07/23/2025
National Craft for your Local Shelters Day!
Calling all crafters, DIYers, and anybody searching for a low-cost method to help shelter dogs and cats on this day! The summer months are often the busiest for animal shelters around the country due to the combination of Kitten Season and owner surrender appointments, which increases the number of animals in our care. This fun holiday idea is simple — to make some homemade pet toys and supplies and donate them to your local animal shelter. This allows shelters to receive the materials they require while also allowing individuals to contribute to participate without having to spend a lot of money. Continue reading to hear about some fantastic ideas and goods that you can make and contribute to your local shelter right away.
Bandanas that say “Adopt Me,” are very popular at shelters for making pets more photogenic for adoption pictures. These can be made from old shirts or colorful fabric in all sizes. The words can either be embroidered, painted, drawn on with fabric pens or screen printed on. Blankets are another popular option. Shelter cages can be lonely, by making a blanket for a pet waiting for a home, if will give them comfort to have something to curl up with. Those blankets can often become something special to the animals, and some go to their forever homes with them. Fleece blankets are easy to make, but blankets can also be made from quilting fabric.
Beds might sound harder to make, but they aren’t. There are plenty of examples of no sew beds that can be stuffed with stuffing and then tied together just like blankets. There are also no sew cat hammocks. Old tennis balls wrapped in scrap fabric make great toys for dogs, or the fabric can be braided to make a toy for cats to bat around. Cats love scratchers, and the great thing is that they are easy to make by using a little rope, glue, scissors, and a table leg or free-standing pillar. Wrap the rope around the pillar and add a bit of glue to keep it from fraying.
Crafting is fun and can be enjoyed by the whole family or on a crafting night with friends. No matter how people participate, know that whatever you make will give much comfort to pets while they wait for their forever homes.
