Advice On Taxidermy Please

bluelass

Ok I only want serious answers no jokes or nasty comments please. I have a cat who I adore and she has seen a lot with me and I have had her 17 years now. I really don't want to just bury her in the garden when her time comes and I have seriously considered having her stuffed so she will be around forever. No I am not creepy or strange just going to be heart broken to not see her everyday and have her cuddle up to me or lick my hair. Has anyone had this done to a beloved pet? and if so can they advise me on what would I have to do to find a taxidermist and the likely cost please. I am aware she wont feel or look the same as she does now but its something I dearly want.

mum2one

Please dont think I'm here to put you off, but for me I couldn't go down that route.

When we lost our last dog, we had him cremeted and brought his ashes home, we were originally going to sprinkle them at places that were special, but when we got the ashes back, the vets had upgraded us to an urn (not the box of ashes) as we were valued to the practice, he is now on the windowsill looking into the garden.

One thing I did think of doing is having some ashes made into jewellery, a frined of mine she lost her husband last yr, she had jewellery made for herself and 2 daughters, this is who she used, (grabbed there facebook link)

https://www.facebook.com/Ashesintoglass?fref=ts

The jewellery is absolutely beautiful, and there always be close to you. xx

danih

I have a much loved dog with a heart problem, I know taxidermy wouldn't work for me. Hate to think of Max being stiff and cold and lifeless, for me taxidermy would feel like I was keeping his dead corpse to look at. There is no way to replicate your warm, loving pet, with all her quirks.

What about getting professional photos done of your cat? Or paintings? And love the jewellery idea.

fairy_lights

I don't think I could get my cat taxidermied - I think it might actually make the heartache worse. You'd see your cat everyday but of course she wouldn't be able to offer you the comfort she did when she was alive. Would seeing her be a painful reminder that she's no longer there?

donnac2558

Okay, no way would I even think about it.

Firstly what you get back might not even look anything like your dear cat. The ones I have seen just do not look right. You will have to pay thousands to get anything descent.

When my Shepra had to be pts because of liver cancer. I had him cremated and his ashes are under my bed in a box. He will go with me when I die.

Elsewhere

The only taxidermist shop I've ever seen in person was in Llangollen - but I am sure you'll find some in the Yellow pages. Maybe if you have a local shop catering for anglers - or one that sells shotguns, air rifles - you could get a recommendation? Or even try your local museum who might have employed one for restorations?

I think it will cost at least several hundred pounds to have done, or even thousands as someone above said. If you are willing to spend so much have you considered getting your cat cloned?

pinkteapot

Read this: http://www.taxidermy.co.uk/help/taxidermy-price-list/

This guy is a taxidermist but no longer does pets, and says only a handful of people in the UK do it. Reading between the lines, I suspect that even when he did a good job, people weren't happy because it didn't look the same, which it won't.

Googling, you're looking at at least £1,000, and that's a price from a few years ago so it's probably more now. This site has a gallery (warning: may upset some on this board):
http://www.thegetstuffed.co.uk/galleries/cats-and-dogs/

Like others, I could never do this. Seeing my kitty lifeless would be worse than not seeing him at all, but everyone handles grief differently and some people do go down this route. I know this will be awful but look at the gallery, picture your beloved cat like that, and work out if it's what you really want, as it is very expensive.

mum2one

Love that shop in Llangollen: always lookin the window, agree with what others have said - it wouldn't be the same, x

suki1964

I was chatting to a taxidermist just last month. Her work was stunning. I asked her if she ever had commissions for pets and she told me she refused to do them point blank. Her reasons being that you just cannot capture the soul of the animal, that thing that makes them your beloved pet

Paradigm

Each to their own but I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would consider this.... everything that made you love your pet, it's personality, it's affection, it's little quirks that made you smile, the fire in it's eyes, has all gone!
All that's left is the "container" that carried all the above & more, no-one would preserve a Coke can once the Coke was gone.


I do understand what the OP is saying, it's so hard when a pet dies but this, IMO, isn't the way to go.

teddysmum

A pets spirit is in its eyes. A stuffed animal animal is cold and stiff with the spirit replaced by glass/plastic ;surely this can't provide any comfort. You wouldn't want a stuffed human about.


I have only had one dog individually cremated and still have his ashes; not knowing what to do with them. The one since I let go for mass cremation as it's nice to think he went with other animals (Pet crematoria do not deal with farm animals , so it's pets with pets)