Pet Loss Gift Ideas
Gentle gifts for someone whose cat or dog has died. Some we make, most we don't. All of them say the same thing: I remember them too.
Before you choose
When a friend loses a pet, the kindest gift is often the simplest. It says you know this was a real loss. It uses the pet's name. It doesn't try to cheer anyone up.
We make memorial desktop pets, so we're not neutral, and we'd rather say so. This guide includes gifts that have nothing to do with us, because the right gift depends on the person, not on what we sell.
Six gentle gift ideas
1. A framed photo
A good photo of their pet, printed well and framed. Pick one where the pet looks like themselves: asleep in a favourite spot, or mid-walk on a path they loved. If you have a photo they may not have seen, that's a gift in itself.
2. A donation in their pet's name
A gift to a local shelter, rescue or animal charity, made in the pet's name. Many can send a card to let your friend know. It suits people who would rather see some good come from the loss than keep an object.
3. A custom painted portrait
An artist paints their pet from photos, in watercolour, oils or ink. It takes time, so it often arrives a few weeks later, which can be a kindness. Look at the artist's past work and ask how they handle old or unclear photos.
4. A paw-print keepsake
Many vets and pet cremation services offer a clay or ink paw print. If your friend already has one, a simple frame or shadow box for it is a thoughtful addition. Ask gently first; not everyone has one, and that's fine.
5. Something to plant
A tree, a rose bush, or a pot of bulbs for the garden or windowsill. It gives your friend a quiet place to think of them, and something that grows back each year.
6. A memorial desktop pet
This one is ours. We rebuild a cat or dog in 3D from photos, and they live on the Mac desktop: resting along the bottom of the screen, napping on a window, sleeping when no one is around. Memorial pets get only quiet behaviours: sitting, napping, slow stretches. A person on our team checks every detail against the photos before delivery, and memorial pets are never archived for inactivity.
It's made in our Mac app, from photos, so it works best when the person who loved the pet makes it themselves. You could share this page with them, whenever it feels right. Old, blurry photos are welcome. You can read more on our pet memorial gifts page.
Which one fits
- For someone who likes to keep things close: a framed photo or a painted portrait.
- For someone who wants some good to come of it: a donation in the pet's name.
- For someone who loves their garden: something to plant.
- For someone who spends their day at a Mac: a memorial desktop pet.
- For anyone: a handwritten card that uses the pet's name.
You don't need to get it perfect. Remembering the pet out loud is most of the gift.
If you choose a memorial desktop pet
Seeing the pet in 3D is free, usually in about 5 to 8 minutes. To keep them, it's $19 once, with no subscription, on up to three Macs. If it doesn't look like them, you can ask for your money back within 14 days. For memorial pets, we suggest Pet perfected at $49, where an artist hand-checks and refines the model within 48 hours. It's a suggestion only.
Photos are used only to make the pet, deleted 30 days after delivery or sooner on request, and never used for training unless you opt in. For how the photos become a 3D pet, see how a custom desktop pet is made. If you're wondering about their Mac, is a desktop pet safe covers CPU, battery and privacy.
How it works
Step 1
Add photos
In the Mac app, add a few photos of your cat or dog. A side view and a face are enough to start.
Step 2
See them in 3D, free
In under ten minutes you can turn them around and compare them with your photos. Nothing to pay yet.
Step 3
They move in
Keep them for a one-time price and they live on your desktop: walking the Dock, napping on your windows.
Pricing
Free
See your own pet in 3D before you pay anything.
$19 once
Keep them. No subscription. Up to 3 of your Macs, 2 free regenerations, every behaviour we add later.
14-day money back
If it doesn't look like your pet, you get your money back. No questions asked.
Another pet is $9. All pricing
Questions
What do you give someone whose dog died?
Something that honours the dog rather than replaces them. A framed photo, a donation to a shelter in the dog's name, a painted portrait or a paw-print keepsake are all kind choices. A handwritten note saying you remember them matters as much as any gift.
How soon should I send a pet loss gift?
There's no right time. A card or a few kind words in the first days, and a keepsake a little later, works well for many people. A gift that arrives weeks later can mean a lot, because by then most people have stopped asking.
Is a memorial desktop pet a good gift?
It can be, for someone who uses a Mac and would like to see their pet nearby each day. It's made from photos in our Mac app, so it works best when the person who loved the pet makes it themselves, with photos they choose.
What if the only photos are old or blurry?
For a memorial desktop pet, old and blurry photos are welcome, and a person on our team checks every detail against them before delivery. For a painted portrait, ask the artist; many work from imperfect photos too.
What should I write in a pet sympathy card?
Use the pet's name. Share one small memory if you have one. Say you're thinking of them. Keep it short, and avoid telling them how to feel or when to get another pet.
When you're ready
There's no rush. Download the app whenever it feels right; your first 3D preview is free.
See them in 3D, free