How do you honor pets who have passed?

As part of a story I’m working on about end-of-life care for pets, I’d like to include some ways people honor their treasured animal friends, either during the final days, or afterwards.

For instance, when Marcus (aka “Teddy Bear”), my 12-year-old black cat who was diagnosed with lymphoma or lung cancer, had reached the point where it was a struggle for him to breathe, I knew it was time to say goodbye. He had that look that I knew all too well — the look of “I hurt and I’m so very tired, please make it stop.” It was time for the final visit to the veterinarian.

I set up the appointment, then spent the day with Marcus out in the yard — his favorite place to be — and gave him lots of belly rubs and brushed him, which were also some of his favorite things. I held him and told him how handsome he was, how much I loved him and how lucky I felt to have been friends with him for 12 years. I explained to him that I was going to miss him terribly, but that I knew he was hurting and exhausted, and that I would be OK, that he didn’t need to worry about taking care of me anymore. I explained that the vet would give him some shots to help to end his pain and discomfort, and that I would stay with him until it was over. He passed away in my arms.

After Marcus was gone, I had his body cremated. I opted for communal cremation, which means he was cremated with several other pets belonging to other people, and I didn’t get his ashes back.

There are many options available for end-of-life care for pets, and it’s best to make those decisions ahead of time. That way, when the time comes, you’ll know what you want to do, rather than trying to decide while going through emotional upheaval.

How have you handled the final hours or days of your pet’s life? Afterward, did you set up a memorial garden or grave marker? Did you keep the pet’s ashes or scatter them? One of my friends held a wake for one of his cats, so that his other cats could sniff the body and understand what happened. Have you done something similar?

Share your stories with YDR Pets for possible inclusion with the end-of-life story by commenting on this blog post, by emailing rose@ydr.com or through my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/rose.hayes.188.