Guide9 min read
The Best Pet Urns in the UK: For Dogs, Cats and Photos
Updated 7 November 2026.
The best pet urn is the one that feels like them. For most families keeping ashes at home, that means an urn that looks like their own dog or cat, lasts for years and carries something personal. Wooden and photo-box urns are the low-cost choice, ceramic and metal urns are lasting fixed designs, and biodegradable urns suit scattering or burial. If you want their likeness, a stone portrait urn made from your photos, like ours at White Doe, is the most personal choice.
How to choose the best pet urn: four questions first
Before you compare urns, it helps to know what you want the urn to do. These four questions decide it for most people.
- Will it look like them? A plain box holds the ashes. A portrait urn gives you their face, their ears, the way they sat. Ask whether the urn is a fixed design or made from your own photos, and whether you see a preview first.
- Will it last where you want to keep it? Think about where it will live: a shelf, a mantel or the garden. The material matters most here.
- Can it carry something personal? A name, their collar, a photo. Some urns hold one of these, some none.
- Who makes it, and can you ask them a question? A made-to-order urn from a small maker lets you talk through the details. A mass-made urn usually arrives sooner and costs less.
Then think about size. Most urns are sized by your pet's weight; our pet urn size calculator gives a quick answer.
Best pet urns in the UK, compared by type
A fair look at the main kinds of pet urn sold in the UK, who each suits, and some of the UK sellers known for them. Last checked 7 Nov 2026. Prices are examples from each seller's own public pages and may change.
| Type | Best for | Looks like your pet? | Examples in the UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden, bamboo and photo-frame urns | A warm, low-cost home for the ashes, often with a photo and name plate | Through a photo, not a likeness | Urns With Love (wood and photo-frame caskets, from £29); The Lovely Keepsake Company (photo urns from £34.99); My Pet's Ashes (bamboo and photo frame urns, £35) |
| Metal urns | A sleek, durable fixed design | No | Urns With Love (aluminium urns); Urns UK (urns sorted by material) |
| Ceramic and porcelain urns | A glazed colour or a figurine shape | A breed or pose, not your own pet | legendURN (porcelain sitting dog urn, £87); Urn Studios (urns by independent artists) |
| Biodegradable urns and scatter tubes | Scattering or burying the ashes | No | My Pet's Ashes (scatter tubes and biodegradable urns) |
| Artist-made urns | A one-of-a-kind piece in the maker's style | Sometimes, by commission | My Pet's Ashes (artist urns, £125 to £175) |
| Stone portrait urns | Keeping your own pet's likeness at home for years | Yes, made from your photos | White Doe custom pet urns (cast stone, from £80) |
If cost or speed matters most, a wooden or photo urn from one of the sellers above is a good, honest choice. If you want to look at the urn and see them, a portrait urn is the one to choose.
Why we make stone portrait urns
White Doe is the memorial side of Ripleys Nest, a small maker in the Lake District, Cumbria. Each portrait urn is made to order from your photographs, in cast stone, so it has the weight and stillness of a memorial and the face of the pet you knew. For the dog, cat, head and collar urns we send a digital preview before making, so you see the likeness first.
Our picks: the best pet urns for every kind of goodbye
Regular UK prices from our own shop, checked 7 Nov 2026. Every order has free tracked delivery.
| Best for | Urn | Personal part | Sizes | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A dog | Custom dog portrait urn | A seated portrait of your dog, with a digital proof first | Up to 15, 30 or 40 kg | £108.99 |
| A cat | Custom cat portrait urn | A seated portrait of your cat, with a digital preview first | One size | £95 |
| Keeping their collar | Pet urn that holds their collar | Their own collar on display, with a portrait and a preview first | Up to 15, 30 or 40 kg | £92.99 |
| Their name | Personalised canopic jar urn | A portrait lid and their name on the panel | Up to 15, 30 or 40 kg | £80 |
| The face | Pet portrait head urn | A portrait of their head, with a digital preview first | Up to 15, 30 or 40 kg | £104.50 |
| A sculptural piece | Wrapped pet urn | Their face held by curved, overlapping forms | Up to 15, 30 or 40 kg | £104.50 |
| A modern home | Modern cat urn | A fixed, abstract seated cat design (not made from photos) | One size | £95 |
Best for a dog: the custom dog portrait urn
A seated portrait of your dog, shaped from one to five clear photos and your dog's weight. Tell us the expression or feature you want us to capture, and we send a digital proof before making. A black plug closes the opening underneath. See the personalised dog urn for ashes, or our full guide to dog urns.
Best for a cat: the custom cat portrait urn
Send one clear photo to begin and up to five useful angles, and tell us what you want to capture in their face, ears or coat. We prepare a digital preview before making. See the cat urn made from your photo, and our cat urns guide.
Best for keeping their collar: the collar urn
Their own collar sits on the portrait, so the ashes and the collar stay together. The lid lifts off. Send up to five photos, their weight and the collar's fastened size, and we prepare a digital preview before making. See the pet urn that holds their collar.
Best with their name: the canopic jar urn
Black with antique-gold details, a portrait lid of your pet and their name on the front panel. It is the lowest-priced urn in this list, and the one to choose for an indoor spot or a sheltered outdoor place. The lid rests on the jar without a seal. See the personalised stone canopic jar urn.
Best for the face, and best sculptural piece
The pet portrait head urn is a portrait of your dog's or cat's head from front and side photos, with a digital preview first. The wrapped pet urn holds their face inside curved, overlapping forms, with the portrait itself as the personal part.
Best modern design: the modern cat urn
A quiet, abstract seated cat in cast stone. It is a fixed design, not made from photos, so it is the one to choose for something calm and simple. As a standard piece it has a 14-day cancellation period. See the modern cat urn for ashes.
What families say
"It captures her likeness extremely well, and is absolutely what we needed in what has been the most difficult grieving process so far." Aaron
"The urn is incredible - it's perfect and better than I could have imagined." Janelle
"The urn is beautiful and it does my beloved cat justice." Keane
Our personalised canopic jar urn has 19 reviews on Etsy, and our Etsy shop is rated 4.84 out of 5 from 753 reviews across everything we make (both read 7 Nov 2026).
Before you order: what to know
- Size: size by your pet's usual weight. Our bands, up to 15, 30 and 40 kg, are a choosing guide, not a measured volume. If you know the volume of the ashes, tell us and we will confirm the size before you order. See how to choose a pet urn and compare our pet urns.
- Preview: for the dog, cat, head and collar urns you see a digital preview before we make it.
- Timing: we dispatch personalised pieces within 10 working days and standard pieces within 7, plus delivery time. Delivery is free and tracked.
- Returns: personalised urns are made for one pet, so they cannot be cancelled once work starts or returned for a change of mind. Faulty or damaged items are always put right, and your statutory rights still apply.
When you are ready, see every custom pet urn together, or start with our pet urns guide.
Best pet urn questions
What is the best urn for a pet's ashes?
The best pet urn is the one you will be glad to see every day. If you want it to look like your pet, choose a portrait urn made from your photos; if you want a low-cost home for the ashes, a wooden or bamboo box is enough; if you plan to scatter or bury, choose a biodegradable urn or scatter tube. White Doe makes cast stone portrait urns for dogs and cats.
What is the best cat urn for ashes?
For a cat urn you will keep at home, a portrait urn shaped from your own photos is the most personal choice. Our custom cat portrait urn is cast stone and made from your photographs, with a digital preview before making. If you prefer a quieter, fixed design, our modern cat urn is cast stone too and is a standard piece.
What is the best urn for a dog's cremation ashes?
Choose by your dog's usual weight and how you want to remember them. Our dog urns come in three sizes, for dogs up to 15, 30 or 40 kg, and the dog portrait urn is shaped from your photos, with a digital proof before making. If you want to keep their collar with them, choose the collar urn.
What size urn do I need for my pet?
Size by your pet's usual, healthy weight. Our size bands are up to 15 kg, up to 30 kg and up to 40 kg; they are a choosing guide, not a measured volume of ashes. If the crematorium gave you a volume, tell us before ordering and we will confirm the size. Our pet urn size calculator gives a quick answer.
Is stone or ceramic better for a pet urn?
Both make lasting urns. Ceramic and porcelain urns are usually a fixed design, often glazed in a colour. Our cast stone urns have a weighty, natural stone finish and are shaped as a portrait of your own pet. Choose ceramic for a glazed colour, stone for a sculpted likeness.
Can a pet urn go in the garden?
Our cast stone urns suit indoors or outdoors, on a stable shelf or mantel indoors, or in a stable garden spot outdoors. For burial, a biodegradable urn is the usual choice.
How long does a custom pet urn take?
We dispatch personalised and made-from-a-photo pieces within 10 working days, and standard pieces within 7 working days, plus delivery time. Delivery is free and tracked.