What is the Catholic Church's view on an afterlife of animals? Is there biblical support as to whether or not animals go to heaven?

Animals do not have rational souls so there is nothing TO go to heaven....

If animals go to heaven, it cannot be in the same way that humans do, for precisely the reason that Doom gives.

thank goodness for the rainbow bridge

1) If it is necessary for our happiness in heaven that animals, or at least some animals, go to Heaven, then they will.
2) All things that exist, exist because God knows them. The blessed in Heaven are able to see God and to know Him as fully as humanity is capable of. Therefore, it is reasonable to hypothesize that in knowing God, the blessed obtain at least a share in His knowing of the good things He has created, which would include animals that were in some way important to us.

What are you muttering on about?

There may well be animals in heaven, but I don't see how they could be same as the ones we knew on Earth simply because there is nothing to 'survive' or be resurrected in heaven...

At Niagara Falls?

Between Canada and The USA Is that how Americans go to heaven?

"Is this Heaven?"

"No, it's Iowa."

Easy to get them mixed up.

It's even easier to get hell and New Jersey mixed up.

Is there a difference? Not in Newark.

ask gov christie...he should know

I suppose God could recreate a particular animal, if He so chooses. But whereas immortality belongs to our nature, at least as far as the soul (the formal principle) goes, immortality does not belong by nature to animals, either materially or formally (as far as their souls go).

St. Thomas argues that no animals will be in heaven, because there will be no generation and corruption in heaven. Without even getting into specific animals, at least some animals' natures would be incompatible. A lion is a carnivore. Think about it. What exactly will it do in heaven? To not hunt, to not procreate, to not do anything which is natural to lions, what sort of existence would that be?

St. Thomas does hold that plants will exist, though of a different nature (incorruptible) in heaven. Perhaps one could argue that there might be animals of such a new nature too. But they would even have different ends of their nature than those existing now

There's this hunter out with his dog, and they are attacked and killed by a bear, the both of them. They were out hunting together year in and year out. The epitomy of friendship. As they were walking down the trail toward the great big heavenly gate, the gatekeeper says to the hunter, "By golly, you made it to heaven! Welcome! Come on in, your life is about to really start!" As the hunter starts walking, he whistles to his dog to come along, and the gatekeeper stops him, "Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute! We don't allow dogs in here, you need to leave him outside!" The hunter looks at his dog, then looks beyond the gait, hesitates, and says, "Ah, never mind, I am going to go down the other trail. I am going to the other gate. I won't go to heaven if I have to leave my dog behind!" And so, off the hunter walks with his dog. When he comes up toward the other, darker gate, he sees a man waiting for him. The man asks, "Well, why didn't you pass through the other gate? They invited you through!" The hunter replies, "I ain't gonna go to heaven if I can't take my dog!" And all of a sudden the man looks brilliant, and the gait begins to glow, and the gate keeper says, "Well, my name is Peter, welcome to heaven!" The hunter remarks, "Well, I don't understand..? What's this all about?" And St. Peter says to him, "Heck, you think we want anyone in heaven that would leave his dog behind?!?"

I always found this quote by Mark Twain to be a bit peculiar.

"The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's."

-Mark Twain

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

When a child asks if his or her pet will be in Heaven, I reply, "Everything you need to be completely happy will be in Heaven."

I've seen this in an expanded version. It was also an episode on the original Twilight Zone.

GKC