Comfort for Critters

(Ferris)

"We just received a box of blankets and wanted to take a moment to say thanks! Here is a glimpse of some of our kitties enjoying them. Thank you for making our kitties' lives more comfortable!"

~ Humane Animal Partners in Newark, DE ~

(Godiva)

(Lady Valentine)

(Pickle)

177,066 blankets donated so far!

(Thank you all!)

1,503 Blankets in September

1,747 Blankets in October

118 Shelters Total

40 States Total

137 Volunteers

• We helped thousands of pets in September and October by donating a total of 3,250 blankets to shelters!

• 118 different shelters, in 40 states received our blankets, and many received a handful of toys as well!

• These blessings were only possible, due to the 137 volunteers and supporters who helped. Thank you!

Support our mission with the purchase of our pattern books: Crochet for Critters & Crochet for Your Comfort. Each 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!

99.999% of calico cats are female. Only 1 in a million calico cats are male! Only 1 in 10 million calico males are fertile. The rest are sterile and cannot reproduce!

• Updates on our mission
• Pet information
• Craft ideas & patterns
• Animal shelter updates
• Easy ways to help pets
• Lots of "thank you's" for volunteers

If you'd like to keep up to date on our mission, follow us on Facebook! We also have a Facebook Group, "The Comfort for Critters Team", where we share what we're working on, pet and craft humor, and tip & tricks for making beautiful blankets. It's a private group that stays 100% positive, 100% of the time! Please consider joining us!

Have questions? Check out our new FAQ page!

Please join me in welcoming these new shelters to the group of 400+ that we currently support. If you have a great shelter in your neighborhood, email me at Linda@comfortforcritters.org and let me know. I'll reach out to them and try to sign them up to our free program!

Orange County Animal Services

~ Orlando, FL ~

Pawsitive Cause Animal Rescue

~ Holly, MI ~

Sauk County Humane Society

~ Baraboo, WI ~

Tuscola County Animal Control

~ Caro, MI ~

We are now donating 1,500-2,000 blankets  regularly every month, which is awesome! It's also A LOT of blankets to filter in and out of my house every month. 

With this in mind, we're asking all out-of-state volunteers to please donate your blankets directly to a shelter right in your own state!

I can help you find a shelter near you, and will do all the work getting them signed up. If you choose a shelter from our website list, I can promise you that in-state shipping will be less costly than sending them to me. I do ask though that you let me know....so that I can update my records!

Benefits of donating your blankets locally:

• Cheaper than shipping them to Illinois (if you're out of state)!
• You can email them for a tax receipt and possibly write off the donation (please check with your tax professional).​​
• You'll also get to hear just how much the shelter staff appreciates the blankets. Thank you!!!

This is a great pattern if you have a skein that’s not quite full. By breaking it up with another color, you can make a full blanket. The stitch is easy, fun and quick to do. I like that it makes a “fluffy” blanket, but one without large holes. Be creative and blend in other colors, a wider border, or whatever else you come up with. Pet blankets are the perfect “canvas” for experimentation!

Click here to download the pattern!

It’s long overdue, but I wanted to pause for a minute to acknowledge all the volunteers who have joined the Comfort for Critters team after the loss of a pet. Though their hearts were broken, the instinct of these volunteers was to help make a difference, even as they continued to grieve. “Impressive” doesn’t begin to cover it.

Recovering from the loss of a pet is something personal, something private. Many sweet, caring, well-intentioned people just don’t get it. When you know someone who does understand the road you are traveling, few words are necessary. A simple, “I’ve been there and I’m here for you now” suffices.

I truly believe that pets mold us into better humans. They make us more compassionate, more caring, more giving. We know, as we become a pet-parent, that we will likely outlive them, but we jump in anyway. This is especially true for rescued pets, yet we are determined to enjoy the years granted to us.

So for those of us who still dearly miss a four-foot companion, please treat yourself well today. You deserve it. Despite the weeks, months or years that have passed, you’re still healing. May the blankets you craft, for the pets you will never hold, bring comfort to you as well.

Once you make blankets:

• Local volunteers are welcome to drop off their blankets to a shelter near them or to CFC's headquarters in Glen Ellyn, IL. Please leave your name and email on whatever you drop off, so that I can send a thank you note.
• If you're outside of our area, please check our "Animal Shelters We Support" page to find a shelter in your state. Then ship your blankets directly to the shelter or drop them off. PLEASE let me know how many you donate, via email or by using our website form. If you'd like help, signing up a local shelter, please email me! 

Please be patient:

• Keep in mind that CFC is a small organization, with just one staff member! I do reply to every email, but it may take me a few days. Thanks!

  November/December 2023        ~ Critter News ~

A Season of Thankfulness...

The months of November and December always bring out the thankfulness in me. While I try to appreciate every day the blessings that come my way, it's during the holiday season that I feel most grateful. Much of that comes from working with the amazing CFC volunteers who continue to help during these super-busy months. So many people help our cause, in ways other than making blankets. It may be delivering bags of blankets to nearby shelters, creating the beautiful thank you cards I'm able to send to volunteers, or updating me on a new contact name for one of our shelters. Thank you all for whatever way you contribute to our mission!

As we are now in our 17th year of comforting homeless pets, I'm finding new ways to make us more efficient so that CFC can continue, even as my "real" job gets more and more hectic. I will continue to ask out of state volunteers to please send their blankets directly to a shelter in their state, rather than to me. Shipping locally will be cheaper for them, and it will drastically cut my postage bill each month. I'm also asking everyone to always put their name and email on whatever is dropped off at my home. I often will have feedback on the blankets, but no way to know who they are from. I also want to be sure to thank you!

As we all enjoy our celebrations this December, my wish for you is peace, love and joy. Peace, that in this complicated world you are comforted by something greater than yourself, love, that you are surrounded by the critters or the humans who make your heart come alive, and joy, that you can spend your days doing and creating as you were called to do and create. Many blessings to you and yours for 2024 as well!   

Happy Holidays!

Linda

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 human companions.

Ferrets are not picky about what they use as toys either. They tend to have “sticky fingers”, meaning they like to steal, and then hide away, possessions of their human companions. Leave a set of car keys within reach, or take off your socks near them, and you’ll likely be searching the house for these items later. Creating toys for ferrets is quite fun, since they are so playful. As you’ll see, common household objects will do just fine! Here are seven ideas for creative toys to make for your pet ferret!

Dig-box - Find a sturdy box and fill it with dried leaves, rice, oatmeal or something similar. Hide a treat in the mix and watch your ferret dig around to find it. Ferrets love digging!

Stinky shoes – For some reason ferrets love shoes, and the stinkier the better. They will try to hide in them, stash their treats inside and even pull them around. So an old, broken down pair of shoes (even with holes) would be the perfect gift for them!

Hamper dump – We’re not suggesting you let them play in your actual clothing, but if you have old shirts, towels or sheets, they’d love to play in them. Just lay them gently on top of your ferret and watch them tunnel through. Or “accidentally” leave an item where they can get it, and let them steal it and stash it away!

Smallish balls – Golf balls, whiffle balls and ping pong balls are perfect playthings for ferrets (but nothing smaller in size). Put a few in a box to be batted around, tuck some in socks for a softer toy or just let them roll around loose wherever your ferret plays.

Socks! – Socks seem to be a favorite with almost all ferrets! Find some old socks and roll them up as you would if you’re matching them for your drawer. For added fun, tuck a treat in the middle or smallish toy (but not too small). They will love this homemade toy!

Amazing mazes – Create a maze for your playful ferrets using old boxes linked together, wide PVC tubing, dryer vents, or similar items. Be creative!

Tupperware fun – As a special surprise, hide a treat in an old piece of Tupperware. They will love the sound of it clinking around and they’ll know there’s a treat inside too. Once they’ve had their fun, let them have their feast!

A few cautions too – A good guideline, when making or purchasing toys for ferrets is to not give them anything you wouldn’t give a child younger than three years old. You should also avoid any metal in the toy as many metals (brass, lead, zinc, etc.) are deadly to ferrets. Finally, don’t give them cat toys (especially if they contain catnip) or toys meant for small dogs. With those things in mind, be creative and explore your home to come up with other ideas for toys. Your “exploring” ferret will certainly understand, and thank you!

"We just wanted to let you know we received the beautiful handmade blankets! As you can see in the attached photo, the beautiful Moette loves hanging out on her blanket. Thanks so much for all your organization does for shelter animals and thank you for thinking of us and providing these blankets."

~ Baltimore Humane Society in Reisterstown, MD ~

These comments should sound familiar! They are from fellow volunteers, explaining why they find the time to help homeless pets!

• "I love animals! I've rescued more than 20 dogs in the past 15 or so years, many older or with illnesses. I know how much they like blankets! I just like helping the rescues." ~ Marcy M. in Canon City, CO

• "You ask what motivates me? Pure love, plain and simple. To know that just one blanket will help an animal fills my heart up!" ~ Maria T. in Hayward, CA

• "I have adopted two dogs from kill shelters and they have both passed away. I also deal with chronic illness and I would like to be able to help out more...so I crochet when I can!" ~ Vanessa M. in Hillsborough, NC

• "All the dogs I have owned have come from a shelter. They all seemed very stressed at first until they warmed up to our family. I can't imagine how stressful it can be for anyone to be moved from shelters to foster homes to hopefully a home. I'm hoping the blankets help them cope a bit!" ~ Patricia R. in South Elgin, IL

• "I'm motivated to make blankets in memory of my best friend, Tiny, and also for my love for all of God's creatures. It's the least I can do!" ~ Christine P. in Bolton, CT

• "I make blankets because I'm addicted to crochet, love animals and it's one small way I can help. I'm physically disabled and prefer not to have a pet because of this. I adore pets! I wish they'd all be adopted!" ~ Ralph S. in IL

Nothing makes me happier than seeing kids get involved in helping pets. The lessons taught about caring, helping others and being creative are just limitless. With this in mind, I was thrilled to be contacted by Melanie Piper, the Camp Director at Parker Anderson's Summer Camp in Woodland Hills, CA. Her goal was, "to get the campers engaged in a meaningful charity effort" so she got them involved in comforting homeless pets! They worked together all summer, creating beautiful and colorful tied-fleece blankets for Comfort for Critters.

Since the kids ranged in age from 5 to 10 years old, she made this project a team effort (which just added to the benefits). "Campers and instructors teamed up during snack breaks, lunch hours, and class intervals to create cozy blankets," recalled Piper. 

She got parents involved as well. "Families were kept informed about the project. They were also encouraged to contribute donated pet supplies which their campers would bring with them to camp," says Piper. In total, they created ten soft and colorful blankets, perfect for their nearby shelter. Their creations, along with a wide range of pet supplies, were donated to Lifeline for Pets, in Pasadena, CA. I'm sure each camper felt a real sense of accomplishment, and each blanket will be treasured for a lifetime. Another win-win!

I hope you enjoy these thank you notes, to YOU! They are recent ones, received from very grateful shelters. Thank YOU for all you do to support our mission and make these possible.

• "Thank you for the wonderful donation of kitten blankets. Our foster babies will be cuddling up on these very soon. Sending you purrs and head bumps!" ~ Urban Cat Coalition in West Allis, WI

• "Thank you so much for your generous contribution to our animal shelter! Especially during these unprecedented times, your support means so much to us. Thank you again, we are truly so grateful!" ~ Baltimore Humane Society in Reisterstown, MD

• "Thank you so much for the lovely box of blankets, a 'labor of love'. We will use them with pride and honor. Our cats will especially enjoy! Thank you for all your hard work!" ~ Two by Two Rescue in Helena, AL

• "We received a second box of crocheted blankets yesterday. They are even more beautiful than the first shipment! Thank you so much! We are very grateful for your support!" ~ Cat Posse in Altaden,CA​

• "The Magicats fostercare ladies were so pleased to receive two shipments of beautiful handmade blankets! We LOVE to present new pet parents with their kitties' beautiful celebratory blanket for their forever home - and we try very hard to be sure they really are safe, inside-only forever homes. Choosing that purr-fect rescue cat is a big deal and the blanket makes it even more special! Our special needs kitties LOVE their special blankies. And we know they come filled with love from the craftspeople who create them. We are very grateful for your work, for choosing us, and for the love and good vibes that emanate from the blankets! The kitties thank you and so do we! Sending love and blessings!" ~ Magicats in Buhl, ID​

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Comfort for Critters

3s139 Sequoia Drive ~ Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Linda Kastiel Kozlowski ~ Founder & Owner ~ Info@ComfortForCritters.org

~ Our Mission ~

To comfort all the animal shelter pets we can't adopt,

and to be a blessing in the lives of every volunteer, supporter & shelter worker.