In the latest episode of Ask a Mortician, our favorite deathxpert, Caitlin Doughty, discusses a subject many of us have had to or will have to tackle at some point: the death of a pet. What are your options when a cat dies? You don’t have to let a veterinary clinic take over. You can opt for burial, cremation or taxidermy, for starters.
My Aunt Marisue had a pet rabbit named Bugs, and after he died, he was stuffed and displayed down in the rec room of her house (yes, this was in the South). It was kind of nice to see him when we went down there, and not as creepy as you might think. A friend in Hong Kong had his deceased dachshund placed in a box with roses and cremated; my sister’s chihuahua was frozen for a few years after his death. The Ancient Egyptians mummified pets, including gazelles, dogs and cats and birds. These days you can turn your dog into a diamond. The important part is commemorating the animal life. As Caitlin puts it: “The death of a pet is not trivial.”
