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Comfort for Critters

Celebrating 16 years & 186,000+ comforted shelter pets!

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Rats Make Great Pets. Really!

The Fancy Rat is the most common type of pet rat in the US. It's actually a domesticated brown rat, but gets the name "Fancy" (as in "to fancy") since it is so likeable. Still with me?

These critters are physiologically and psychologically quite different from their wild relatives, and have been …

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Dogs & Chocolate – No Amount is Safe!

Americans consume 18% of the world’s chocolate, so most households will stock at least some of this sweet. Homes with dogs however, need to be extra careful about stocking up on this favorite treat! Experts agree that there’s no “safe” amount of chocolate for a dog to consume, though the consequence…

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Make Your Dog's Old Toys - New Again!

If you think your dog’s attention span for new toys is measured in minutes, you’re right. On average, dogs lose interest in a new toy after 2-3 minutes of play. Of course some toys become “favorites”, but too many of them end up under the couch or off in a corner, forgotten.

There are way…

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De-Skunking Your Pet!

For many of us, evening walks with the pup are one of life’s greatest joys. Smelling the distinctive odor of a skunk, clearly is not! Fear of being sprayed by a skunk should not keep you, or your dog, stuck inside at dusk (when skunks are most active). It’s rarely dangerous, and if you’re prepared, …

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HABRI - An organization you should know!

HABRI stands for Human Animal Bond Research Institute and it’s one of my favorite websites to check out when I have a bit of extra time for reading. They are a non-profit research and education organization that shares, and often funds, scientific research that shows the positive impact pets have on…

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Feed Pets & Help People!

I know CFC volunteers and supporters are always on the lookout for other ways to help all those pets which they can’t adopt. One wonderful opportunity is to help feed the pets of families who may be struggling a bit financially.

By helping these individuals and families feed their pets, you are…

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10 Ways to Make Your Pet's Life Better!

Pet parents are always looking for fun new ways to make their pet’s life just a bit better. A great place to start is by adopting rather than shopping! Shelters are filled with adorable and sweet pets, just looking for a family to love, who will love them back. Maybe a companion for your pet would b…

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How to Know if Your Cat is in Pain

One of the most frustrating experiences in any pet parent’s life is when they think, or find out, their cat is in pain. Sometimes pain is suspected, due to an injury or recent surgery. Other times it’s a complete surprise, happening when the veterinarian notices a condition that is surely causing pa…

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The Special World of Helping Pets

The population inside animal shelters is not limited to just cats and dogs. Although these pets make up the majority of the residents, many shelters take in other domestic pets, including rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets and even fancy rats. As we support these shelters, we also support all sorts of “c…

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Can I Trust a Wagging Tail?

One of the most misunderstood aspects of dogs is their wagging tail. It’s a common belief that a dog with a wagging tail is a “happy dog”, but that’s not entirely true. A wagging tail can mean “stay away” as easily as it means “come on over!” Not knowing how to correctly interpret this aspect of can…

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Yarn Therapy!?

Comfort for Critters was created to help animal shelter pets, and clearly this remains our overriding mission. As a goal, it doesn’t get much simpler, and hasn’t changed a bit since the first blanket was stitched in 2007. We endeavor to comfort all the pets we can’t adopt (but would like to!).

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Canine Cellmates - A second chance at life!

Canine CellMates is one of those win-win organizations we love to hear about.*  This program was started in 2013, by Susan Jacobs-Meadows, an Army veteran and dog-lover who seems to always see what's possible. It operates at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia and rescues shelter dogs from th…

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T-Shirts Can Make Great Blankets!!!

This idea came from two different volunteers, both giving it a try in completely separate parts of the country at the same time. They created nice and thick, soft and sturdy pet blankets using old t-shirts!

Connie J., a volunteer in Florida, starts with 6-8 old t-shirts (the size of the shirt wil…

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For a New Idea … Try Patchwork Blankets!

Looking for a fun idea to spice up your blankets? Interested in trying something new? Here’s another twist to try, as we ratchet up our creativity for 2017. This idea comes from Jennifer B. of Cicero, IL. She made the blankets pictured and they are true beauties.

This is also a great way to com…

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Simple Trick to Make Super-Thick Blankets!

Pets love blankets, and often the thicker the better! Shelters also love blankets, and the more colorful the better! Here’s an idea to make your pet blankets super-thick and quite colorful too. This is especially a good idea when all you have to work with is thin yarn. However, it also works well ev…

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Photographing Black Pets in their Best Light!

One important way to combat “Black Pet Syndrome”* is to be loud and proud about the black cats and dogs which share our home. Posting pictures of your beautiful black kitty on Facebook, or Tweeting out shots of your black Lab are great ideas, with one problem - black pets are some of the most diffic…

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Ferrets Love Toys - You'll Love Making Them!

Ferrets are wonderful pets and from what I hear, they are addicting. Start with one or two and you’re sure to adopt more! One of the reasons for this is their extreme playfulness. Few things in life are more fun than watching a group of ferrets romp around together, chasing each other and their huma…

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Support Kill or No-Kill Shelters? Not such as easy question!

As recently as 30 years ago, 17 million pets were euthanized each year in animal shelters. This common practice was done simply to control the pet population. About 20 years ago, the “no-kill” movement began in San Francisco, California. This community committed to finding a home for every pet that …

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Making Blankets Makes a Great Group Project

What do prison inmates, middle schoolers, retirement home residents and church groups all have in common?  They’ve all made blankets to help homeless pets. One of the many wonderful things about making Comfort for Critters blankets is that it’s something that can be shared with the people in your li…

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Prison Pet Pals!

The Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson, LA is home to more than just inmates. It houses the Pen Pals Dog and Cat Shelter. This combo was created after Hurricane Katrina inundated the area with homeless pets. A makeshift shelter was setup at the prison to house 300 homeless pets, with the inmate…

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20 blog posts

Support our mission with the purchase of our pattern books: Crochet for Critters & Crochet for Your ComfortEach book has 30 crochet patterns that are perfect for pet blankets. They also tell the story of CFC and why crafting helps the crafter along with the pet! Every purchase keeps us going and keeps us shipping our free blankets!

E-books here!

Paperback "Crochet for Critters" on Amazon!

Paperback "Crochet for Your Comfort" on Amazon!

books to help you make blankets ... and help us ship our free blankets!

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