What To Do With An Old Fur Coat

Thankfully you will not be seeing this now that the weather is getting warm. Why do people wear animal fur anyway? In the old days, people wore it to stay warm but now there are many different types of man-made materials that can keep people just as warm if not warmer. Today people generally wear fur coats to make a fashion statement. What? A fashion statement? Animal fur belongs on animals, not on people!

You may have a fur coat that was left to you by your grandma or mother and if you don't want to wear it, what will you do with it? Mom has an animal piece that her mother wore around her neck back in the day. It's not a jacket, but more like a scarf. It even has a the head and all four feet on it - yuk! Mom has it hidden away because she cannot look at it, but she never knew what to do with it until now.
There are programs out there that will make bears out of fur coats, but I really see this as promoting fur and fur products. The Humane Society of the United States has a really neat program that uses old fur coats that people no longer want. The program is called Coats for Cubs and the fur is used to aid and comfort injured and orphaned wildlife. How cool is that? Mom used to volunteer at a wildlife rescue a few years ago and they never had furs for their animals in need. Mom could have used some fur to comfort all the little squirrels and opossums that she helped rehabilitate back into the wild.

All the furs that The HSUS receives are sent to wildlife rehabilitators and more than 200 rehabilitators across the United States and Canada participate in the program. Furs are cut into sizes appropriate for the animal in need and placed inside the animal's enclosure. According to The HSUS website, the furry blanket becomes a surrogate mother to the orphaned animals, thus reducing stress and providing comfort. All types of animals have benefited from the furs including bobcats, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, and rabbits.

If you have a fur to donate, The HSUS has made it so easy for you. First, place the fur in a sturdy box and then mail it to them. In addition to coats and jackets, they also accept fur trims and fur accessories such as hats, gloves, and muffs. They will even send you a letter of thanks once they have received your fur (if you ask for one) and this letter can be used to claim the donation as a tax deduction.

I love my fur and I hope no one ever tries to take it off of me. I need it to stay warm and so do all my little animal friends. Please don't wear fur and please encourage those around you to stay fur-free. Donating old furs to The HSUS will help out my little animal friends and that will make me very happy.