How to Choose a Pet Urn for a Cat, Dog or Small Pet

This guide takes the questions in a practical order: whether the ashes are coming back, what size you need, where the urn will be kept, and only then the shape. Take as long as you like over it. Each product named is one from our pet urns, and every size is taken from that urn's own page.

First, check that the ashes are coming back

United Kingdom: individual and communal cremation

An urn is only needed when your pet's ashes are returned to you, and that depends on the kind of cremation. The Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria, the UK trade body, sets this out in its Consumer Code of Conduct (June 2023). The code is a set of commitments made by the association's members. For an individual cremation, a member cremates the pet alone in an enclosed chamber and returns the ashes to the owner or, if it has a pet cemetery, scatters or buries them there. In a communal cremation two or more pets are cremated together, and the code says: "We will not return the ashes from communal cremations to pet owners".

If a vet arranged the cremation, ask which kind was booked before you order anything. A crematorium that is not a member, or one outside the UK, may use these terms differently, so ask there too.

What size pet urn do you need?

Capacity is the number to look at, not height. As a rough rule of thumb, allow about one cubic inch of capacity for each pound of your pet's healthy body weight. By that rule a 10 lb (4.5 kg) cat needs roughly 10 cubic inches, and a 60 lb (27 kg) dog about 60. It is an estimate, not an exact measure. Going a little over does no harm. Too small is the mistake to avoid.

Capacities on our product pages are given in liters and cubic inches. One liter is about 61 cubic inches. We also have an urn size guide. If you are unsure, ask the crematorium for the volume of the ashes.

One round ceramic design shows how the sizes step up. The Pawprints Pet Urn in White comes in Small at 0.30 liters (about 18.3 cubic inches), Medium at 0.50 liters (about 30.5 cubic inches), Large at 1.00 liter (about 61 cubic inches) and Extra Large at 1.60 liters (about 97.6 cubic inches). All four are glazed white ceramic with pawprints, open at the base and close with a silicone cap. They are made for indoor display. One caution on the biggest: the Extra Large's own page describes it as suitable for a portion of ashes. Do not count on it to hold all the ashes of a large dog. Ask the crematorium for the volume and compare it with the 97.6 cubic inches.

Pictured: Pawprints Pet Urn for Ashes in White - Medium

Where will the urn be kept?

Decide this before you look at shapes, because some urns are sold for indoor display only and others are made to be buried.

Indoors, on a shelf or sideboard. The ceramic and metal urns in this guide are all sold for display in the home, so the choice comes down to what suits the room.

Outdoors, in the garden. Look for the words "indoor and outdoor display" on the product page. Several of the ceramic urns below carry them. The Pawprints urns above are listed for indoor display.

Buried, or placed on water. The ceramic and metal urns in this guide are not sold as biodegradable. For an urn that breaks down in soil or on water, choose one sold as biodegradable. There are two further down.

Urns shaped like a cat

A figure urn looks like an ornament, and a visitor may not know what it is. Some people want that and others do not. The Sitting Cat Urn for Ashes in Matte White is a ceramic cat sitting upright, 21 cm (8.3 in) tall, 15 cm (5.9 in) wide and 9 cm (3.5 in) deep. Its capacity is 1.5 liters (about 92 cubic inches), which is more than a cat needs by the rule of thumb above. A plastic stopper is supplied. Used by itself it gives a seal that is not permanent, and it can be glued in place before the ceramic base is closed if you want a permanent one. Its product page lists it for indoor and outdoor display.

Pictured: Sitting Cat Urn for Ashes in Matte White

Other poses are in our cat urns, among them the Lying Cat Urn for Ashes in Matte Grey at 1.4 liters (about 85 cubic inches) and the Stretching Cat Urn for Ashes in Matte White at 1.8 liters (about 110 cubic inches).

Urns for dogs, by breed or by size

A terrier and a Great Dane need very different urns. With a dog, work out the capacity first and only then look at breeds.

The Labrador Portrait Dog Urn for Ashes in Matte Black is shaped like a photo frame with a raised Labrador portrait on the front and a stand built into the back. It is fired ceramic, 28 cm (11.0 in) high and 23 cm (9.1 in) wide, and holds 1.3 liters (about 79 cubic inches). Its page gives that as suitable for a body weight of up to approximately 35.8 kg (79 lb). If your dog weighed more, this one is too small. Ashes go in through an opening in the base, and a tube of ceramic glue is supplied if you want to seal it for good.

Pictured: Labrador Portrait Dog Urn for Ashes in Matte Black

For a big dog, the Paw Pet Urn for Ashes in White holds 1.6 liters (about 97 cubic inches). Its product page describes it as designed for large dog breeds and gives the Irish Wolfhound, Leonberger, Newfoundland and Great Dane as examples. Go by the capacity and your own dog's weight, not by the breed list. Handmade from ceramic, the urn is 27 cm (10.6 in) high, 19 cm (7.5 in) wide and 11 cm (4.5 in) deep, with a built-in space for a tealight candle. In the photo below it is an upright oval with a paw print on the front. Filling is from the bottom and no bag is needed. One thing to know: the ceramic lid does not close tightly by itself and has to be glued, and glue is not supplied. Any adhesive made for ceramic will do.

Pictured: Paw Pet Urn for Ashes in White

By the rough rule of one cubic inch per pound, 97 cubic inches covers a dog of up to about 97 lb (44 kg). If your dog weighed more than that, whatever the breed, ask the crematorium for the volume of the ashes and choose by that figure. Dividing the ashes between two urns is another way to do it.

Other breeds have urns of their own, such as the French Bulldog Pet Urn for Ashes in Matte White at 0.77 liters (about 47 cubic inches), the German Shepherd Pet Urn for Ashes in Brown at 1.4 liters (about 84 cubic inches) and the Golden Retriever Pet Urn for Ashes in Gold at 1.65 liters (about 101 cubic inches). See our dog breed urns for the rest.

Rabbits and other small pets

By the same rule of thumb, a rabbit, guinea pig or bird needs only a few cubic inches, and a dog-size urn would be mostly empty. The Sleeping Rabbit Pet Urn for Ashes in White is a matte white ceramic figure of a curled, resting rabbit. It is 10 cm (3.94 in) high and 16.5 cm (6.50 in) long, holds 0.60 liters (about 37 cubic inches) and is filled through the base. For a pet smaller still, a keepsake urn of the kind described below is closer to the right size.

Pictured: Sleeping Rabbit Pet Urn for Ashes in White

Urns for burial in the garden or on water

The two urns in this section are sold as biodegradable. One is for burial in the ground and one is for water.

The Gentle Pawprints Biodegradable Pet Urn for Ashes in Green is made by hand from natural materials for land burial. It is a small moss green box with rounded edges and a band of pawprints near the top, 14 cm (5.51 in) high and 14.5 cm (5.71 in) wide, and it holds 0.85 liters (about 52 cubic inches). Open the fitted lid and the ashes can be placed directly inside.

Pictured: Gentle Pawprints Biodegradable Pet Urn for Ashes in Green

For water, the Oceane Sand Biodegradable Water Urn for Pet Ashes - Medium holds 0.82 liters (about 50 cubic inches). It is a rounded urn in a warm sand finish. The ashes go into the biodegradable bag supplied, and the sealed bag goes back into the urn. Close the lid firmly. No glue is needed. On the water it floats for a short time, then sinks and breaks down. No plastic or metal is used in it.

Pictured: Oceane Sand Biodegradable Water Urn for Pet Ashes - Medium

United States: pet ashes and the ocean

Federal rules treat pets and people differently at sea. The US Environmental Protection Agency's Burial at Sea page (last updated August 26, 2026) asks whether pet or non-human remains can be buried at sea under its general permit and answers: "No. The MPRSA general permit at 40 C.F.R. 229.1 authorizes the burial at sea of human remains only." That permit applies to ocean waters. The same page says that scattering ashes in lakes, rivers or other inland waters is not regulated under that federal law, that states may have their own requirements, and that the state environmental agency, health agency or mortuary board is who to contact. This is general information, not legal advice.

Outside the United States, ask whoever is responsible for the water before you set a date.

Keeping a small part of the ashes

You do not have to choose one thing. Some of the ashes can be buried or scattered and a little kept at home. The Heart Pawprints Pet Urn for Ashes in White & Silver - Keepsake is a metal heart, white with silver pawprints, only 4.5 cm (1.77 in) high and 7.5 cm (2.95 in) wide. It holds 0.08 liters (about 5 cubic inches) and has a screw closure at the base. That is a token amount. It will not hold all the ashes of a cat or a dog.

Pictured: Heart Pawprints Pet Urn for Ashes in White & Silver - Keepsake

Do the ashes go straight into the urn?

It depends on the urn. If the ashes came back from the crematorium in a sealed bag and the opening is wide enough, the simplest thing is to put the bag in as it is. Where the opening is too narrow for the bag, the ashes are poured in, and a sheet of paper rolled into a funnel helps.

The product page says which applies. Of the urns in this guide, the Paw Pet Urn is filled from the bottom with no bag, the Gentle Pawprints urn takes the ashes directly, and the Oceane water urn comes with its own biodegradable bag. Our guide on how to fill a cremation urn goes through it step by step.

The urns in this guide, side by side

• Pawprints Pet Urn in White: four sizes from 0.30 to 1.60 liters (18.3 to 97.6 cubic inches); ceramic; base opening with a silicone cap; indoors. The Extra Large's page describes it as suitable for a portion of ashes.
• Sitting Cat Urn in Matte White: 1.5 liters (92 cubic inches); ceramic; plastic stopper and ceramic base; indoors or outdoors.
• Labrador Portrait Dog Urn in Matte Black: 1.3 liters (79 cubic inches); ceramic; base opening, glue supplied; indoors or outdoors.
• Paw Pet Urn in White: 1.6 liters (97 cubic inches); ceramic; filled from the bottom, lid must be glued; indoors or outdoors.
• Sleeping Rabbit Pet Urn in White: 0.60 liters (37 cubic inches); ceramic; base opening; a shelf at home.
• Gentle Pawprints Biodegradable Pet Urn in Green: 0.85 liters (52 cubic inches); natural materials; fitted lid; land burial.
• Oceane Sand Biodegradable Water Urn for Pet Ashes, Medium: 0.82 liters (50 cubic inches); biodegradable, with a bag; lid closes firmly, no glue needed; water.
• Heart Pawprints Keepsake in White and Silver: 0.08 liters (5 cubic inches); metal; screw closure at the base; indoors, for a small portion only.

If you have not decided what to do with the ashes at all yet, our guide to what to do with pet ashes sets out the options. There is no deadline. The ashes can stay in the container they came back in until you are ready.

Sizes and product details in this guide were checked against our product pages on October 12, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What size urn do I need for my pet?

As a rough rule of thumb, allow about one cubic inch of capacity for each pound of your pet's healthy body weight. By that rule a 10 lb cat needs roughly 10 cubic inches and a 60 lb dog about 60. A slightly larger urn is fine. If you are unsure, ask the crematorium for the volume of the ashes.

Do you put ashes directly in a cat urn?

It depends on the urn. If the opening is wide enough, the sealed bag from the crematorium can go in as it is. The Lying Cat urn in this guide is bottom-filled, and its product page says no bag is needed. Check the page of the urn you choose.

Will I get my pet's ashes back after cremation?

In the UK, it depends on the kind of cremation. Members of the Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria commit in its Consumer Code of Conduct (June 2023) not to return the ashes from a communal cremation. After an individual cremation, a member returns the ashes or, if it has a pet cemetery, scatters or buries them there. The code covers the association's members only, so ask your vet or the crematorium which kind was arranged, wherever you are.

Can a ceramic pet urn be kept outside?

Some can. Check the product page for the words "indoor and outdoor display". The Sitting Cat, Labrador Portrait and Paw urns in this guide are listed that way, and the Pawprints Pet Urn in White is listed for indoor display.

Can I bury a pet urn in the garden?

Choose a biodegradable urn if you want it to break down in the soil. The ceramic and metal urns in this guide are not sold as biodegradable. If the land is not yours, ask the owner first.

Are there urns shaped like a particular dog breed?

Yes. Our range includes a Labrador portrait urn and urns for breeds such as the French Bulldog, German Shepherd and Golden Retriever. Check the capacity against your dog's weight before choosing by breed.