Paw print keepsakes in St. Matthews
St. Matthews has an estimated 6,600 dog- or cat-owning households. If yours is one of them, a print taken now, or before cremation, is the keepsake you can't go back for.
- Take the print before cremation
- Clay, ink or cast, explained simply
- Published prices, no guesswork
St. Matthews, Kentucky
Getting a paw print in St. Matthews: the local picture
Many St. Matthews families live in older homes with character, and memorials often suit that style: a turned walnut urn above the fireplace, a painted portrait, a glass keepsake catching light on a windowsill. Apartment dwellers may prefer small, portable pieces like pendants or mini urns that move easily. Ashes arrive in a temporary container, so there's no rush to decide what fits your home.
Small yards in St. Matthews mean a garden memorial often takes the form of a stepping stone, a plaque fixed to a garden wall, or a planter with an engraved tag. Choose weather-resistant materials such as granite, bronze or glazed ceramic that can take Louisville's humid summers and winter freezes, and place the piece where you'll see it often, such as by the back door or the patio steps.
Small towns rarely have a pet memorial shop, but they nearly always have someone who engraves: a monument company that letters headstones, a trophy and awards shop, or a sign maker with a laser. Many will engrave a paw print from a clean scan onto slate, wood, metal or a garden stone. Take them a photo of your pet's print and ask whether they can reproduce the real pad shapes, not a generic clip-art paw.
With roughly 17,868 residents, St. Matthews is the 25th-largest of the 26 Kentucky communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Louisville, about 7 miles (11 km) away, which is where some providers serving St. Matthews are based.
For a second opinion on price, Jeffersontown (5 miles), Louisville (7 miles, a larger centre) and Jeffersonville (7 miles, a larger centre) are close enough that their providers cover St. Matthews routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
6,600
St. Matthews: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
17,868 ÷ 2.5 = 7,147 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 6,600. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
550
St. Matthews families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
6,600 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 550 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.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Kentucky
Burial is still the familiar path in Kentucky; cremation covers only about 44.0%[5] of the dead there, and some owners worry that making a keepsake of a pet's paw will seem odd to the neighbors. It isn't odd at all. A print is a quiet, gentle memorial, not unlike keeping a curl from a baby's first haircut. Make it for yourself, and share it only if and when you want to.
Source for the Kentucky number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for St. Matthews, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Getting a clean print in St. Matthews in any season
Around July, when highs in St. Matthews run near 89°F, a senior pet may be flat and uncomfortable in the afternoons. That's often a good time for a print, oddly enough: a hot, sleepy dog or cat lies still. Choose a cool room, keep sessions short, offer water and stop if your pet gets restless. You can always try again the next evening.
Hot months in St. Matthews are the best time for an outdoor project in the shade, but not for drying a print outdoors. Direct sun on an air-dry clay disc can warp it and crack the thin edges of the toes. Bring it inside, set it on a wire rack so air reaches both sides and give it two or three days before sealing it with a matte acrylic sealer.
Paw print costs around St. Matthews, line by line
If you'd like the print framed with a lock of fur, one Northeast crematory network charges $133 for that combination and $23 for a fur clipping on its own[6]. Some water cremation providers bundle a print in too: an Arizona aquamation service includes an ink paw print in individual packages from $75 to $349[7]. In St. Matthews, it's worth asking every provider what comes with the package before adding extras.
The Kentucky price table breaks costs down by product; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Local rules worth knowing in Kentucky
If you might move away from Kentucky one day, it helps to know that a print, a cast or a photograph needs no paperwork at a border, while ashes sometimes do, and a grave can't come with you at all. None of that should decide your plans, but it's worth weighing alongside what Kentucky allows, set out below.
Not sure which office covers St. Matthews? The Kentucky local government directory is the official list.
We keep Kentucky's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Kentucky rules summary. Before a home burial in St. Matthews, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
What to do first, and what can wait
- If your pet dies while you're away from home, call the kennel, sitter or local vet and ask them to keep your pet cool and take a paw print before anything else happens.
- Ask them to photograph the print so you can check it's come out clearly; a text is fine.
- Decide whether to bring your pet home instead of arranging cremation locally; the print goes with you either way.
- Ask for ink rather than clay when the print has to be mailed. Card travels well in an envelope; wet clay often doesn't.
- If you're driving home with your pet, the car needs to stay cool; make your own print once you're back, ahead of any burial or pickup.
- Keep names, numbers and receipts for everyone involved, so everything can be matched up later.
Turning a print into something lasting
Some St. Matthews families like to plant something meaningful, such as a small ornamental tree in the yard or a window box of annuals replanted each spring, while others commission a portrait or put together a memory book of favorite photos. Keepsakes like paw prints or fur clippings are made before cremation, so mention them when you first call, and leave everything else for later.
the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, or compare your instinct with the poll results, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, See what each option includes on our services page. Close to St. Matthews we also cover Owensboro, Covington, Lexington and Bowling Green; the full list for Kentucky and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
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Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Paw print keepsake chooser
Match a print method to your pet's size, fur and the keepsake you want to keep.
Jewelry ash capacity guide
How much ash fits in pendants, rings and glass, and how many pieces one pet can fill.
Questions people ask
Where are the providers that serve St. Matthews actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Louisville, about 7 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for St. Matthews and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Is cremation common in Kentucky?
For people, yes: about 44.0%[5] of Kentucky 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 St. Matthews follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How many pet owners live in St. Matthews?
By our estimate, about 6,600 households in St. Matthews have at least one dog or cat, and around 550 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 17,868, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from St. Matthews?
Usually yes. Jeffersontown is about 5 miles away, Louisville is about 7 miles away and Jeffersonville is about 7 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
How many households in St. Matthews have a dog or cat?
By our estimate, about 6,600 households in St. Matthews have a dog or a cat, and around 550 dogs and cats are lost there each year. We calculate this from the city's population, average household size and national pet ownership and lifespan figures. The method is shown on this page.
My pet was cremated without a paw print. Is there anything I can do?
You can't take a new impression after cremation, but there are good alternatives. Look through your photos for a clear shot of a paw, or of paw prints in snow, sand or mud; engravers and artists can trace one. Check old vet records, the puppy or kitten pack from a breeder, and grooming photos. Some artists can also draw a lifelike paw from pictures of your pet's feet. It won't be the exact pad pattern, but many owners find it just as meaningful.
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 Kentucky's cremation rate at 44.0% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Final Gift charges $49 for ink paw prints, $76 for a clay or silver-clay paw print, $111 framed, and $133 framed with a fur clipping; a fur clipping alone costs $23. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
- [7] A Greener Place in Mesa, Arizona, charges $75–$349 for individual pet aquamation by weight, including an urn, nameplate and ink paw print. A Greener Place Pet Aquamation – Pricing, 2026.
- [8] Paw-print add-ons at US crematories have a median price of about $32, from $10 to $76. Our estimate: median of [$10 clay (AGP), $15 laser engraving (AGP), $49 ink (Final Gift), $76 clay (Final Gift)]. How we calculate.
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