Do you like making things? Are you an animal lover? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then put a pawprint on your calendar for July 21^st. It’s National Craft for Your Local Shelters Day! This is a great way to do something to help the sweet dogs and cats that are languishing in shelters, desperately hoping someone will adopt them. It can also be a great rainy-day project for kids! Read on as a vet lists some things that you can make for your shelter.

Rope Toy

Many dogs love playing Tug O War! It only takes a few minutes to turn old tee shirts or towels into rope toys for shelter pups. Cut the cloth into thin strips, and braid them together. Use different colors to make them look nice. Then, braid the braids together, and tie the whole thing off with a big knot. You can also incorporate a tennis ball for extra tail wags.

Catnip Mice

Get a big bag of loose catnip, and some material. If you want to go all-out, you can make these into mice. But here’s a secret: kitties really don’t care if their toys are actually shaped like mice. You can also just make squares, and stuff those. They’re purrfect either way!

Kitty Tent

You can make a kitty tent out of an old tee shirt and a wire hanger in just a few minutes. You’ll make the neck into the ‘door’ and use the hanger as support. This one is great for timid cats, who feel safer in enclosed spaces.

Cat Tower

Get an old step ladder, and attach some smooth boards onto the steps to widen them out into kitty platforms. Make sure there are no sharp edges or splinters sticking out. Then, cover the whole thing in carpet or sisal rope. Done!

Crafts For Smaller Pets

There are also plenty of bunnies, birds, and pocket pets in shelters. Little pets need love too! You can make toys for these smaller animals, using things like paper cardboard tubes, popsicle sticks, shoeboxes, and even plain paper. For example, you can turn an old toilet-paper tube into a little ball by cutting it into rings and reassembling it. Look online for more ideas and instructions. Please contact us, your vet clinic, for all of your pet’s veterinary care needs. We’re here to help!