The Passionate Cat Owner Wants to Send His Deceased Pet Into Space

In the last few years, we have seen some pretty weird stuff head to space; from Tesla roadsters to fake stars. But now a cat owner is trying to raise money to send his dead cat to the stars.

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Steve Munt has started a crowdfunding campaign in the hopes of raising $5000 to send his deceased cats heart to space. His pet cat named Pikachu passed away recently from complications with diabetes. For some weird reason, Munt thinks the best way to honor his cat's memory is to blast part of the animal's ashes into the cold void of space.

Blast your loved one to space

“A portion of his remains, from his heart, will be launched into orbit, where he will watch over the Earth, and we can track his location as he showers the world with love,” the crowdfunding page details. Munt is using a company called Celestis which offers various services to send human ashes or DNA on memorial spaceflights.

Munt plans to send Pikachu’s ashes onboard a satellite launch sometime in the next 18 months. Celestis offers a range of space flights for your loved ones remains starting at the price of $2,495.

'Surprisingly affordable'

You can launch a ‘symbolic portion’ of cremated remains or DNA to space. After reaching zero gravity the capsule will return to earth. If a forever space is more your idea of a fitting tribute you can spend $12,500 and have your package shot out into the ether beyond the moon.

Despite raising money for over two months Munt is still well below his target amount. So far he has raised just $1,930 of $5,000 goal. This hasn’t held Munt back though, he told reporters that he had already paid for Pikachu's space adventure from his own savings and the launch would definitely be going ahead.

French cat takes the title

The first cat in space was a French stray named Felicette, who headed to the stars on a Véronique AG1 rocket in 1963 and returned to Earth alive after her suborbital flight. Pikachu will be the first cat sent to space by Celestis, though two dogs already got the title of the first animal.

Apollo and Laika, both had their remains blasted off to space by their pet crazy owners. Munt says part of his reasoning for sending Pikachu to space is to show the world that such a dramatic way to mark the end of a pets life is possible for a cat, too.

Pikachu came into Munt's life in an unusual way. Apparently, the curious cat began hanging around the Munt family home, so placed a collar on it, thinking the orange tabby was a stray. But then he got a call from Pikachu’s owner asking why he had collared the cat. Munt says that two years later Pikachu came to choose to live full time with him and his family.