When you’ve said goodbye to your furbaby, their belongings—which have long been staples in your home—become emotional reminders of both love and loss. Sometimes, these reminders can feel comforting but they can also add to the weight of loss. It’s normal to question, what should I do with my pet’s stuff after they’re gone?
Knowing what to do with everything your beloved pet has accumulated can feel confusing and it’s important to move at your own pace. Feeling unsure and uneasy is common—these items and objects now hold deep emotional weight.
Each choice made is an act of love, care, and preserving memories in a way that feels right for you.
In immediate, raw grief, you may not be able to imagine that you could, or would ever want to, move any of their special items. That’s completely normal, and it’s just as natural to want to move, store, or throw away some things that feel like heartbreaking reminders of their absence.
There is no right answer and there’s no timeline. Tangible items are evidence that your home is their home and that they will always hold sacred space there.
It might help to slowly break things down into categories that feel purposeful and manageable . Remind yourself that you do not have to make decisions right away. When you feel ready, consider tackling one category at a time. These decisions are about what feels right to you, not anyone else.
Repurpose Special Items
Finding new purpose for your pet’s belongings can bring comfort, turning everyday things into meaningful reminders of the love you’ve shared. Somehow, repurposing items can help soften the cutting edge of daily reminders.
With a renewed and refreshed place in your life and home, these items can be a reassurance that you are adjusting to this changed world. And your world will continue to be inspired by your furbaby. They’ll always be present with you, even in clever little ways.
There are many creative ways to put some of your pet’s things to new use. A few ideas:
- With anything fabric (beds, blankets, clothes) you can repurpose them into pillows or bolsters for your bed or sofa, or even a patchwork quilt.
- Create a planter, water garden, or candle with food or water bowls
- Repurpose collars or leashes into items like a bracelet, keychain, or bookmark.
- Use ID tags for embellishments, decorative plant stakes, or a necklace pendant.
Keep Special Remembrances
There’s really no need to rush decisions on what to hold onto. Keeping cherished items can help remind you that love never fades and your beloved pet will always be a part of you.
For some people, leaving special items just as they are brings immense comfort. A favorite blanket on the couch, water bowl in its usual spot, or medications tucked safely away may offer a comforting sense of connection and reverence for their space in your home. If that feels right, know that it’s perfectly okay to leave things untouched for as long as you need.
You might also want to have a dedicated space for certain items. A special trunk, memory box, or large basket can be a safe place to hold meaningful belongings. Choosing a container that feels right to you, and even creatively making it your own, can make it feel intentional and comforting.
The things you keep forever may also reveal themselves with time. Special keepsakes that go in and out of the memory box may evolve as grief does. That’s normal and a natural part of healing through grief. You may even find special new remembrances.
Pay It Forward
Often, there is an overarching pressure to donate as it’s not unusual to have consumable items remaining, like food or medications. I want to validate that there is not a secret rule that you must donate anything. It might be too hard for you to part with things. It might be too hard to imagine driving to a rescue facility or going in. If you can’t donate and if items “go bad”, it’s not the end of the world.
You might even compassionately identify donatable items and just mark them with a sticky note that says “To donate when I’m ready, by ___”, with a date before they need to be discarded.
If and when you are ready, donating your pet’s belongings or food is a special way to extend love—yours and theirs—to others. A way to give comfort and care to those in need.
Shelters gladly accept gently used beds, blankets, toys, and leashes. Veterinary clinics will often accept food, medications, or supplies for another family. You could even consider sharing a favorite item of theirs with a friend’s pet.
Donating doesn’t need to mean purging everything all at once.
Let Go with Intention and In Your Own Time
Maybe the hardest category, but also an important one. Releasing what no longer serves you, with care. It’s okay to part with items that no longer bring you comfort, that do not have the same sentimental weight as other things, or are not purposeful any longer.
Sometimes, this hard part truly does take time. Everyday items can feel strangely sentimental — a last bit of food your furbaby didn’t eat that’s in the back of the fridge, a tattered scratcher that hadn’t been used in years, old litter, pee pads, or expired supplies. Keep in mind that while holding onto things doesn’t hurt anyone, releasing things may feel like a step forward on your grief journey.
If tossing out anything old, worn, or unneeded feels hard, you might consider saying a quiet thank you to it first. A thank you to that object for being part of your furbaby’s life. Gratitude set forth into the universe can feel like a cushion to the transition of letting it go.
You could also consider letting go in stages, starting with the least sentimental items first.
Remember, parting with things isn’t about ridding your home of items that were your pet’s. It’s about making space for healing and for keeping the things that feel most meaningful to you.
Grief has no timeline, and neither does this process. Some things may stay preserved exactly as they are, while others find new meaning or purpose. And some things may be let go of when the time feels right.
A gentle reminder—even while sorting through such precious tokens of life and love, you are the greatest proof that their love and presence have existed. Your heart holds all the stories, the memories, and unbreakable bond.
