Decorative throw pillow doubles as pet-ashes receptacle, creeps us out

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What’s that you say, pet owners? You already have your own purse made from cat fur and now you’re ready to take that next step down the path to Crazy Cat Lady-dom? Is a decorative pet-ashes receptacle with a tiny pet statue on top (like the one shown at right) just not good enough for your dog or cat?

Well, you’re in luck! Patricia Moore of Naples, Fla., started her business, Soft-Hearted Products, with you in mind. When Moore’s own dog died, she felt that the urn that held her ashes was cold and impersonal. ‘She was always with me...On my lap, on my bed, next to me,’ Moore said of her departed dog, Samantha. ‘I missed that so much.’

So Moore did what any sensible person would do: She hired a seamstress to make a pillow with Samantha’s ashes inside, safely enclosed in a plastic pouch. That done, she decided to help other bereaved pet owners in similar situations, and Soft-Hearted Products was born.

Now, for the low, low price of $110, Moore’s company fashions a ‘standard sized decorative pillow ... made by hand in the USA;’ the pillows come in a variety of colors and can be customized with the deceased pet’s name and dates.

We mean no disrespect; after all, we know just how painful it is to lose a beloved animal friend. We just can’t say we find the thought of having ‘the comfort of something soft to hold and keep close by’ very comforting at all.

-- Lindsay Barnett