KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — For the past two years, 42-year-old Ng Shin Yann has performed a solemn yet necessary role in providing closure for the departed souls of beloved pets by giving them a dignified farewell.

The role of a pet mortician — also known as pet funeral directors — was one of many new jobs born out of necessity amid the growth of the local pet funeral industry, spurred by rising pet ownership and personalised services.

While the industry here is still in its early stages, countries like Taiwan and China have seen it expand and mature rapidly — where personalised end-of-life care for deceased animals has already become the norm for owners willing to pay more for their companions.

Ng said her role as a pet funeral director has become increasingly important, as the growing trend has normalised pet bereavement services, once considered a niche offering here.

“For us humans, it is easy to mask our emotions but this is not case for our pets where we can truly be honest with ourselves and them because of their unconditional love for us. 

“That is why as pet morticians, we carry the important responsibility of giving them proper closure because to me, they are our guardian angels,” Ng, who works at Piepie Pet Memorial Sdn Bhd, told Malay Mail during an interview recently.

Ng gesturing to her workstation where she prepares and performs the necessary restorative work to ensure a deceased pet is fit for a farewell ceremony. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Despite the weight of her responsibilities, Ng said she has had limited formal training in the art of preserving and restoring deceased pets to make them suitable for viewing during funeral ceremonies.

Instead most of her knowledge, she explained, was self-taught through trial and error, which she said proved to be a challenge when she first started out.

“At times, we get calls for a deceased pet whose body condition is not ideal per se, usually mangled up due to death from a vehicle accident and you usually have their guts split open, not a pleasant sight at all.

“But I try to sew and conceal the wounds as best I can, readjusting their bones and limbs if necessary and showering them to clean any blood stains to provide a more dignified manner for a being once cherished,” she said.

Ng is also tasked with overseeing and guiding pet owners through the farewell ceremony.

This includes assisting owners in collecting mementos such as fur, pawprints and nose prints from their deceased pet before the eventual cremation process.

Although the work is emotionally and physically demanding, Ng said her drive to continue stems from a deeply personal experience.

She shared that she would not have ventured into the profession if not for her own pets, who intervened when she attempted suicide during a difficult period at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Truth to be told, I have never been so passionate about a job like this. Of course, there was more money to be made in other professions but you just do not feel the enthusiasm.

“I have always reminded myself that our human love for other things are endless but for our pets it is unconditional for them to us as their owners,” she said.

Various mementos such as nose and paw prints are collected by owners from their deceased pet during a farewell ceremony. — Picture by Choo Choy May

A token of love, miniaturised

Almost 360km away in Sungai Petani, Kedah, couple Tan Chee Kheng and Elaine Teh Yi Lin spend their spare time handcrafting a one-of-a-kind keepsake from the fur of deceased pets at their workshop here.

Tan, 38, recalled how their artisan journey started — a deep-rooted interest in Pokémon and his wife’s love for handicraft — culminating in a visit to Gunung Keriang, Kedah in 2018.

“We stumbled upon a type of stone called rutilated quartz. Inside it were fine, hair-like strands and we thought to ourselves how could something stone-like look so much like animal fur?

“We later pondered if we could actually combine both fur and craftsmanship to create a piece of memory, preserved in resin like ‘ancient fossils’ but in the form of elegant jewellery,” he told Malay Mail in an interview recently.

Unlike resin art that merely encases fur, each fur bead is entirely made from 100 per cent fur, using resin only as a thin layer to shape and protect it. — Picture by Choo Choy May

In 2019, Tan and Teh set out to become self-taught keepsake artisans in the local pet funeral industry, with the pursuit of a dream to become ‘memory preservers’ of a once cherished living being.

Tan said that they find their role deeply emotional and meaningful.

“While cremation or burial provides a sense of closure, a keepsake offers something more personal and lasting in that it serves as a physical reminder that a pet was truly part of the family," he said.

He noted that a well-crafted keepsake serves as a vital bridge between grief and remembrance, and can bring comfort, healing, and even pride to owners when a beloved pet passes away.

“It involves transforming something as simple as fur into a tangible symbol of love and memory.

“It’s not just about making beautiful objects. It’s about preserving emotions, stories and the unique bond between pet and owner,” he said.

The first step in crafting an MBALL involves fur preparation which includes inspection and selection of usable fur followed by oil and dirt removal. — Picture courtesy of Tan Chee Kheng/MBALL

Measuring no larger than roughly the size of a peanut, Tan’s handcrafted memory ball (MBALL) bead keepsake is a meticulous work of art.

A patented product in Malaysia and Taiwan, the bead’s intricate design includes RFID chip insertion, glow-in-the-dark effect and invisible ink inscription.

No two beads are ever the same since each swirl, texture and pattern uniquely represents a deceased pet’s fur encased within a thin layer of resin.

A completed MBALL being sanded to smoothen the resin surface before a resin polish compound is added for shine. — Picture courtesy of Tan Chee Kheng/MBALL

As the industry becomes more mainstream with rising pet ownership, Tan said pet owners are now embracing different ways to honour and remember their companions.

“From fur keepsakes to pawprint art to digital memorials, families are seeking unique, emotional and tangible ways to carry memories forward.

“This opens up space for creative artisans like us to contribute to the healing process through handcrafted work that’s intimate and heartfelt,” he said.