Should I taxidermy my cat when he dies?

[Bothriolepis]

Why stop at one cat when you can be this guy?

Ever since I got my first cat, I've had some questions pop into my mind every now and then regarding the potential uses and aesthetic value of domestic cat pelt. I have now had several of those answered in a single photo, including the really strange one about the bottle holder thingy.

I'm unsure what I expected, but I honestly didn't think it would look cursed in quite such a literal way. There is 0 chance that shit and its creator aren't haunted by so, so fucking many feline ghosts, or that there isn't someone out there who thought this would actually be a good way to honor their pet right up until they saw the result and learned a lesson about letting go.

 

[2mm and 99 others]

No, move on, also hide all the pics of the cat and get an another one with the right vibe asap. It's not like the dead cat can be jealous or anything.

 

[reptile baht spaniard rid]

Here is what the failures look like:

This is both why you should NOT do it, and why we should all convince you TO do it (and post pics).

Realtalk - take pictures of you and your cat together now, and videos. When he dies, lay him to rest deep in a hole (maybe dig it now) and return him to the dirt. Put his marker somewhere you will see it and be reminded of it; the pain you feel is a reminder of the joy you had. Do not try to deny that or he dies in vain.

 

[Wild at Heart]

When I was younger my super senior cat of about 19 years old wandered in front of a car backing out of the driveway and had her last moments with me. It was inevitable but very very sad. I chose to bury her in the backyard in a box. The point I'm trying to make is that it was insanely hard to look at her and even put her in that box. Seeing the dead body of a loved one, even an animal is very hard on you. Which is why we cover the dead in coffins. People taxidermy their best kills as a hunter because it is an achievement and a way to honor the animal. It is different when you raised and loved the animal yourself.

My recommendation is to get a portrait painted of them alive and happy. You can even use an old photo for reference if they have already passed. Something to put above your desk or on the mantle.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Get a new cat. But be ready for pain. Everyone has that one cat in their life they never forget. Some people don’t understand it but losing a cat sucks as much as losing a dog.

This cat (first cat) is so dog like that I'm pretty certain all future cats are going to be disappointments.

Was gonna say this. If you are fine with desecrating the corpse of your beloved pet for a piece of stryofoam with it's skin on it, I won't judge.

Probababy better to move in. I buried my first cat in a soft blanket with her favorite toy, not because I believed she had an afterlife, but because it made me believe that was what she would want.

Sorry for your loss OP.

He's not dead and he's about five. This is all hypothetical.

 

[Nicholas Gur]

I'm assuming you live in the city of something. Typically cats know when they're about to die naturally and tend to leave the home to expire. If you can I'd just burry it, can even give it a headstone if you're feeling that sentimental. Turning it into a decoration seems really strange.

 

[Garnet123]

I get the feeling of wanting to keep him around in a (theoretically) tangible form, even if it's just like this and not his living self. Pets are family and I'd give anything to be able to hold and pet my cats who have passed again. But after having seen an exhibit in a Natural History museum on how taxidermy is made, I could never do it. I could not bring myself to let someone (even a stillen expert) do that to their little body. Also, as Cat tit Bingo and others have said, there's a considerable risk it will not look like your living cat, and seeing it like that that, knowing what had happened to it, would make the loss even more painful. We buried all of the cats we lost (it is a comfort that we were at least able to and they did not just disappear with us never knowing what happened). Friends had theirs cremated and treasure the urns. I also have stuffed toy cats that resemble some of them, either in the fur or in the way they feel close to you when you hug them (weicht, shape, position), so I have something tangible to pet if I miss them too much. It helped, especially in the time immediately after the loss. Photos, of course. And we adopted new cats, which are not a replacement and are not supposed to be. But it helps filling that cat shaped void in your life. Giving another shelter inmate the chance to be as happy as the other ones were.

 

[NoReturn]

There are companies that say they can turn pet ashes into diamonds, but the final product is so far from what goes in the connection isn't really that close: Company video vs article about the topic
That being said, you can do things like get cremation jewelry. There are companies that do it and also things like sellers on Esty who will put it in resin or turn it into beads.