15 Beautiful Ways to Remember a Pet That Passed Away
The best ways to remember a pet that died are small, specific and repeatable: hold a simple goodbye, fill a memory jar, keep the collar and tag in a memory box, plant something in their favorite spot, give back to a shelter in their name, and keep their face where you see it every day, on a canvas, a mug or a photo calendar that brings them back every month.
Last updated: October 2026 · By Patrick McCarthy
What is the best way to remember a pet that died?
There is no single best way, and anyone with a rulebook for grief has never been outranked by a cat. The right tribute is the one that sounds like your pet. The dog who greeted every guest like a long lost cousin. The cat who sat on exactly the paper you needed. The rabbit who thumped in protest whenever dinner ran late .
What helps most people is a mix: one thing you do, which gives the goodbye a shape, and one thing you keep, which gives the love somewhere to live afterward. The 15 ideas below are grouped by when they tend to help, from the first raw days to the anniversaries years later. Pick two or three. Nobody is grading you.
What can you do in the first days after losing a pet?
Simple, hands-on rituals work best here. Big decisions can wait.
1. Hold a small goodbye
Light a candle, gather whoever loved them, and have everyone share one story. It almost always ends with someone laughing about the time they ate a birthday cake off the counter. Snacks are encouraged. Your pet would have expected a share.
2. Start a memory jar
Put a jar and a stack of paper slips on the kitchen counter. Whenever anyone remembers something (the snore, the stolen sandwich, the way they sprinted for the door at the jingle of keys), they write it down and drop it in. In a few weeks you have a jar full of tiny, specific joys. Read them on a hard day, or on their birthday.
3. Write their case file
Not a eulogy. A case file. Full name, all fourteen nicknames, known crimes, signature moves, favorite napping coordinates, sworn enemies (the vacuum, the mail carrier, that one squirrel). It sounds silly, and that is exactly the point. The quirks are the first details to fade, and they are the ones you will want back most.
Which keepsakes help you remember a pet?
Holding the collar is different from looking at a photo of it.
4. Build a memory box
Choose a sturdy box and fill it with the small stuff: the collar and tag, the favorite toy (yes, even the disgusting one), a lock of fur, the vet's name card, a few printed photos. If your cat left whiskers behind, save a couple. Cats shed them naturally, usually in places only the vacuum ever finds.
5. Make a paw print
Many vets and pet crematories offer a clay paw print or an ink print, and it is worth asking even if you think you missed the window. If you did, trace a paw from an old photo, or frame the muddy pawprint on the car window you never got around to cleaning.
6. Plant something that suits them
Sunflowers in the dog's sunbathing spot. A pot of catnip on the windowsill your cat patrolled. A small tree by the gate where they waited. Something that comes back every spring is a gentle way to mark the seasons, and it gives you a reason to step outside and say hello.
How do you keep a pet's face in your everyday life?
Rituals happen once, and a box gets opened on purpose. These ideas meet you without asking.
7. Make a memorial calendar of their life
Choosing one photo of a whole life is impossible, so do not. A personalized pet photo wall calendar takes 13 photos, a cover plus one for each month, and a favorite can repeat. Put the puppy photo on the cover, the snowy nose in January and the sunbeam nap in July. Every month you turn the page and they are there again, which feels a lot like a visit. Letter 8.5x11 is $34.99 and XL 11x16.5 is $39.99, and you can compare every style in our personalized pet calendars.
8. Hang one great photo on the wall
Some photos deserve to be big. A custom pet canvas turns the best portrait you have into a permanent spot on the wall, ideally where they used to keep watch. Want something quieter? A custom pet art print frames easily for a nightstand, a desk or a hallway.
9. Put them back in your morning
Mornings change the most after a pet dies. Nobody demands breakfast. Nobody supervises the coffee. A custom pet photo mug slips their face back into the routine they ran for years, which seems only fair.
10. Carry them on errands
A custom pet phone case means their face is the thing you see a hundred times a day, which used to be true anyway. Strangers will ask about them. You will get to say their name out loud, and that turns out to matter.
11. Wear them out in public
A custom pet hoodie is a tribute and a hug at the same time. It is also the only hoodie they will never shed on.
How can you honor a pet by helping other animals?
Some of the most meaningful tributes leave the house entirely.
12. Donate in their name
Give to the shelter or rescue where they came from, or drop off the unopened food, the gently used beds and the toy mountain (minus the one favorite you are keeping, obviously). Shelters nearly always need towels and blankets too.
13. Foster or volunteer
You do not have to be ready for a new pet to help one. Fostering for a few weeks, or signing up for a weekly walk or cuddle shift, lets you give another animal the lap your pet used to claim. If it is too soon, it is too soon. The animals will still be there.
How do you keep remembering a pet years later?
Grief softens, but the love still needs somewhere to go.
14. Keep their days on the calendar
Mark their birthday or gotcha day and do something small: walk their favorite route, or drop off treats at the shelter. If you made a memorial calendar, those dates are already waiting on the wall. If you want a new one for the coming year, order early so it arrives before the pages run out.
15. Keep saying their name
Tell their stories at dinner. Include them in the holiday card ("and in loving memory of Sir Biscuit"). Pets live on in the stories we keep telling, and frankly, most of them did plenty worth telling.
How do these ways to remember a pet compare?
| Idea | Effort | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small goodbye | One evening | Free | The first raw days, plus snacks |
| Memory jar | A few minutes a day | Free | Families who all have a favorite story |
| Memory box | An afternoon | $ | Keeping the collar, the toy and a few whiskers |
| Memorial plant | An afternoon | $ | Sunbathers and windowsill patrollers |
| Photo wall calendar | Pick 13 photos | $34.99-$39.99 | People who cannot pick one favorite |
| Canvas or art print | Pick one photo | $$ | A permanent spot on the wall |
| Mug, phone case or hoodie | Pick one photo | $-$$ | A quiet hello many times a day |
| Donation or fostering | Ten minutes to ongoing | Your call | Passing their good energy forward |
How do you choose photos for a pet memorial?
Pick the photos that sound like them. Tongue out, ears inside out, mid-zoomie, judgmental stare from the top of the fridge. Personality beats polish every time. Daylight shots print truer than dim evening ones, and originals beat screenshots. Any pet photo works, no design skills are needed, and you preview every page before you pay. For more help, read our guide to choosing the best photo of your pet.
How long does a photo memorial take to arrive?
Everything is made to order and printed to order in North America, usually in 2-4 business days, with US delivery typically 5-10 business days in total (about 1-2 weeks). We ship to the US and Canada, and US shipping is free on orders of $30 or more. If you are planning around an anniversary or a birthday, order early. If an order arrives damaged or defective, has a printing or production error, or is the wrong item, you get a free reprint or a full refund: email us within 30 days of delivery with your order number and a photo. The details live on our FAQs page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to remember a pet that died?
Pair one small ritual with one thing you see daily. Hold a goodbye or fill a memory jar, then keep their face on a canvas, mug or photo calendar. Specific beats grand, every time.
How long after a pet dies should you make a memorial?
Whenever you are ready. Some people want a ritual that same week, others wait months before the photos stop stinging. There is no deadline, and your pet would have ignored one anyway.
Can I make a calendar of a pet that passed away?
Yes. A calendar takes 13 photos, a cover plus one for each month, and a favorite can repeat. Every month hands back a different memory, which beats choosing one photo forever.
What should I keep after my pet dies?
Keep the collar and tag, a favorite toy, a little fur and any shed whiskers. Tuck them into a memory box with a few printed photos. Cats hide whiskers everywhere, so check under the couch.
How do you help a child remember a pet that died?
Give them a job. Kids can write slips for the memory jar, paint a garden stone, or pick the photo for a calendar month. Doing something with their hands makes the love feel real.
The bottom line
The best ways to remember a pet that died are the ones that sound like them: the memory jar full of stolen sandwiches, the whiskers in the box, the catnip on the windowsill. Do one thing that gives the goodbye a shape, and keep one thing you see every day, whether that is a custom pet canvas where they kept watch or a pet photo wall calendar that hands them back every month. They were the best. Keep them close.
Keep reading: what to do with pet ashes for the gentle practical side, and our dog memorial ideas if your best friend had four paws and a tail that never stopped.
