Pet preservation in Mustang
By our estimate, about 9,050 households in Mustang have a dog or cat. Only a small share of families ever consider preservation, so if you're one of them, here's how to freeze your pet in time and what comes next.
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Mustang, Oklahoma
What pet preservation is like in Mustang
Some families in Mustang choose to hold a small gathering weeks after cremation, once the ashes are home, rather than on the hardest day. A cool October evening, after the summer heat finally breaks, suits an outdoor remembrance with a favorite toy, a framed photo and a few close friends. There is no correct timetable, and waiting until your family feels ready is a perfectly reasonable choice to make.
Church, school and sports schedules shape much of family life in Mustang, and the first people to hear about a pet's death are often a teacher, a coach or a friend from the same congregation. Let a child's teacher know, because they will notice a grieving student. For adults, free pet-loss phone lines and online groups run by veterinary colleges are open to anyone, including people who simply need to talk late at night.
With about 24,571 people, Mustang isn't likely to have a pet preserver of its own, and that's true of most towns. It doesn't stop you. Get your pet frozen solid, then choose a practitioner anywhere in the country by the quality of their pet work. Families from small towns do this all the time, usually by overnight shipping or a single long drive.
About 24,571 people live in Mustang, which makes it the 16th-largest of the 26 Oklahoma communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Mustang are based about 13 miles away in Oklahoma City, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Mustang sits within easy reach of Yukon (9 miles), Bethany (9 miles) and Oklahoma City (13 miles, a larger centre). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Mustang; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
9,050
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Mustang
How we calculated this
24,571 ÷ 2.5 = 9,828 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 9,050. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
750
dog and cat deaths per year in Mustang, our estimate
How we calculated this
9,050 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 750 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
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.
To check the figures yourself, see American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
How Oklahoma thinks about cremation, and where preservation fits
About 58.6%[5] of people in Oklahoma choose cremation. Attitudes are shifting, and that openness extends to pets, where families increasingly want something personal rather than the standard option. Preservation is the most personal of all, and still unusual. Expect to explain what you want to your vet more than once, and to find the practitioner yourself.
For the Oklahoma figure we rely on NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Read it as a picture of local custom around death and remembrance in Mustang rather than as pet data.
Mustang weather, freezing and power cuts
Mustang asks a lot of a chest freezer: heat in July, then cold snaps in January, February and December. Freezers kept in unheated garages can struggle at both ends, and some models don't run properly when the room itself drops well below freezing. If your pet is being held in a garage freezer, keep a thermometer inside and check it every day.
A preserved pet in Mustang lives through humid summers and dry, heated winters. Both can be hard on delicate work. Keep the piece away from heating vents, sunny windows and damp rooms, and consider a sealed glass case, which evens out swings in humidity. In the most humid weeks around July, a dehumidifier in the room helps.
Prices by pet size, and what adds to them
It helps to set preservation beside ordinary aftercare. Private dog cremation averages about $260[6] nationally, while one price guide puts freeze-drying a cat or little dog at $1,000–$2,500[7]. By our estimate, that makes freeze-drying roughly ten times the price of a private cremation[8]. Seen that way, a single preserved paw with the rest cremated can be a sensible middle path for families in Mustang.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Oklahoma: Oklahoma costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
When the rules in Oklahoma come into play
Before you commit to preservation, check two things with the practitioner: whether your species needs any permit where they are, and whether they're allowed to receive it. Rules for domestic cats and dogs are light; rules for native birds and reptiles can be strict and vary by place. If the rest of your pet is going to be buried or cremated, check what Oklahoma allows for home burial and scattering too.
To find your county or city office in Oklahoma, start with the official Oklahoma local government directory.
For Oklahoma's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Oklahoma guide. Local rules in Mustang can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
The first hours, step by step
- Freeze first, decide later. A pet frozen quickly and kept frozen can wait weeks while you choose.
- Blot, don't wash. Dab off any moisture with paper towel and keep the coat as dry as it is.
- Pose gently and bag tightly. Curl them as if asleep, then seal them in two thick bags, squeezing out the air so the face and ears don't get freezer burn.
- Plan for a power cut. Know where you'd get dry ice or a backup freezer if the electricity went off for more than a day.
- Ask two or three practitioners whether they take your species and size, how long their queue is and how they want your pet delivered.
- Ship or drop off frozen, early in the week if shipping, and ask for confirmation the moment your pet arrives.
Remembering your pet while you wait
Losing a pet in a fast-growing suburb like Mustang can feel oddly lonely: neighbors may be new, and extended family often lives across the metro rather than next door. A small farewell at home, a few words in the back yard or a candle on the patio, gives everyone a moment before the pet leaves for cremation. Children in particular cope better when they are included in that moment rather than told about it afterward.
The services page is the place to compare what is included, run the numbers with the free planning tools, or see what other families chose in the poll results, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details. If you live between Mustang and Tulsa, Edmond, Broken Arrow and Moore, either page applies. Every other community in Oklahoma, and all of the United States, is listed too.
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.
Where would a preserved pet live in your home?
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If you were preserving your pet, which route would you lean toward?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Questions people ask
How many pet owners live in Mustang?
By our estimate, about 9,050 households in Mustang have at least one dog or cat, and around 750 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 24,571, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
How do Oklahoma attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Oklahoma human cremation rate at about 58.6%[5]. We show it on the Mustang page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Mustang?
The closest communities we cover are Yukon (about 9 miles), Bethany (about 9 miles) and Oklahoma City (about 13 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Mustang too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How does Mustang's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Mustang, with average highs around 93°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
Will humidity in Mustang damage a freeze-dried pet?
It can over time, which is why placement matters. Freeze-dried tissue can reabsorb moisture from damp air, softening features or attracting insects. Keep your pet in a dry, well-aired room away from bathrooms, basements and exterior walls. A sealed glass case and a dehumidifier during the wettest months give extra protection.
Is there a pet taxidermist in Mustang?
Possibly, but pet specialists are rare everywhere, so don't assume the closest taxidermist is the right one. Many mount game animals and see few pets. Most families choose a practitioner by the quality of their finished cats, dogs or birds, then ship their pet frozen overnight or drive it there. Tell us your pet's species and weight, and we'll email back practitioners who take pets from Mustang.
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 Oklahoma's cremation rate at 58.6% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for private dog cremation at $260 (range $206-$473). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [7] Memorials.com puts freeze-drying at $1,000–$2,500 for a cat or small dog and $2,000–$5,000+ for a medium to large dog. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [8] Freeze-drying a cat or small dog costs about 10 times a private cremation. Our estimate: midpoint freeze-dry $1,750 ($1,000–$2,500) / $175 (private cremation 3–24 lb, NC provider). How we calculate.
- [9] Freeze-drying a pet costs about 6 times as much as an average cremation. Our estimate: USD 1,500 (midpoint of USD 1,000–2,000) / USD 250. How we calculate.
Get pet preservation options in Mustang
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.