Our pets are our family, and losing a pet is like losing a beloved family member. While it may be uncommon to hold a funeral for a pet, honoring their memory with a plaque or memorial stone is a lovely alternative.
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This is a place you can visit when you miss them and think back on all your fond memories. It can also be important if you have kids as a way to explain that their furry friend is no longer physically with us, but they can always visit their memorial to reflect on their pet’s life and even talk to them when they are feeling sad.
A pet memorial could also be in the form of an online memorial page. We recommend using Cake's online memorial pages because they're free and easy to use. You can also use a memorial page to raise funds for veterinary bills or to donate to an animal-related charity.
Coming up with the perfect short and sweet wording for your pet’s memorial can be tricky. You’re likely to say something different about a dog than you are about a bird, and your relationship with a cat was surely different than your relationship with your child’s fish.
We’ve thought through the different types of pets and circumstances, and have come up with a list of 25 short pet memorial quotes.
COVID-19 tip: If you're thinking about planning a virtual or live streamed memorial using a service like GatheringUs, you can still share your thoughts, eulogy, and words with your online guests. Coordinate with your planning team, make sure you have the right microphones and other audio equipment, and send online guests digital funeral programs with the full speaking schedule, poems, and other important words of remembrance.
Wording for a Dog’s Memorial
Dogs are such an important part of our lives. When your four-legged best friend dies, you might be thinking about how to remember and honor their life. Here are ten ideas for inscriptions you can put on a memorial plaque or stone for your beloved pup.
1. “Dogs come into our lives and leave paw prints on our hearts.”
This is so simple and tender. It’s a beautiful option for an inscription on an urn that holds your dog’s ashes or a memorial stone.
2. “No longer by my side, but forever in my heart.”
Another short and sweet option that memorializes your dog’s companionship and honors the fact that they’ll live in your heart forever.
3. “Barking, playing, an endless run; I’m up in heaven having fun.”
This one is wonderful if your family believes in heaven and if your kids will view the memorial often. It can be so comforting to imagine your beloved dog having the time of their life up in heaven.
4. “Heaven’s the place where all of the dogs you’ve ever loved come to greet you.”
Imagining all of the dogs you’ve ever loved waiting for you in heaven can soothe a broken heart. This inscription is perfect for a pet memorial stone in a garden. You can decorate the stone with images that remind you of your pup and heaven.
Here are some ideas:
- Butterflies
- Birds
- Pawprints
- Cross
- Other religious symbols that hold meaning for your family
5. “You left pawprints on the hearts of everyone you nuzzled.”
While similar to the first, this one is well-suited for a dog who was gentle, social, and made a big impact on their community (and not just your family).
6. “Until the day we meet again on the Rainbow Bridge.”
The Rainbow Bridge is believed to connect Earth with a special place where dogs go when they pass away. It is green and lush. Old dogs become young again, and sick dogs become well again.
They play with all of the other dogs until they are finally reunited with their human. This is such a special place to imagine your beloved dog until you can meet again.
7. “The hardest part of having a dog is saying goodbye.”
Dogs bring so much joy to our lives that it can sometimes be hard to imagine our lives without them. This inscription acknowledges that saying goodbye is truly heart-wrenching.
8. “It’s impossible to forget a dog that gave you so much to remember.”
Our pets provide companionship, love, entertainment, and so many wonderful memories. Every time you visit your puppy’s memorial, this inscription can remind you of all of the sweet moments you shared.
9. “My best friend and a true hero.”
If your dog was a service, police, military, firefighter, or emotional support dog, this is the perfect way to show how much they meant to you while honoring their heroism.
10. “Forever loyal, forever loved.”
This is a good option if you only have a small space to write on your dog’s memorial. Sometimes short, simple, and sweet is the way to go. It may be only a few words, but it shows the great impact your dog had on you, and how much they were loved.
A remarkable pet deserves a unique legacy.
Create a diamond from your pet's ashes so you can always keep them close.
Wording for a Cat’s Memorial
Cat lovers are often the only people in the world that truly understand their feline friend. Cats are all so regal and unique, losing one can feel like losing a special piece of your heart.
Here are some ideas for words you can use on a cat’s memorial to remember them always.
11. “No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat.” - Leo Dworkin
Use this inscription to help you remember that you will always love and adore your cat. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been gone two days or two years, you will always remember how they touched your life.
12. “Everyone is taught that angels have wings. The lucky ones of us find that they have four paws.” - Jury Nel
A super sweet alternative to make this cat specific: “Angels don’t always have wings, sometimes they have whiskers.”
13. “When the cat you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.”
This is such a wonderful way to cherish the memory of your cat. These words would be beautiful on a stone or plaque adorned with gemstones.
14. “Your favorite chair is empty now, where you loved to sleep. But the memory of our happy times is our family’s to keep.”
It is so sentimental to remember your kitty snuggled up in their favorite spot in your house. Place this on a plaque or urn above your cat’s favorite spot.
15. “There’s a soft and warm place for kitties who pass away, and for those who loved them.”
Imagining our deceased pets snuggled up in a warm and happy place is very comforting. It can bring peace to our hearts to know that one day we’ll get to hold them again in that very same place.
16. “My purr you will miss, but I’m still here. If you listen quietly, you’ll know that I’m near.”
A sweet and tender rhyme is a great option for a memorial bench, stone, or plaque. Knowing that your cat will always be with you can be reassuring in grief.
17. “Do not worry about losing me, for I will never stray. Let me nuzzle in your heart, and I will forever stay.”
Here is another option if you like the idea of choosing an inscription that rhymes.
18. “Rest in peace, faithful friend.”
Short, sweet, and to the point. If you would like something simple and a little less cutesy, this is the perfect option.
19. “No Heaven will not ever Heaven be unless my cat is there to welcome me.”
If you are comforted by the idea that someday you will find a final resting place in heaven, being reminded that your beloved cat will be there to welcome you is a wonderful thought.
20. “They lived, they loved, they purred.”
This one makes us smile. Because our kitties are such important parts of our families, remembering them sweetly for their simple, loving ways fills our hearts with warmth.
Wording for Another Animal’s Memorial
Some people are dog people, some are cat people, and others are just plain old animal lovers. If you’ve lost an animal that you loved, here are some quotes for their memorial.
21. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - Winnie The Pooh
This sweet and sorrowful Winnie the Pooh quote is perfect for our final farewells to our beloved pet. Remembering our pets with gratitude for their companionship can be very comforting.
22. “Whisper I love you to a butterfly, and it will deliver your message to heaven.”
This is a beautiful option for a stone in a pet memorial guardian. You can even decorate the stone with engravings of butterflies.
Pro-tip: Fill your garden with these visiting wonders by planting flowers and plants that attract butterflies.
23. “Pets are a part of the family, and the loss hurts just the same.”
Sometimes we think we shouldn’t feel as sad as we do when a pet dies because it was just a pet. However, pets are such an important part of our family. Sometimes the grief can feel just as deep as if we lost any of our other family members.
Putting this quote on a memorial is a testament to how much you loved and cherished your pet.
24. “Sometimes the smallest beings leave the biggest impression on our hearts.”
If you are saying goodbye to a small pet like a fish, guinea pig, mouse, lizard, or bunny, this is the perfect quote. Just because they were tiny in stature doesn’t mean their companionship wasn’t a huge part of your life.
25. “Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in times of sorrow.” - Robert Louis Stevenson
This is a beautiful quote to celebrate the life of a beloved bird.
Pet Funeral
If you do decide to have a funeral for your beloved pet, there are many loving and tasteful ways to do so. You could do a backyard burial service or a candlelight memorial as you place your pet’s ashes in their forever home.
Anything that will help you and your family grieve is the perfect way to honor your furry friend.
Post-planning tip: If you are the executor for a deceased human loved one, the emotional and technical aspects of handling their unfinished business can be overwhelming without a way to organize your process. We have a post-loss checklist that will help you ensure that your loved one's family, estate, and other affairs are taken care of.