Do our pets make it to heaven?

Do our pets make it to heaven?

When we ask, “Will our pets be with us in heaven?”—we’re asking a tender question, born of real love.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:39, “Not all flesh is the same: people have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, and fish another.” That’s an important starting place. God has made a distinction in creation. Humanity alone is made in His image, stamped with eternity, called to give an account, and redeemed by Christ. Jesus took on human flesh, not animal flesh, to save us. That means the Bible never speaks of the death of an animal as it does the death of a man or woman. It never suggests that animals share in the same kind of resurrection hope that is promised to believers.

So if we’re asking, “Will Toby or Mittens surely be waiting for us in glory?”—the most faithful answer is: the Scriptures do not say that. The weight of biblical teaching leans us toward no. Our pets are God’s good gifts in this life—gifts that mirror His kindness, loyalty, and affection—but they are not eternal souls as we are.

And yet—I don’t stop there. Because while the Bible doesn’t promise Toby or Mittens will be in heaven, it does promise something greater: a new heavens and new earth filled with God’s glory, where even creation itself will be set free from its bondage (Romans 8). Isaiah paints pictures of wolves dwelling with lambs, lions eating straw, a child safe beside a cobra’s hole (Isaiah 11). These glimpses remind us that animals are not insignificant to God’s renewed world. He made them, He cares for them, and they will have their place in His restored creation.

So where does that leave us? With two truths that can anchor our hearts:

Our ultimate joy is God Himself. If we long for pets in heaven, it’s really a longing for comfort, companionship, and delight—and all of that will be found in God, without lack, without loss. He Himself is more than enough.

We can trust God’s kindness. If seeing your beloved pet again would increase your joy in Christ and bring Him glory, I have no doubt that God is both able and willing to weave even that gift into the tapestry of the new creation.

So while the biblical witness leads me to lean toward “no”—our pets do not have the same eternal destiny as we do—I rest in this: the God who gave us those small companions is not stingy, and He will not withhold any good thing. In His presence, none of our joys will be missing.