In the past, people frequently buried their pets after they passed away. But due to several factors, an increasing number of people are choosing to cremate their pets, due to expense, lack of burial land, or local restrictions on burying animals.
Overview: Our Top Stuffed Animal Urn Picks
- Custom Urn from Foreverence
- Stuffed Animal Cremation Urns on Amazon
- Stuffed Animal Urns on Etsy
- Large Stuffed Bear Cremation Urns on Amazon
Jump ahead to these sections:
Whatever the reason, some experts estimate that as many as 90% of pet owners cremate their pets. When you cremate your pet, you can decide what to do with pet ashes. Some people inter them in the roots of a memorial tree. Some people incorporate them into cremation art. Some opt to go the traditional route and display them in an urn.
But even if you know you want to put ashes in an urn, there is no shortage of possibilities. Urns are available in a variety of styles, prices, and materials. You might choose stuffed animal urns. Here, we’ll explore that particular niche vessel.
Tip: If you're looking for something very unique (think a favorite hobby, their beloved car, or instrument of choice), you can custom order an urn from a store like Foreverence. You submit a design idea or sketch, then the company designs and 3D prints your urn, so you get a 100% unique container.
What Are Stuffed Animal Urns?
A stuffed animal urn is what it sounds like. It’s a stuffed animal that can contain the ashes of a pet. It looks like a traditional stuffed animal, but it has a small opening in the back.
You can insert ashes into the opening, which then generally closes up with velcro or a similar fastening. The ashes tend to go in a sealed plastic bag first and then in a velvet bag before going inside the stuffed animal.
The velvet bag makes the stuffed animal cuddly and cozy, not filled with a hard solid urn or lots of crinkly plastic. Stuffed animal urns are popular for keeping pet ashes, so you have something soft and warm to pick up when you want to feel closer to your late pet.
Different Types of Stuffed Animal Urns for Pet Ashes
You can choose from several types of stuffed animal urns for ashes:
1. Stuffed animal cremation urn in your pet’s likeness
Several companies and independent artisans can craft stuffed animals in the likeness of your pet. You can send them photographs and they will create a stuffed animal that looks like your pet, including your pet’s coloration and markings. You can even choose which pose you’d like your animal in. These can be felted or made of yarn. You can expect to wait about eight weeks for the delivery of a custom piece.
Depending on the seller, you may be able to get it sooner if you select a popular breed that they keep in stock. The price varies depending on the size and materials used, but they can generally range from $120 to $300.
It’s relatively easy to find a company or individual that handcrafts custom stuffed animals. It’s not as easy to find companies that specifically make stuffed animal cremation urns. But if you’d like to honor your pet in this way, be sure to reach out to independent crafters on websites like Etsy. They may be willing to work with you to craft a stuffed animal urn that meets your needs.
If you’re fairly crafty, you may be able to commission a custom stuffed animal and adapt it on your own. But these may end up being a costly experiment, so proceed with care.
2. Embroidered memorial pet urn
Even if you can’t afford a stuffed animal in the likeness of your late pet, you can still get something personally customized. Several companies and independent artisans offer embroidered stuffed animal urns.
These stuffed animals are often in the shape of teddy bears, as they are more traditionally used to hold the ashes of an infant who has died. But if you do a little digging, you can sometimes find them with stuffed animals shaped like dogs or cats.
If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, that's okay. You may also be able to work with artists who offer this service and have them embroider a custom stuffed animal.
Once you find an artist and settle on a stuffed animal, you can commission custom embroidery. The artist will embroider personal information on the belly of the stuffed animal. This might include:
- The name of your late pet
- The dates your pet was alive
- A memorial quote that reminds you of your late pet
Depending on the artist, you may even be able to have them incorporate decorative embroidery motifs or even a silhouette of your pet. This option is customizable and cost-effective. You can get an embroidered stuffed bear urn for as little as $55.
Even with custom options, the price might not be much more than that. It’s a sweet and personal final resting place for pet’s ashes that won’t break the bank.
3. Stuffed animal urn with recorded message
We talked earlier about how a stuffed animal urn intended for a child can adapt to a stuffed animal urn for pet ashes. A stuffed animal urn with a recorded message is another stuffed animal urn that you can modify for someone grieving the loss of a pet.
Many times, people buy stuffed animal urns as a gift for children. They can help children cope with the loss of a parent or grandparent. It gives them a symbolic gift that they can hug when they miss their deceased loved one. These animals also come with a recordable voice box option.
Pet lovers can easily adopt this kind of urn. They come in all different forms. Beyond just teddy bears, there are also recordable stuffed animal urns shaped like cats, dogs, and other animals. If you have a recording that features your dog barking or your cat purring, you can put it into this animal.
Urns like this are great for people who derived comfort from snuggling with their furry friends. It can serve as a symbol of their late pet. It’s also relatively inexpensive. At least one company offers this kind of urn for just $70, including the option for a recorded voice message.
4. Large stuffed animal cremation urn
Most stuffed animal urns are designed only to keep a small amount of ashes, usually for a human infant who has passed away. They are great for small pets too, but may not work for larger pets. Some companies make extra-large stuffed bear cremation urns. These can hold ashes for a person or animal who weighed up to 15 pounds prior to cremation. They make a good option for people who had mid-sized pets.
Even if your pet was larger than 15 pounds, a stuffed animal cremation arm is still an option. You can divvy the ashes up and use some in a large stuffed animal urn like this. The other ashes can go in a more traditional urn or get divided between family members.
You can also incorporate the remaining ashes into cremation art, like stained glass or a pet portrait made with infused ashes. You can also keep a portion of ashes in a cremation necklace or have them turned into a cremation diamond in addition to using a cremation urn. Don’t be afraid to be imaginative.
Keep Your Pet’s Ashes in a Stuffed Animal Urn
You have some decisions to make when a pet dies, including where to store your pet’s ashes. You must figure out how much an urn costs. You want to get something that works for your lifestyle. And you want something that will honor your pet’s memory.
A stuffed animal urn can be a great way to pay tribute to a beloved family pet. When you miss your pet, a stuffed animal urn can help you. It can also help make difficult concepts like pet death more accessible to young children. A stuffed animal urn can be a lovely and sentimental tribute to a furry friend.
Looking for more ideas on how to remember your pet? Read our guides on pet memorial garden ideas and short pet memorial sayings.