Pet Urn Ideas for Remembering a Dog or Cat

Most people looking for pet urn ideas already have the ashes at home, often in the plain container the crematorium returned them in, and want something that looks more like their dog or cat. Size comes first below, then style, then where the urn goes and what to write on it. Every urn and keepsake named here is one we sell today, most of them from our pet urns collection, and every size is taken from that product's own page.

If you have not decided whether to keep the ashes at all, our guide to what to do with pet ashes covers scattering and the other choices, and nothing has to be decided quickly. The rest of this page is about urns.

Start with how much room the ashes need

Size decides more than style does. A cat and a large dog need very different urns, and pet urns are sold by capacity, so check the liters or cubic inches on the product page before the color. If you are not sure what capacity you need, see our urn size guide.

One design in several sizes makes the choice simpler. The Pawprints Pet Urn for Ashes in White is a rounded ceramic urn with a glossy white glaze and a pattern of paw prints. On the large size, pictured below, the prints are pressed into the surface. It comes in four sizes: 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). The large one stands 15 cm (5.91 in) high. All four fill from the base and are made for indoor display.

Pictured: Pawprints Pet Urn for Ashes in White - Large

United Kingdom: which cremations return ashes

Not every pet cremation gives you ashes to keep. The Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria describes two kinds in its Consumer Code of Conduct (June 2023). For an individual cremation its members say: "We will return the ashes to pet owners; or, if we have a pet cemetery, scatter the ashes in a designated area or bury them in a designated and marked plot." For a communal cremation, where two or more pets are cremated together, the code says: "We will not return the ashes from communal cremations to pet owners but, if we have a pet cemetery, will scatter or bury the ashes in a designated area." If you are still arranging the cremation and want an urn at home, ask for an individual one.

A figurine urn that looks like a dog or cat

A figurine urn hides the ashes inside a sculpture, so a visitor sees an ornament and nothing else. Ours are cast in polyester resin from an artist's original and painted by hand in a bronze effect. They are resin, not bronze. Because each one is painted individually, the shading differs a little from urn to urn.

The Labrador Urn for Ashes shows the dog lying down. It measures 44 cm long, 18 cm wide and 24 cm high (about 17.3 by 7.1 by 9.4 inches) and holds 2.45 liters (about 149 cubic inches), which its page says is enough for the full ashes of a Labrador. A screw cap in the base closes the hollow inside. There are other breeds in the same style, so look for yours in the collection before settling for a near match.

Pictured: Labrador Urn for Ashes

For a cat, the Sitting Cat Urn for Ashes is upright and watchful, 35 cm (about 13.8 in) tall, with a capacity of 2.5 liters (about 152 cubic inches). Both figurines can stand outdoors if the spot is sheltered. Their pages are plain about what happens next: the painted finish weathers.

Pictured: Sitting Cat Urn for Ashes

A figurine suits a home where the urn will be on show and you would like it to pass as a statue. It is the wrong choice for burial, and a breed figurine can jar if the likeness is not close to your own dog.

An urn with a candle

Some people want something to do, not only something to look at. A candle urn has a holder in the top, so you can light a flame on a birthday or on the day they died. The Pawprints Candle Pet Urn for Ashes in Grey is a metal cylinder with silver paw prints around it. Its page gives the color as glossy light grey, though in our photograph below it looks a darker, softer grey. This small size holds 0.40 liters (about 24.4 cubic inches), which its page describes as a small portion of ashes. It is 15 cm (5.9 in) high and weighs 0.4 kg (0.9 lb) empty. The base unscrews for filling, and an urn bag is included.

Pictured: Pawprints Candle Pet Urn for Ashes in Grey - Small

Keep a lit candle away from curtains and never leave it burning in an empty room. That matters more in a house that still has other pets in it.

Urn ideas for a pet who loved the garden

A biodegradable urn is made to go into the ground and break down there. The Graceful Cat Biodegradable Pet Urn for Ashes in green is a matte moss green cylinder with a cat silhouette raised on the front. It is handmade from natural materials, listed as suitable for land burial, and holds 0.60 liters (about 36.61 cubic inches). At 14 cm (5.51 in) high it is small, and its page describes the capacity as a keepsake portion.

Pictured: Graceful Cat Biodegradable Pet Urn for Ashes - Green

With a little more room, the Gentle Pawprints Biodegradable Pet Urn for Ashes in Green holds 0.85 liters (about 52 cubic inches). A band of paw prints runs around the top of its rectangular body, and it is filled through a fitted lid that goes back on afterwards. Its page does not say what size of pet that capacity suits, so check it against the volume of ashes you have. After a burial you can plant over the place or mark it with a stone. Our guide to burying ashes in your garden goes into depth, position and what to think about if you may move house.

Burial does not have to happen straight away, or at all. Both pages also list these urns as suitable for indoor display, so either one can be kept in the house.

England: burying a pet's ashes at home

The Environment Agency's guidance Animal burials: prevent groundwater pollution (published April 1, 2022) says: "You do not need permission to scatter or bury ashes from a single pet cremation on your own land, or make any formal record of doing so." The same page says to get the landowner's permission before scattering ashes on land that belongs to someone else. Rules differ in other countries, so check locally if you live outside England. This is general information, not legal advice.

Keepsake ideas when the ashes are shared

A keepsake holds a little of the ashes and leaves the rest free to be scattered, buried or divided among the family. The Heart Pawprint Pet Small Urn for Ashes in Bronze & Gold is a heart of handmade Bohemian crystal in a deep bronze color with a gold paw print on the front. It holds 0.10 liters (about 6 cubic inches) and is 10.5 cm (4.13 in) high. A self-adhesive label seals the opening in the base.

Pictured: Heart Pawprint Pet Small Urn for Ashes in Bronze & Gold

Smaller still is something you carry. The Brushed Metal Pawprint Pet Memorial Ashes Keyring in Silver is stainless steel, 5.2 cm (2.0 in) high, and takes a symbolic amount of ashes. A filling set comes with it. There is a small paw print in one corner, and its page describes the design as discreet, one "that does not immediately reveal its purpose".

Pictured: Brushed Metal Pawprint Pet Memorial Ashes Keyring in Silver

To wear the ashes instead, the Self-fill Paw Print Memorial Ashes Pendant is an oval of 925 sterling silver, 3.0 cm (about 1.2 in) high, with one paw print in the corner and a 46 cm (about 18 in) chain. You fill it yourself at home. There are more designs in our pet ashes jewellery.

None of these is an urn for all the ashes. Each one goes alongside a larger urn, or holds what you keep back after a scattering.

Engraving and message ideas for a pet urn

Short is better. A name and two dates fit almost anywhere. So does a nickname, if that is what you called them every day. Other ideas people use: the name with "good dog" or "best of cats" under it, the years only, the place you walked most often, or a single line such as "Always at the door".

Not every urn can be engraved, so look at the product page before you plan the wording. One way round it is a tag. The Heart Message Tag for Pets (Single) is a birch plywood heart, 6.4 cm long and 6.5 cm wide (about 2.5 by 2.6 inches), on a jute string that ties to an urn or casket. You can write on it yourself in pencil or ballpoint pen, or decorate it by hand. Children can draw on one, which gives them a part in the goodbye. The tag is for indoor use only.

Where to put a pet urn at home

The usual answer is wherever your pet spent the day. A windowsill for a cat. The shelf by the back door where the leash hung, for a dog. If you would like a memorial wall or shelf, one way to set it out is the urn, a framed photograph, the collar and tag, and perhaps a paw print if you have one. A few things with space around them let the urn stand out. If you have kept more than that, a box or drawer nearby holds the rest.

Ceramic and crystal urns should sit somewhere a wagging tail or a jumping cat cannot reach, especially if there are other animals in the house. Direct sun is hard on painted finishes. For more placements, see our guide to urn display ideas for the home.

The ideas side by side

• Pawprints Pet Urn in White, large: 1.00 liter (about 61 cubic inches), ceramic, fills from the base, indoor display.
• Labrador Urn: 2.45 liters (about 149 cubic inches), resin figurine, screw cap in the base, indoors or a sheltered spot outside.
• Sitting Cat Urn: 2.5 liters (about 152 cubic inches), resin figurine, screw cap in the base, indoors or a sheltered spot outside.
• Pawprints Candle Pet Urn in Grey, small: 0.40 liters (about 24.4 cubic inches), metal, base screw closure, indoor display.
• Graceful Cat Biodegradable Pet Urn, green: 0.60 liters (about 36.61 cubic inches), natural materials, made in two joined sections, land burial or indoor display.
• Gentle Pawprints Biodegradable Pet Urn in Green: 0.85 liters (about 52 cubic inches), natural materials, fitted lid, land burial or indoor display.
• Heart Pawprint Pet Small Urn in Bronze & Gold: 0.10 liters (about 6 cubic inches), crystal, sealed with a label at the base, indoor display.
• Pawprint keyring and Paw Print pendant: a symbolic amount, filled at home, carried or worn.

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

Frequently asked questions

What are some pet urn ideas?

The main ideas are a figurine urn shaped like a dog or cat, a ceramic urn with paw prints, an urn with a candle holder, a biodegradable urn for garden burial, and a small keepsake, keyring or pendant for a portion of the ashes.

What size pet urn do I need?

Pet urns are sold by capacity, so compare the liters or cubic inches on the product page with the volume of ashes you have. If you are not sure what capacity you need, see our urn size guide.

Can I bury my pet's urn in the garden?

In England, Environment Agency guidance published April 1, 2022 says you do not need permission to scatter or bury ashes from a single pet cremation on your own land. Choose an urn sold as biodegradable and suitable for land burial, and check local rules elsewhere.

What can I write on a pet urn?

A name and dates are the most common wording. A nickname, the years only, a favorite walk or one short line also work. Check the product page first, because not every urn can be engraved.

Can a pet figurine urn be kept outside?

The Labrador and Sitting Cat figurine urns in this guide can be placed outdoors in a sheltered spot, and their pages say the painted bronze effect finish will weather there. Indoors, keep them out of direct sunlight.

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

Under the Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria's Consumer Code of Conduct (June 2023), members return the ashes after an individual cremation and do not return ashes from a communal cremation. Ask your vet or crematorium which kind is being arranged.