Mourning pets who have passed away is a deeply personal experience. We were forced to say goodbye to our 10-year-old rescue pup back in 2020, our black cat in 2021, and both of our two older rescue cats last year. Point being, I’m, sadly, very familiar with the pain that comes from losing a beloved pet, and I still struggle with how to process the grief that comes from these devastating occasions.

Now that it has been about six months since our last pet loss, I feel like I’m ready to talk through a few ways that I have personally learned to manage my heartache. Of course, there’s really no true way to move on from the pain other than giving yourself time, but I think this list below can help ease your suffering just a little bit. At least I hope so. Keep scrolling for eight hopeful and encouraging ways to honor your beloved pet after they pass away.

Ways To Honor And Remember Beloved Late Pets:

1. Keep dried flowers from sympathy bouquets: My sister has sent us sympathy bouquets after each of our losses these last few years, and I made sure to keep one flower from each arrangement to dry and display on our fireplace and bookshelves as a reminder of our late pets. This is a subtle thing that will probably only resonate with you and your family, but it’s one of my favorite ways to feel like our pets are still with us in a quiet way.

2. Put up their portraits throughout your home: If you’re open to a more expressive representation of your pet love, then go ahead and put up their photos and portraits! We have a compilation of black and white pet photos hanging in our hallway, and I also just recently placed our pet portrait paintings up along our family photo gallery wall. I love how this allows me to still see their happy little whiskered faces every day.

3. Create a photo album of sympathy cards sent to you: We also received a handful of thoughtful sympathy cards from loved ones after our pet losses. I cherish these cards so much because they show just how loved our pets were. The encouraging words in the cards help lift me up when my grief creeps back up unexpectedly.

4. Order a piece of personalized jewelry: I’m drawn to the idea of commemorating a pet with something a little more physical that you can wear daily. This shop on Etsy allows you to seal your pet’s fur into a permanent piece of jewelry, or, instead, you could order yourself a simple gold or silver jewelry item with your pet’s initial on it as a way to remember them.

5. Preserve their paw print: You’ll need to think of doing this ahead of time, but preserving your pet’s sweet little paw print is such a wonderful way to remind you of their unique size and characteristics. I did this before Tonks passed away, and now use it as an ornament at Christmas time. It makes us feel like she’s still celebrating the holidays with us.

6. Celebrate their birthday: Speaking of celebrations, I think it’s personally really cathartic to think and talk about our pets when their birthdays roll around on the calendar. It will absolutely feel sad the first few years you do this, but with time you’ll be able to smile about all of the memories you have with them in honor of their birthday.

7. Give to animals in need: I make a point to donate to animal shelters and other rescue animal organizations in honor of our pets who have passed away. Our vet makes a donation in our pets’ names every time we have to put one down, and this inspired me to do the same thing personally. It’s a good way to begin the healing process and to honor your pet’s legacy.

8. Adopt again! Of course, I can’t end this post without suggesting that you adopt again after a loss. If you’re in a position to do so, I think there is no better way to celebrate your late pet’s life then by providing a home to a new rescue animal in need. We adopted Marlo and Joe shortly after losing Tonks and Ginny last year, and I love to think that our old girls somehow “sent” the kittens to us with their passing knowing how much we needed their cuddles during a difficult time. It makes our losses feel more fated and meant to be this way.

I hope that list helps give you some things to think about as you work through your own pain after losing a pet. There’s no real way to avoid the suffering that comes from losing a loved one, whether they’re a pet or a person, but there are ways to work through that difficult time and to celebrate their lives from a happy place. If you have your own suggestions and words of encouragement, please leave them in the comments below so we can learn how to heal together. Camaraderie is one of the best ways to move forward, after all!

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