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How to host a pet memorial ♥

November 11, 2019 /

Last week, I posted a blog about my cat, Sprite of 21 years who passed away.

21 years is a long time together. I thought the best thing to do was to celebrate our time together, and talk about how her life…and death…affected me with my friends. I posted the event on social media, and invited a small select group of friends/family. The memorial was just last night.

By the end of the night, I ended up hugging several of my friends as they cried on my shoulder too. Sharing my story outloud brought up memories of an animal or person my friends had lost. We were all reminded of what truly matters at the end of life. It was a therapeutic night, for anyone who had experienced grief and loss. I was alone with Sprite at an animal clinic when she passed. Last night I was with an entire room of people who loved animals, me, and Sprite. True friends.

I think every pet deserves a memorial. They love us unconditionally, and are here for us wherever we go. Now that I’ve had such a magical experience remembering my kitty, I am so grateful for it. I want to share how I successfully hosted a memorial for my kitty, so that others might feel inspired to honor their pets too. I watched how much this connected my friends with the pets & loved ones that they’ve had to say goodbye to. My friend apologized afterward for “stealing my spotlight” because she was crying and grieving over her dog, but I told her that a huge reason I hosted this event wasn’t just for me. It was for others to think of and celebrate the life of someone they miss. No apologies needed.

The vet called me the day before the memorial to tell me that “Sprite” was back in their office (meaning they had her ashes). It was like Sprite knew to return to me, so she could join the party. When I opened the package with her ashes, I unexpectedly found this ^^^^^^ beautiful poem… with her pawprints (I’m crying). I am not sure if every service does this, but now that I have her unique pawprints, I would encourage everyone and anyone to have this done or DIY before your fur baby gets sick ♥.
How do you express your life stories? I express “stories” through food, I made Spritely /rainbow bridge cupcakes for my friends.
I didn’t exclude children, especially my own Rebel girl ♥. Sprite & Rebel had a special connection. If I have learned anything through all of this, it is to let the animals and people I have in my life express themselves, and appreciate their unique personality. Rebel definitely added something to the experience. During the speech I made about Sprite, Rebel kept running from one side of the room to the next, taking turns hugging my husband Kyrik and I in front of all of our friends. It just made everything sweeter.
I made a playlist of songs, to both play at the memorial and in the background when people arrived. We are sitting here together, in the beginning of the service watching the music video of the song “Happier” by Marshmello. Music has definitely been my therapy. At the end of the service we played:
“It’s been a long day, without you my friend..and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again. We’ve come a long way, from where we’ve began, and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.” Wiz Khalifa.
Some other tear jerker songs that remind me of Sprite, and others I’ve loved that I’ve lost:
Wind Beneath My Wings-Bette Midler
Somewhere Over The Rainbow-Judy Garland
One Sweet Day-Mariah Carey
Glitter In The Air-PINK
Paradise-Coldplay
Together Again-Janet Jackson
See You Again-Carrie Underwood
This cozy warm spot under the dresser was Sprite’s everyday hangout. ♥
We asked in lieu of gifts, for our friends to bring donations for Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary, so that more kitties would have the opportunity to live a long and loved life like Sprite did. These were some of the donations they brought!

The refreshments were all inspired by Sprite’s favorites:

Tunafish sandwiches
(PS: I made that photo album of Sprite the day before the memorial, and picked it up at Walgreens photo department in less than 24 hours). It made my husband tear up!!!)
Kitty chow (follow the recipe for muddy buddies on Rice Chex box and add little pink Sixlets)
Little cheese mice with mini pepperoni “ears” ♥
A cute little milk bar (I got these Crazy Cat Lady cocktail glasses at the Dollar Tree).
PS: I don’t know why I didn’t think to serve SPRITE as the beverage. I think its because people used to confuse her name with the soda, but she was named after a fairy “sprite”, not a beverage. ♥ So I’ve just tuned out affiliating the beverage Sprite with my cat.
Because Sprite liked to be near me, I couldn’t fathom the thought of just throwing her ashes somewhere and leaving her behind. I decided to have her ashes fused into a necklace, to be near my heart, like this one from Etsy Shop, Reflections in Glass.
Instead of throwing Sprite’s ashes, I had a G”Litter” box, full of glittery sprinkles. I asked each one of my friends to fill up a cup of glitter. We stepped outside, threw the glitter in the air and made the world a more beautiful place in honor of those who have left this earth before us.

At the end of the night after everyone left, I sat down and read this book that a dear friend gifted me, “Paw Prints in The Stars” by Warren Hanson. When I read the book, it felt like Sprite was speaking to me ♥. There’s a little journal in the back of the book that I’m going to write in whenever I think of her.
I’m pretty sure Sprite was smiling like this, the entire time ♥.
My little orange tabby legacy .

I moved out to Los Angeles from a small Wisconsin town to become a fashion designer, and unexpectedly started my life as a fashion designer for cupcakes instead of people (back in my hometown, a decade later). I am a public figure, locally known as the pink haired quirky & soothing sweet baker who bedazzles my cupcake designs on local television morning shows. I thought my dream was to sell my cupcakes in retailers all over the nation, but in the process discovered that my cupcakes are a medium for me to use my voice. Through my hardships I searched for a light, and that is how I discovered this character I created-Amanda Cupcake. People have called me a real life Rainbow Brite. I think that this pink haired cupcake queen is what my soul looks like! I'm also a 40 something mom to a little ginger named Rebel, who is quickly growing!

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