Pet Urns for Ashes: Compare White Doe Memorials
Updated November 2026.
A pet urn is a container for cremated ashes; the right choice fits the ashes, the place you will keep it and the way you remember your companion. White Doe’s cast stone range includes photo portraits, a collar urn, a canopic jar and a fixed modernist cat design.
Compare pet urn designs and closures
Begin with how you want to remember them. A full portrait recalls their seated shape; a head portrait brings their face into focus. A collar urn keeps a familiar everyday object alongside the portrait. A canopic jar includes a name panel. The fixed modernist cat design suits someone who prefers a simple cat form rather than a likeness.
| Design | Personal detail | Closure | Display and size check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat portrait urn | Seated portrait from your photos | Black plug | Indoors; confirm volume |
| Modernist cat urn | Fixed abstract cat; not photo-personalised | Black plug underneath | Indoors; no selectable size |
| Collar urn | Dog or cat portrait with their own collar | Lift-off lid | Indoors; up to 15 / 30 / 40 kg guide |
| Portrait head urn | Their head and familiar features | Black plug | Indoors; up to 15 / 30 / 40 kg guide |
| Canopic jar urn | Photo portrait lid and name panel | Resting lid; no seal | Indoors or sheltered outdoors; up to 15 / 30 / 40 kg guide |
Dog portraits and wrapped urns
The seated dog portrait urn follows one to five photographs, has a black plug underneath and includes a digital proof before making. The wrapped urn places the portrait within curved forms, with a black plug underneath and no name lettering. Both use the up to 15, 30 or 40 kg choosing bands; confirm ashes volume separately.
What size pet urn do I need?
Start with your pet’s usual healthy weight, then ask the crematorium for the volume of ashes if it is available. The common guide is approximately one cubic inch per pound of body weight. This is an estimate, not a measurement of the ashes or a promise about any urn’s internal capacity. Our three-size designs use the following weight bands as a choosing guide.
| Usual weight | Estimated volume, not urn capacity | White Doe choosing band |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 15 kg / 33 lb | Up to about 33 cubic inches / 540 ml | Small–Medium |
| Over 15 to 30 kg / 66 lb | About 33–66 cubic inches / 540 ml–1.1 litres | Medium–Large |
| Over 30 to 40 kg / 88 lb | About 66–88 cubic inches / 1.1–1.4 litres | Extra Large |
| Over 40 kg | Above about 88 cubic inches | Ask before ordering; no larger size promised |
These are White Doe’s product weight bands alongside calculated estimates, not laboratory measurements. Never multiply outer dimensions to estimate usable space. Share the ashes volume before ordering so suitability can be confirmed. The pet urn size calculator works in kilograms or pounds. A fixed-size design needs its own capacity confirmation rather than one of these size labels.
Urn, keepsake or garden memorial?
A full-ashes urn is chosen for all the ashes you intend to keep. A keepsake holds a smaller portion, so the amount matters more than the label. A grave marker marks a place and should not be assumed to hold ashes. Decide this first: a beautiful object can still be the wrong choice if its purpose or capacity does not match your plans. Browse custom pet urns for photo-based designs.
Which photographs should I choose?
Start with a clear face-on photograph and a side view. Look for the shape of the ears, the line of the nose and the fullness of the coat rather than a busy background. A familiar expression can matter more than a formal pose. The cat portrait and collar urn accept up to five useful photos and include a digital preview before making; the portrait head urn also includes a preview. Gallery portraits are examples, not a promise that your pet will look like the animal shown. Tell us which details feel most like them.
Where will the memorial live?
Choose the place before the piece. An indoor shelf needs a level surface with room to support the base when lifting; a narrow ledge beside a busy doorway may not be the right place. The cat portrait, modernist cat, collar and portrait head urns are for indoors. The canopic jar can be displayed indoors or in a sheltered outdoor place. A garden marker is a separate memorial, not automatically a container for ashes. Keep the product’s stated use in mind even when two pieces look similar.
What about a wrapped portrait?
Our wrapped pet urn frames the portrait with curved, overlapping forms in chalk off-white cast stone. It has an ashes opening underneath secured by a black plug and no added name lettering. Its size guide is up to 15, 30 or 40 kg; as with the other three-size designs, share the ashes volume for confirmation. Choose this for the surrounding sculptural shape rather than expecting a conventional jar.
A practical order of decisions
First decide whether to keep all or part of the ashes. Next confirm volume, choose the indoor or sheltered outdoor position, and compare the closure. Only then choose portrait style or lettering. Free tracked delivery, UK and worldwide, is listed on the urn products. For species-specific help read cat urns or dog urns. If you are not ready to choose an object, what to do with pet ashes sets out the alternatives without a deadline.
What should I do with my pet’s ashes?
Keeping them at home, keeping a portion and considering scattering or burial are different options, not a required sequence. You may also wait. Check permission and container suitability before any irreversible choice, rather than assuming the urn decides the plan for you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a pet urn?
Check ashes volume, intended display position and closure before choosing the design. Weight is a starting guide, not a measured capacity.
Are White Doe pet urns cast stone?
Yes. The urns described in this comparison are cast stone. Their finishes, closures and personalisation differ.
Do all pet urns have a screw lid?
No. Our compared designs use black plugs, lift-off lids or a resting lid. The canopic jar has no seal.
Can I add a pet’s name?
The canopic jar has a front name panel. Personalisation on other portraits may be the likeness rather than lettering.
What happens above 40 kg?
Ask before ordering. Extra Large’s stated choosing band is up to 40 kg; this guide does not promise a larger size.
Is it good to keep your pet's ashes?
It is a personal choice, not something you have to do. Keep them at home if that feels right, or leave the decision open while you consider other options.
Can my pet's ashes be buried with me in the UK?
Ask the intended cemetery or burial provider about its own policy before making a plan. This guide cannot confirm permission for a particular place.
Can my pet's urn be buried with me?
Ask the burial provider about both its policy and the particular container. A display urn is not automatically suitable for burial or accepted by a provider.
More to explore
More gentle memorial guides
- Keeping pet ashes at home: a practical guide
- Pet ashes jewellery or an urn: what to consider
- Pet cremation costs in the UK: comparing quotes
- Helping children when a pet dies
- A small pet memorial ceremony, in your own way
- Pet memory box ideas: what to keep and how
- Scattering or keeping pet ashes: choosing gently
- What to say when someone loses a pet