We have experience and dedication in regards to the preservation of your beloved pet. All of our team care for non-human animals, from spiders and snakes, to birds, and puppies and kitties. We understand how hard it is when a loved one dies, and we all have stories.
If the time is coming either by surprise or by appointment, we can provide a number of services for your dearly departed friend, however we do not typically recommend lifelike mounts, there are a number of reasons for this that we will discuss below in the full restoration section of this page. Meddling with Nature offers a far greater service catalogue than hospitals, vet clinics, or end of life services that you might encounter. We are also not an industrial complex, it is just a few of us working with minimal clients at a time. Because of this, mix ups simply don’t happen. Please refer to our estimated time of delivery sections for more information, but basically our completion time relies heavily on the queue that we have at the time.
Aquamation is rather new on the scene of popular remains consolidation that focuses on a more biological process of handling remains than the traditional cremation. (which I do not offer) The remains are more of a powder than cremated remains and are also completely eco-friendly and sporting a much diminished carbon foot print. One unique option I offer is to incorporate the powder into plaster to create casts of your choosing. (check out plaster paw prints and death masks below.)
So this is when you want your baby mounted in the fashion of taxidermy. Each piece we do is completely custom and does take a lot of work. We do not employ freeze drying at this time, but there are companies out there that will. Most of our clients choose something unique, such as kitties dressed up in unique costumes and mounted in an anthropomorphic style.
Why is it so hard to find a taxidermist to work on pets?
Simply put, most taxidermists shy away from this sort of thing because the time and accuracy concerns are way above that of typical mounting. In order to produce a piece that looks exactly like your pet requires loads of photos and videos. Mammal pets have very unique characteristics that no one who wasn’t familiar would be able to catch. This is also why many people opt for the classic “sleeping” pose. Facial expressions are very difficult to replicate without intimately knowing the animal. Also, its quite expensive due to the amount of labour involved. We typically try to gear people more towards whimsy and oddity, such as a chihuahua on hind legs dancing in a tutu. Or a kitty dressed up as your favourite Shakespeare character. Not saying we cant do realistic mounts, but in our experience, the more creative the request, the more happy you will be in the end. When it comes to non-mammal critters, (meaning things that don’t exhibit as much facial expression) doing convincing likeness is much easier. However, lots of photos are required to get the results you are looking for.
Sometimes all you really want is a remembrance paw, tail, or other small item. This would be prepared in a similar look as lucky rabbit feet that you might find in a tchotchke shop. These can be made for 75.00 a piece or 200.00 for a set of four paws. Other parts are not bundled regularly but I will always work with you to get exactly what you need for your budget.
Sometimes it is much easier for people to accept skeletal and “artifact” preservation. That can be anything from a simple skull mount to a full blown skeleton in whatever pose you should fancy. We offer this service for all manner of animals, that can mean even things as small as claw jewellery. We have also had double commissions in which the pet is taxidermied as well as skeletonized. There are a lot of materials packed in our body, why not preserve it all?
We also offer organ preservation, such as hearts in pretty jars, or any other thing you might think of. We do not currently do plastination, but that doesn’t rule it out completely, just know that this procedure takes a really long time to be done properly, so I won’t even offer that here.
Is all of this real biological a bit much for ya? Then why not go with the good old fashion cast? Death masks, paw impressions, and even noses are popular memento mori services that I provide as well. Please see below for a few options.
Death masks have been an appropriate method of remembrance since the good old roman days. Processes change but the general concept is the same. Catching the visage of a person in death for memento mori. While doing this with fur-babies has been a recent addition to the tradition, the process is similar. (at least in a Victorian sense.) Because a lot of the animals that are requested for such treatment have fur, there are a lot of particular techniques involved to properly mold and cast the subject. You will learn all about that in the conversation we will have over the phone if this is a thing you want to do.
Many remains can be turned into memorial pendants, rings or other display options. Even the lenses of your loved ones eyes can be transformed into pearls to be used in lockets or other wearable artifacts. The pricing on this varies wildly depending on the jewellery you choose to house your items. Please contact me directly.
If your baby has a tracking chip, be sure to let me know and I will recover that for you free of charge if skin preparation is required during the procedures.
I also offer custom woodworking for your chosen memento mori. I work in domestic and exotic hardwoods. Each piece is a custom design and is all made directly in the studio. Lets talk about how you would most love to display your piece.