If you’ve ever had to say goodbye to a beloved pet, you know how difficult it can be. So when the time comes – whether through old age, illness or accident – it should be no surprise that pet owners want to memorialize their beloved Kitty or Rover in a special way, and one of them is pet mummification.
The ancient Egyptians practiced an elaborate set of burial customs that they believed was necessary to ensure immortality after death, including the mummification of both humans and their pets.
They regarded animals as both domestic pets and representatives of the gods, and the presence of oils, beeswax, and coniferous cedar resins in ancient Egyptian animal mummies show that the chemicals used to embalm animals were similar to those used on humans.
Thoroughly modern mummy
Believe it or not, the age-old art of preserving human and animal bodies through mummification is alive and well today. An American company based in Salt Lake City, Summum, is the only organization in the world to offer the service of modern mummification for both humans and pets. With advances in medicine and cloning, mummification may not only preserve DNA, but perhaps might be you and your pet’s one shot at immortality.
The laborious time-consuming process of mummification includes bathing and cleansing the body; an incision is made to remove and cleanse the internal organs. The body and organs are immersed for a period of time in a special preservation solution made up of certain fluids, some of which are chemicals used in genetic engineering. Then the organs are placed back inside the body and the incision is closed.
The body is cleansed again and then several layers of cotton gauze are wrapped around it. A polymer membrane is applied over the gauze, followed by a layer of fiberglass resin to form a permanent seal. At the Summum organization, the body is encased within a “mummiform,” which is then filled with an amber resin mixed with quartz granules to completely surrounding the mummy, and the openings are welded shut.
Animal mummification costs
The cost for pet mummification are anywhere from $6,000 to $128,000 – within the continental U.S. – depending on the size of the animal and the type of mummiform you choose. The process requires five to ten months to complete and the standard bronze mummiform is also available with gold leaf or marble patina finishes.
There are, of course, other, less expensive options for memorializing your pet: cremation, taxidermy, pet cemetery, or headstone. Some have already decided upon mummification for themselves when the time comes and want to do the same for their pet. Would you consider having yourself or your pet mummified? Mummies have been around since 5,000 BC, and maybe they’ll be unearthing you and Rover 2,000 years from now.
Photo courtesy of Summum.