An urn for your pet, in Hays
Around 650 dogs and cats are lost in Hays each year, by our estimate. If yours is one of them, this page explains urn sizes, prices and engraving, with no rush to decide.
- Wood, ceramic, marble and brass compared
- Tips for moving ashes safely
- Ideas for apartments and houses
Hays, Kansas
What choosing an urn is like in Hays
Some Hays households want a memorial with a local connection, such as a small slab of the region's cream-colored limestone carved with a name and dates, or a photo taken along Big Creek. Others want pendants or mini urns so relatives on scattered farms can each keep a share. Get the full cost and delivery date in writing, particularly for carved stone, which takes time.
Wind is the biggest enemy of outdoor memorials in northwest Kansas, followed closely by hail and the high, dry sun. Low, heavy markers of granite or local post-rock limestone stay put; light garden statues blow over. For something living, a drought-hardy tree such as a bur oak or a hackberry, planted in spring and watered through the first summer, suits the dry climate.
In a smaller place like Hays, the urn usually comes from one of two places: the crematory your vet uses, often somewhere around Hays, or an online seller. The crematory's range may be small, but the pieces are chosen to fit the ashes they return. If you'd like to see the options, ask the vet for a printed catalog or photos rather than choosing a name from a list.
Hays's population is around 21,258, the 20th-largest of the 23 Kansas communities we cover.
Our pages for Dodge City (86 miles), Salina (92 miles, a larger centre) and Hutchinson (95 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Hays as well.
Our estimate
7,800
Hays: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
21,258 ÷ 2.5 = 8,503 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,800. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
650
Hays families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
7,800 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 650 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
53%[1]
53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
39%[3]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
We built the this numbers from American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
How Kansas thinks about cremation and urns
Cremation is common but not universal in Kansas, where about 64.6%[5] of people are cremated. Pet crematories here usually sell a solid core range of urns rather than a huge catalog, so families who want something unusual, like a figurine or a marble urn, often buy online. The local range is still worth seeing first, since those urns are chosen to fit the ashes that crematory returns.
We take the Kansas rate from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Hays, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Keeping an urn safe through Hays's seasons
Hays has real seasons: highs around 93°F in July and average lows below freezing in January, February, March, November and December. That range is hard on urns kept outdoors. Porous ceramic can crack in winter and wood fades in summer. Indoors, the main thing is to keep urns away from both the summer sun and the winter heater. Outside, granite and sealed stone are the materials that handle both.
Because Hays swings from July heat to winter frost, a planted memorial needs a little planning. Put a biodegradable urn and a young tree in the ground in spring or early autumn, water it through its first summer and mulch it before January. A tree that survives its first year usually settles in, and it will mark the spot for decades.
How much to budget for an urn
Engraving is usually the add-on that surprises people. Simple name-only engraving on a pet urn typically adds $15–$25[6], a photo engraving $40–$100[7] and a paw print or symbol $20–$35[8] (per one large retailer). On a mid-priced wooden urn, name-and-dates engraving can add about 36% to the price[9]. The table below shows typical US ranges, so you can compare Hays quotes like for like.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Kansas overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Before you scatter or bury in Kansas
Rules about pet ashes are about places, not containers. The urn you choose, whether it's engraved and how long you keep it are entirely your call. What follows for Kansas covers where scattering and burial are generally accepted, so you can plan any outdoor part of the memorial without worrying.
Not sure which office covers Hays? The Kansas local government directory is the official list.
Start with the Kansas rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Hays's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
A simple plan for the urn decision
- Tell your child the ashes are coming home, describing them beforehand: a closed bag inside an ordinary tin or box.
- Let them help choose, from two or three urns you've already checked for size and price.
- Offer a small keepsake of their own for their room, while the main urn stays in a shared space.
- Invite them to add something, perhaps a picture they drew or a few words, slipped beneath the urn.
- Pick a lid that screws or locks shut, above all where a young child could reach the urn.
- Mark the day the urn arrives with a moment together, such as lighting a candle or telling a favorite story.
Sharing a pet's memory across the family
In Hays, memorials often find a home on a sturdy shelf, a window ledge facing the yard, or a flat spot in a garden bed. Families in older houses near downtown sometimes use a built-in cabinet, while students often want something small enough to pack in a car. The simple box the ashes come home in is perfectly adequate while you think, even for months.
the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, Every option Hays families choose between is on the services page, or compare your instinct with the poll results. Close to Hays we also cover Lawrence, Kansas City, Wichita and Olathe; the full list for Kansas and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
If you were choosing your pet's urn today, which material would you pick?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Will your pet's ashes stay together or be shared?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Urn size calculator
Find the urn volume you need from your pet's weight, plus keepsake and sharing options.
Ashes sharing planner
Split ashes fairly between family members, keepsake urns and jewelry.
Questions people ask
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Hays?
Usually yes. Dodge City is about 86 miles away, Salina is about 92 miles away and Hutchinson is about 95 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Roughly how many pets die in Hays each year?
Our estimate is around 650. It comes from Hays's population (about 21,258), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 7,800 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
How does Hays's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Hays, with average highs around 93°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, March, November and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
Is cremation common in Kansas?
For people, yes: about 64.6%[5] of Kansas deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Hays follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How many families in Hays end up choosing a pet urn?
We can't count urns, but we can estimate the need. By our estimate, about 7,800 Hays households have a dog or cat, and roughly 650 of those pets die each year. Many are cremated with ashes returned, and in national research on human cremation, 37%[10] of people said they'd keep ashes at home in an urn.
How long does an engraved urn take to arrive in Hays?
It depends on the seller and the work involved. Simple laser engraving on wood or brass can be quick, while photo engraving, hand-painted figurines and custom ceramics can take several weeks. One Australian crematory, for example, quotes about two weeks for a laser-engraved metal urn[11]. Always ask for the making time and the shipping time separately, then add a margin if a date matters.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] The NFDA projected Kansas's cremation rate at 64.6% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Simple name-only engraving on a pet urn typically adds $15–$25; name plus dates adds $25–$40. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [7] Photo engraving on a pet urn typically adds $40–$100, and a full epitaph $50–$100. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [8] Adding an engraved paw print or symbol to a pet urn typically costs $20–$35. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [9] Name-and-dates engraving adds about 36% to the price of a mid-priced wooden pet urn. Our estimate: midpoint engraving $32.50 ($25–$40) / midpoint wood urn $90 ($30–$150). How we calculate.
- [10] In NFDA's 2025 consumer research, 37% said they would keep cremated remains at home in an urn, and 33.5% would scatter them. Cremation.Green summary of NFDA 2025 Cremation & Burial Report, 2025.
- [11] Patch & Purr's metal urns cost A$170 with an engraved disc, A$185–A$195 with an engraved stand, or A$245 laser-engraved, which takes about 2 weeks. Patch & Purr Pet Cremations – Urns & timber boxes, 2026.
Find an urn that fits, delivered to Hays
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.