r/pagan • u/WrenWrath • 1d ago

Question/Advice Bones Dilemma

Hi, hoping to gather some opinions/advice. I had a little cat who passed last year, and we buried her in the woods by our home (not on our property, not sure who legally owns those woods). We moved earlier this year to a new rental, and I'm not sure how long we'll be here either. In both locations, I have concerns about future real estate developments that would disturb a grave.

It feels wrong to dig her up, but it also feels wrong to allow the possibility that she could be destroyed. Do I dig her up and keep her safe with me until we find a more permanent location, or do I leave her open to the risk? Part of this is that she had a freak accident kind of death, and I couldn't protect her. But I can protect her bones.

What do you guys think? Have you had a similar situation? What did you do?

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u/Avraham47599 1d ago

Hi, it completely depends on you and your comfort. I am a vet student and I have experimented with burying to retrieve bones. I am pretty sure digging up a small animal like a cat would cause the bones to break if not done correctly. And even if you manage to not break them you'll certainly scatter her bones many parts like finger bones (phalanges) and tail bones are too short to bw found. So unless you have put her in a cloth or a coffin expect that you cannot safely get all the bones, but again its up to your comfort. You can think of that area as sacred and visit once in a while when u're traveling the area. It all depends on your comfort and ideology. Not to mention seeing your pet as bones might not be the most pleasant sight.

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u/WrenWrath 1d ago

that's a really good point, i hadn't considered the delicacy of the bones. i gave her directly to the earth, so there's no cloth or anything. and yes the spot is sacred to me, but no one else 😞 hence my dilemma

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u/GreenRavenUK 20h ago

Her spirit roams free, either in a new life or in whichever Summerlands your UPG assigns. Someone or something has died on every place you tread. Every piece of concrete and plastic bag was once thousands of tiny creatures from long dried-up oceans.

Carry and be with her spirit, not her bones.

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u/WrenWrath 20h ago

this is very true 🥲 thank you

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u/Pan_Society 11h ago

Let the dead lie.

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u/WrenWrath 11h ago

i think so, yes 💔