat passes away?

[sandooch]

As I look back over my life, I cannot remember if we buried any of our dogs or cats. Most of them ran away or had to be put down. For those of you who had had the unfortunate time in your life when you've found your dog or cat had died in its sleep, what do you do with the body. Do most of you bury it in your back yard, or do you call someone to pick it up? Our cats are getting up there in age, and I don't know what to do in this situation. All my other cats have been outside cats, and I honestly think they ran away when they knew it was their time to go. My 3 cats are all indoor cats, so I've never delt with the death of a big animal like this. My kids want us to bury our cats and dog in the backyard when that time comes and put a cross in the place we bury it. I don't know about this. What do you think?

 

[Melissast]

I think you should do whatever feels right to you. I remember burying my dog when he died. We lived out in the woods, and i found a nice place by a creek to burry him. WE put him in a wooden box and my dad dug a hole to put him in. I placed some rocks around it and read himm a poem that i had written. I think that was the only pet we ever burried, the rest we just gotten rid of. I remember trying to burry some cats, but that was when the dog was still alive and every morning we would find the dead cats up on the porch so we finnaly had to get rid of them.

 

[HillbillyBone]

It depends on the situation. We had a bunny that died in its cage so we buried it outside. Same thing with my parents when they found their cat had died. My most recent cat that died we had to put to sleep because she was sick so we let the vet keep her and do her thing. It mostly just results in me crying my face off for a few days.

 

[gar]

As far as I know cats aren't meant to be in a cage. They just have to climb and run from dogs, I don't regularly see cats in the cage. I have dogs, I like dogs in the house because they help me get up my bed. I bury them when they die. I have a dog that I left for 8 months because I have to go live with my aunt who is sick, when I came back, he died after a day. He must have ben waiting for me to com back and then died. I almost cried to it, he was with us for around 13 years.

 

[Sage]

I've buried cats and I've had cats cremated. The problem with burying the cat is that if you move, the cat will still be there and the property will belong to someone else.

 

[beckyv1265]

I have burried some and some I have flushed some if they were small enough. I have thrown some out in the dumpster. We had one dog that the kids were really attached to and when he died the kids were broken hearted. We had an elaborate funneral and burried him. My daughter Jenny painted a large stone for a grave marker. Most of the pets we have lost have been hamsters,snakes,fish, stray cats that adopted us. They may have had other homes that they stayed at as well. Cats can be so fickle. Due to allergies I cannot keep them in my home. We have a wonderful rescue dog now called Baily that the kids adore and I hope she lives long enough for the last of the kids to leave home. She is only about 3 now. I am not sure I can do another doggie funeral. We also have 2 guinea pigs that I threaten to put on a spit and barbecue often. Thats because Bella likes to sit on her cage and whistle and screech at me whenever she sees me. I usually do most of the chopping and preparing vegies so she associates me with food. She is way too fat these day's. I am kidding ofcource I am not gonna eat Bella. Buttons is a trip She is handicaped due to an accidentl dropping that left her paralysed. She is very fiesty at times and loves to run about in her modified cart that my husband made for her. My biggest fear is moving about and having her trip me up. She is always under my feet when I am working in the kitchen hoping I will drop a tidbit. I swear all they think about is eating. I think burying them in the back yard is fine. You may want to let the kids put up a marker. maybe plant flowers over the grave so it makes a pretty spot.

 

[ohiotom76]

We buried all three of our dogs in our back yard. Wrapped them in their blankets and placed some of their toys with them. They each have their own mini tombstone with a picture of them on it and we put one of those solar outdoor lights next to each one.

 

[gar]

I've buried cats and I've had cats cremated. The problem with burying the cat is that if you move, the cat will still be there and the property will belong to someone else.

True. My sister likes cats. They will actually move back to where they were before. So if you move blocks away, it will find a way to go back to where they were before.

 

[pafjlh]

We have buried some of our smaller animals such as hamsters, and a small dog that we had. However, when it came to the larger dogs we had animal control take them away or had the vet dispose to the body when the dog was put down in their office. Not the easiest course of action to take, but we knew that regardless of what happened to the dogs remains we will always have our memories of the dog in life. However, this is the way that my family chose to handle these situations, I agree with the person who told you to do what you feel is best for you. No one can really answer this for you, it comes down to personal preference

 

[sandooch]

I see that most people here have buried their cats and dogs in their backyards. I think this is probably what we'd end up doing. I do like the idea of wrapping them up in a blanket with their favorite toys. It's been so long since I've lost a pet, so I am dreading having to go through this again, especially for my daughters who are so very close to them. The last pet we buried (a hamster) was when my daughters were around 10 and 13. They were a little sad, but they also really didn't interact with this hamster on a daily basis as they do with our cats and dog. Now that my girls are 18 and 21, they've really grown attached to our pets and my youngest gets teary-eyed just thinking of the day they will leave us. I told my husband, "No more pets after these go. I am dreading having all our hearts ripped out 4 different times already."

 

[Primrose]

The last cat we had lived to be 23 human years old and was part of the family. We all cried like babies when she died. It was like losing a precious family member. We buried her in the front flower bed right in front of a piece of statuary so we would always know where she was.

 

[Aletha]

We have always buried our pets. I always make sure I use either a wooden box or use a sheet or blanket to wrap them in before we bury them. We also leave their collars on them mainly because they loved to wear them. I don't do well when my dogs die. I grieve for quite a long time but then I think of them as my children.

 

[Hyacinth]

I had my Maltese for more than a decade so when she passed away two years ago, sadness was with me. She used to sleep with me and we went jogging together. We buried her at the backyard. Whenever I see somebody with a dog, memories with my Danielle creep in.

 

[ComingUpDaisy]

We had a dog when I was younger that we buried in the backyard. We planted a beautiful flower garden over his resting place. I do think that it is a personal choice though and obviously in some more populous areas it might not be possible to bury them.