Comfort for Critters

173,816 blankets donated so far!

(Thank you all!)

1,913 Blankets in July

1,808 Blankets in August

120 Shelters Total

37 States Total

163 Volunteers!

• We helped thousands of pets in July and August by donating a total of 3,721 blankets to shelters!

• 120 different shelters, in 37 states received our blankets, and many received a handful of toys as well!

• These blessings were only possible, due to the 163 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!

Have questions? Check out our new FAQ page!

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

"Thank you so much for your generous gift of these wonderful blankets. We put them right into rotation as soon as we got them, and the puppies and kitties loved them! We so appreciate your organization's efforts; your lovely handmade blankets will comfort so many of our PAWS pets through their journey to adoption.

This is a photo of our sweet Ollie, Onyx, and Osana enjoying a nice catnap on one of the blankets! Thanks again!"

~ PAWS Chicago in Chicago, IL ~

I'm thrilled to welcome these new shelters to our free program. If you know of a greater shelter near you, just email me their name, location and website URL. I'll contact them about joining up and getting blankets. Thanks!

• Always Hope Animal Rescue ~ Howell, MI
• Chatham County Animal Control ~ Pittsboro, NC
• Concord & Greater Cabarrus County) ~ Concord, NC
• Concord & Greater Cabarrus County) ~ Concord, NC
• Off the Rocks Rescue ~ Wellesley, MA
• Our Farm Sanctuary ~ Tipp City, OH
• Princeton's Meow (Humane Society of 
• South Suburban Humane Society ~ Matteson, IL
• Fluff Animal Rescue ~ Seminole, FL

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!

What does a cat like to eat on a hot day?

A mice cream cone!

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!!!

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!

September & October 2023       ~ Critter News ~

Happy Autumn!

As anyone who has ever picked up some yarn knows, fall is a wonderful time to knit and crochet. This year I think we will all appreciate the cooler air even more, and feel more motivated to craft snugly blankets for all the pets we can't adopt (but wish we could!). Please always feel free to stop by my home (in Glen Ellyn, IL) to pick up some free yarn! I also have a limited amount of fleece for volunteers, but it tends to go quickly. Email me, via the website, for the address and to check on the fleece-status!

If you're outside of the area, I encourage you to reach out on your social media to family and friends. You'll likely find people willing (and even eager) to share their stash. I've prepared some graphics that you can use, which can be downloaded as JPGs here, here and here! If you're looking for a new (and easy) pattern to try, we have lots of free ones available here. There are also numerous websites, with searchable databases, for free knitting and crochet patterns based on experience level. One of my favorites is Yarnspirations, but there are many great ones out there! 

So now that you're prepped with ideas to get free yarn and patterns, do let your imagination run wild! The shelters love blankets made all different ways, as long as they're washable and machine dryable. We've donated blankets that are beautifully quilted and crafted from old t-shirts, leftover fleece, jeans and of course yarn. So far this year, we have comforted over 15,000 pets...and there are still 4 months to go. Thank you all for your creativity, support and willingness to help others! 

Hope your Autumn days are blessed!

Linda

"We recently received a box of cat blankets from you. I just wanted to reach out to tell you 'thank you so much' for the beautiful blankets. The cats in our care love them! Here's a picture of one of our kitties with their new blanket. Thanks again!"

~ Animal Protective Association of Missouri in St. Louis, MO ~

I started working on this pattern at a point of super-frustration over the “stay-at-home” orders in Illinois during early 2020.  My flowers weren’t blooming yet, and I desperately needed something colorful to look at, so I crafted it! I think any kitty would look wonderful (and adoptable!) curled up on a Black-Eye Susan or Coneflower. I hope you will give it a try, after choosing your favorite flower to re-create. Enjoy!

Click here to download the pattern

If your day/week/month isn't going as planned, take a minute to check out this video from a few years ago. It's filled with our blankets, the pet's they're comforting and happy families. It's also a reminder of what you are accomplishing, despite any challenges. It always cheers me up and I hope it does that for you as well. Then grab some yarn and carry on! 

I'm always happy to receive thank you notes from the shelters, but please know that these are really for YOU. I hope you enjoy reading how grateful the shelters are and can see the difference you are making. Thank you all!

• "Dear sweet volunteers. I can't tell you how much we appreciate the kitty and puppy blankets....you are amazing!! Thank you, thank you. Hugs!" ~ Arkansas Angels 4 Animals - Jonesboro, AR

• "Thank you so much for your generous gift for the animals. Your support for our work on behalf of animals means so very much to us. We are grateful for your generosity. We appreciate your support so much!" ~ Mississippi Animal Rescue League ~ Jackson, MS

• "We received a box of lovely blankets here at the Humane Society of Southwest Michigan. We really do appreciate the gift. Our dogs and cats will love them. Nothing like your own blankie! Thank you so much!" ~ Humane Society of Southwest Michigan ~ St. Joseph, MI

• "We received the blankets today and they are beautiful! So well made and lovely colors. Thank you again! We so appreciate it." ~ Cat Posse ~ Altadena, CA

• "We would like to thank you for your generous donation of handmade quilted blankets for our shelter pets and for thinking of us here at the Pet Center. Your commitment to helping the pets in our shelter in this way is sincerely appreciated." ~ St. Johns County Animal Control Shelter ~ St. Augustine, FL

​The Suburban Animal Hospital in Roseville, MN is no stranger to helping all sorts of pets. This year they went a step further and held their first volunteer event, a blanket-making party to support CFC! The clinic's owner, Dr. Michael Sime, generously donated all the fleece and supplies, and then the employees went to work.

In one afternoon they crafted fourteen tied-fleece blankets, and donated them locally to Secondhand Hounds. This shelter has been in our program since 2019 and helps hundreds of dogs each year in the Minnetonka area of Minnesota.

The organizer of this event, Abigail Meyer, shared with me that the team really had a lot of fun as they crafted the blankets. This group of dedicated animal-lovers now plan to do similar events in the coming years, to support pets and their local community. Thank you Abigail for keeping us posted, and for providing a great example to others. Thank you also to the whole team for what you, and your hospital, are doing to help pets! 

Onions are a favorite food for many of us, and onion products (onion salt, minced onion) are found in many of the foods we eat. For this reason it’s important to know that onions can be a danger to your cat or dog. Many of us have heard about chocolate being poisonous for dogs, and poinsettias a problem for cats, but onions?

Onions contain chemicals that are toxic to both cats and dogs.  All types of onions are dangerous, including cooked, raw, dried, minced and even onion powder.  When pets ingest onions, they cause damage to their red blood cells, resulting in “Hemolytic  Anemia”. In actuality, the onion toxin causes red blood cells to burst, leading to lethargy, diarrhea and vomiting. Since the reaction occurs in the bloodstream, it can take two to four days for the symptoms to appear. Obviously this makes it much trickier to diagnose.  

If you think your pet has ingested an onion product, and they show any of these signs, it’s important that you contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. For this, and other reasons, it’s a great idea to have easy access to your veterinarian’s phone number, but to also keep the address and phone number of an emergency veterinary center handy.

The easiest way to avoid this issue altogether is to resist the temptation to feed your cat or dog table scraps. Minced onion and onion powder are ingredients in a wide variety of foods, some of which you may find surprising. There are many reasons veterinarians discourage pets from eating “people food”, so consider “hidden onions” to be just one more reason. Your pet will thank you with a long and happy life!

With life's hectic pace, I'm always amazed when I see volunteers giving of their time to help others, whether it's at a food pantry or crafting for animal shelter pets. These comments, left on our website, highlight the heart of CFC volunteers. Their reasons for helping will likely sound familiar. Thank you all for everything to do to keep CFC going, crafting and comforting!

• "I have a need to volunteer in an effort to pay forward the kindness that has blessed my life. My passion is to share my discretionary time with homeless animals. I hope they can feel the love in my heart." ~ Debby K. in Ambler, PA​

• "This is my first time donating to a rescue. Cats have my heart and I just lost my black cat who would have turned 18. I will continue donating what I can and when I can. I was very excited to find the CFC group on Facebook!" ~ Kim W. in Toledo, OH

• "If not for us, then who? It's a small little piece of my home to help homeless pets feel loved." ~ Cindy B. in DeKalb, IL

• "I love making blankets and enjoy picturing the cats all curled up and warm on their cat mats!" ~ Dottie. C. in Cortland, NY

• "I love making blankets because it's a task I can work on at any time/anywhere. I want to keep the critters warm and comfy, as they deserve! I would encourage other volunteers to let friends, family and your workplace know about your project. They may not know how to make the blankets, but they do get very enthused about donating lots of yarn!" ~ Peg K. in Manassas, VA

• "I am definitely not the best when it comes to crocheting, but I find it really relaxing. When I found this opportunity through my school, I knew this would be a fun way to spend time crocheting while also giving back to animals that need love! They may not be perfect blankets, but they are surely made with lots of love!!" ~ Kara L. in Havienda Heights, CA​

• "I feel happy that, just like the name of our group says, I'm able to give a little extra comfort to animals, waiting in the shelter, for their forever home!" ~ Barbara B. in Madisonville, TN

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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.