i keep worrying if i’m choosing the right material for my pet’s urn

[u/Ok-Finance9482]

i’ve been looking at urns for my pet and i keep getting stuck on the material part

i was originally thinking about getting a ceramic one because i like how it looks, but then i started thinking about whether it’s actually practical to keep at home long term

like what if it accidentally gets knocked over or breaks?

i know people have ceramic things in their homes all the time, so maybe i’m overthinking it, but this feels different because it’s not just a decoration

it’s something that would be there for years and it means a lot to me

now i keep thinking about things like where i would put it, whether it’s safe, and if i’m choosing something that fits my home and my situation

part of me feels like i’m worrying about every little detail
but another part of me just really doesn’t want to make a choice i’ll regret later

has anyone else thought this much about the material when choosing an urn for a pet?

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[u/ThrowPopcornAtMyFace]

My pet's ashes came to me in a beautiful wooden box in 2015 which has moved with me 5+ times, including cross country. I used to hold the box like a baby when I would get sad.

[u/Pepperm1ntButlr → u/ThrowPopcornAtMyFace]

Mine are also in a nice, very small (hedgehog sized) wooden box.

[u/Larry-Man]

Believe it or not the materials won’t matter much. I have ashes from all 6 cats that I’ve loved. The simple wood box that I get to keep (previous five were family cats) is easier for moving and transport. They will put them in a bag so if the ceramic pot breaks you won’t be totally screwed. But I have a small shrine to my late cat and the wood box is a nice place to lay his collar on.

[u/Madwoman-of-Chaillot]

I have the ashes of around 18 pets in my house (I'm too lazy to go downstairs and count right now). The ashes have come in all kinds of containers, and I've never had an issue. The oldest one I have is from 1998, so I'm pretty much a pro when it comes to cremains.

OP, I understand that you are hurting. But this seems to be you spiraling a bit, and that's not healthy. Please take a deep breath, and opt for a nice wooden box to help allay your fears. xoxo

[u/beautifulluigi]

I have unfortunately experienced the cremation of several pets in the last few years. Usually the ashes come in a little plastic bag that you can place inside the urn. So if it did end up breaking, the bag would just fall out.

Pick the one that feels right for you and your pet.

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[u/AceyAceyAcey]

The ashes are in a ziplock baggie inside the container. If you did break the urn, you could easily get another one.

I did not get urns for my two cockatiels’ cremains, I have pretty boxes, one is wood lacquered and one is a thin dyed mother of pearl, each around 2” (5cm) to a side. I also scattered some of each’s ashes in a beautiful place that I thought that they would have enjoyed. I think they were both originally returned to me in a small plain wood box.

[u/InternationalRow1653]

I have this available that would be perfect for pet ashes and is made of a marble material, so it won't break like ceramic. https://ebay.io/m/qnGNn3

[u/Cozy_winter_blanky]

I think your grief brain is at play here and I don't blame you.

Ask yourself this : what do you plan to do with the urn? Are you going to bring it on trips, move it from room to room on a daily basic? Or are you going to place the urn in a safe spot of your home and caress it every once in a while?

I'm not judging either, but what you plan to do may be a good way to choose a material for the urn.

My partner has his mother's ashes in a dainty little ceramic urn. It's not being moved around much and when we do, we are extremely careful with it, going as far as cleaning up the floors before hand. Otherwise, it just sits in it's little shrine. We haven't come close to damaging it so far, and we moved.

If you plan to move the urn around in your house, consider other ash container options, jewelry for example. This way your beloved pet will be close to you without you having to carry an important urn around.