About this piece

A handmade ceramic maneki neko urn for ashes, sculpted by hand into the beckoning lucky cat with one paw raised, part remembrance and part gentle guardian. This personalized cat cremation urn is made to order from your photos, hand painted to match your cat's coat, with a recolorable collar, their name lettered along it, and a plaque for dates or a few chosen words. The design is painted in underglaze that fuses into the clay and sealed under a fired glaze, so the color will not scratch, peel or fade, and fired ceramic lasts for centuries. A one of a kind keepsake and lasting pet memorial.

See more finished pieces in our gallery for the true look and feel.

Size and capacity

Sculpted in one size, with a larger custom size available on request.

• Height: 7.1 in (18 cm)
• Width: 3.5 in (9 cm)
• Capacity: 30 cubic inches (490 mL, about 17 fl oz)
• Suitable for pets up to about 30 lb (13.5 kg)

A few easy ways to picture the fit: as a rule of thumb an urn needs about 1 cubic inch of space per 1 pound of body weight, so around 30 cubic inches holds the ashes of most cats comfortably, and many small companions. If you prefer to work from the ashes themselves, volume in millilitres is roughly the weight in grams multiplied by 1.5. If your cat was on the larger side, or you would like the piece scaled up, choose the custom size option and I will shape it to fit.

Processing and shipping

Every maneki neko urn is made to order, entirely by hand, so it takes time to create. Please allow around 6 weeks from your order date, plus shipping. If you choose a custom size or a fully bespoke piece, please allow 8 to 10 weeks, as these need extra sculpting and modeling and often more than one round of refinement.

Shipping is always free, anywhere in the world, and every piece is packed with great care to travel safely.

Here is how your piece comes together: once you order, I confirm the details with you, then hand craft and shape the form in clay and add any engraving before the first firing. I hand paint your companion from your photos in underglaze and send you a painted proof to approve before anything is set. After any refinements you would like, I glaze the piece and fire it again, add any gold or overglaze details, then give it a final check and package it carefully for the journey to you.

Because each piece is made slowly by hand and depends on the kiln, I take on only a small number of custom orders at a time, so it is best to order early if you need it by a certain date.

What to expect from handmade ceramic

A few honest notes, because this is handmade ceramic and I would always rather you know exactly what to expect:

• Ceramic is unpredictable in the kiln. The exact result is never known until firing is complete, and that unpredictability is part of what makes each piece unique.
• Color cannot be guaranteed one hundred percent. Ceramic pigments shift slightly during firing, and every screen shows color a little differently.
• Underglaze always looks softer and lighter before firing. The kiln deepens every tone.
• Each piece is completely handmade, so no two are ever identical. Small natural variations are part of the character.
• My aim is a loving likeness of your companion, not a perfect photographic replica.
• Once fired, the design and colors are permanently set and cannot be changed.
• Engraving is permanent. Once a detail is carved it cannot be smoothed away.
• Occasionally a piece can crack or develop a small flaw in the kiln. If that happens I remake it fully, which can extend the timeline.
• Finely carved contour details carry a higher risk in the kiln, so there is a natural limit to how deep engraving can safely go.