When I was a kid, my house was full of pets. A dog, cats, hamsters, gerbils and fish. Upon their death, the hamsters and gerbils went into a small box and were buried out in the garden. The fish were too, being that they were larger than the palm of your hand. The cats and the dog were put to sleep -- without my being there -- and their bodies were left at the vet's office. They never got a proper burial, and that still bothers me to this day.

My 13 year old cat had to be put to sleep this past weekend, and there was absolutely no way in hell that I was going to leave her body for some biohazard bag disposal. The idea of doing such a thing makes me retch. Instead, I took her home and buried her in the National Park across the street from my house, in one of her favorite boxes (if you've got cats, you know how much they adore plain old boxes!)

I think I gave her a good burial. I hope I did. But I do wish that I'd have had access to a small casket for her. Not because they're necessary, but because it would have been my preference to have something a little nicer than a box. Those types of things aren't available where I live, but if you're in the USA, you have many options that I would have loved to have had. I'm not saying your pet *needs* to have a professionally made coffin but I do think you should take the time to make them a nice final resting place, and if you can afford these pet caskets, you may find them very much worth it.

I realize that this isn't the most expensive, nor the fanciest pet casket, but it's my favorite. I think the motif is simple but lovely and I think my cat would have loved this box if she'd ever had the chance to play in it as cats love to do. This pet casket is made of mulberry bark and is biodegradable. It's 22 inches in length and you can option a mattress if you like.

This small pet casket looks a bit more like what people are used to seeing when it comes to coffins. The casket itself is 16 inches in length and has a finished oak wood tone. As with the previous model, you can buy a mattress to go with it. I quite like the color of this one, and it certainly looks very durable and sturdy.

This handcrafted pet casket is made by one person, from solid birch. Inside you'll see white satin bedding and a lacquered hand-finish. The dimensions are 24 x 16 x 10 inches and it weighs 21 pounds.

Birds needs lovingly made caskets as well and if you've the need for an etruscan casket, this may be what you're looking for.  Handmade from solid birch, it has a split-lid and is lined with velvet. It also has a small velvet pillow. The casket itself is said to fit a bird "12" long from the beak to the end of the tail feathers."