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When it comes to choosing an urn for their dog, cat or cherished pet, animal owners have many options, and it is relatively easy to find an urn design that will cater to the wishes of most people. However, it is crucial that the urn is the right size to contain the ashes, which vary based on the weight of the pet.

Here is a general guideline on understanding the quantity of cremation ashes that will be returned to pet owner after a deceased pet - like a dog, or cat - is cremated.

Before cremation, each pound (or approximately half a kilogram) of the pet's body weight equals approximately one cubic inch (0.016 L) of cremation ashes then add 10 cubic inches to ensure you don't overfill the urn.

How much ashes come from a cremated dog?

Here is the ash calculation for cremation of various sized dogs.

If a dog was 20 lbs before cremation, they would need an urn with a capacity of at least 20-30 cubic inches.

If a dog was 30 lbs before cremation, they would need an urn with a capacity of at least 30-40 cubic inches.

If a dog was 40 to 50 lbs before cremation, they would need an urn with a capacity of at least 50 to 60 cubic inches.

For a large dog that was up to 75 lbs before cremation, they would need an urn with a capacity of at least 75-85 cubic inches.

For a larger dogs of 100 lbs to 150 lbs before cremation, they would need an urn with a capacity of at least 110-160 cubic inches. (A full sized human urn will be suitable in this case. Most adult human urns have 200 cubic inches of volume.)

How much ashes come from a cremated cat?

Here is the ash calculation for cremation of various sized cats.

If a cat was 5 lbs or less before cremation, they would need an urn with a capacity of at least 5 cubic inches. Siamese cats are typically in the 5-7 lb range.

If a cat was 10 lbs or so before cremation, they would need an urn with a capacity of at least 10 cubic inches.

If a large cat, like a Maine Coon cat, was 20 to 25 lbs before cremation, they would need an urn with a capacity of at least 20 to 25 cubic inches.

Cremation ash calculation table by weight for pets

Animal	Weight (lbs)	Weight (kgs)	Suggested urn volume
Hamster	< 1 lbs	< 0.4 kg	1-2 cu.in
Gerbil	< 1 lbs	< 0.4 kg	1-2 cu.in
Guinea Pig	1 - 2.5 lbs	0.5 to 1 kg	1-5 cu.in
Birds	<1 lb to 3 lbs	0.4 - 5 kg	5 cu.in.
Small lizard	< 1 lbs	< 0.4 kg	1-5 cu.in
Large lizard	10-20 lbs	~5-10 kg	20-30 cu.in
Ferret	2.5 lbs	~1 kg	5-10 cu.in
Small house cat	10 lbs	4 kg	20 cu.in
Large house cat	up to 20 lbs	up to 8 kg	30 cu.in.
Small dog	up to 25 lbs	up to 10 kg	35 cu.in.
Medium sized dog	50-75 lbs	10 kg	85 cu.in.
Large dog	75-100 lbs	34-45 kg	120 cu.in.
Extra large dog	100-150 lbs	45-68 kg	110-160 cu.in.

Note that if the pet's ashes provide to be more that the capacity of the urn you choose, some pet owners choose to scatter some of them.

If you have many pets and plan to co-mingle their ashes over the years as they pass, then you might want to start with a larger capacity urn.

Questions about pet ashes?

If you have questions about this post or purchasing a pet urn, contact our urn experts at support@eirene.ca.