Where To Donate Fur Coats To Help Animals

Wildlife rehabilitators are the people who take old fur coats today. They raise orphaned and injured wild animals for release, and a fur gives those animals something soft to lie on. Two national programs send coats to them: Cuddle Coats, run by the Animal Rights Coalition in Minneapolis, and Born Free USA's Fur for the Animals, whose page lists partner rehabilitation centers by state and marks its own drive as on hold. The Coats for Cubs fur drive has ended.

This page covers where each program stands, how to send a coat, and what the IRS says a donated coat is worth.

Where To Donate Fur Coats

Cuddle Coats

Cuddle Coats is the one program here whose donate page gives drop-off and mailing instructions. The page says it takes real fur only, from individuals and from retailers. Furs go to partner wildlife rehabilitators. The program's page on how it works says rehabilitators of raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks keep human contact to a minimum, and that fur gives those animals a soothing place to rest. It names The Wildcat Sanctuary, which uses furs in its infirmary for sick cats, and says Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release may use them to line the nests of baby animals.

You can drop furs off at the program's Minneapolis office and storefront, at 317 West 48th Street, or at one of its affiliate locations, or mail them in. The page asks you to call (612) 822-6161 before a drop-off to make sure the shop is open. It also says the program cannot ship boxes of furs out of the country. It asks donors to consider a gift toward the cost of shipping furs to its partners, with checks made out to Animal Rights Coalition and "Cuddle Coats" on the memo line.

The page lists what it cannot use: furs treated with mothballs, Persian Lamb, monkey fur, and pieces smaller than one foot by one foot, which rules out small furs with heads and tails, fur trim, and gloves. It also asks you not to add bubble wrap, bags, tissue paper, or coat bags, and to include a slip of paper with your mailing address so it can send a receipt. If you know which animal the fur came from, it asks you to say so.

Born Free USA Fur for the Animals

Born Free USA launched Fur for the Animals in 2014 as a drive to collect coats, hats, and other fur accessories for wildlife rehabilitation centers and sanctuaries. Its page carries a note that the drive is on hold, and it does not give a date for reopening. The same page still lists partner rehabilitation centers by state, from Wildlife Care of Ventura County in California to Blue Ridge Wildlife Center in Virginia, and recommends choosing a rehabilitator in your own state and contacting it before you send anything. Born Free USA's website has the full list and the contact details for each center.

Coats for Cubs

Coats for Cubs collected fur through Buffalo Exchange stores. Its site says Buffalo Exchange joined in 2006, took over running the drive in 2012, and gathered more than 17,202 furs over 14 years. The site also says the program is no longer running and tells donors to ship furs directly to a wildlife rehabilitator. Donors can look at the Coats For Cubs partner organizations on its site, a short list that names two U.S. facilities that use furs, one in Texas and one in Virginia, and asks you to contact a rehabilitator first to make sure it still needs furs.

Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States

Many people search for "donating fur coats to humane society" and mean the Humane Society of the United States. Its About page says that as of 2025 the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International are united under one name, Humane World for Animals. Its pages on fur trapping and fur farming describe its work against the fur trade and do not describe a coat drive. A local shelter or humane society may or may not want a coat, so call before you bring one.

How To Send A Coat To A Wildlife Rehabilitator

Step 1: Pick a program or a rehabilitator

Start with the program lists above. Born Free USA recommends a rehabilitator in your own state. If you find an injured or orphaned wild animal yourself, our guide on what to do if you find a baby squirrel on the ground explains when to take it to a wildlife rehabilitator.

Step 2: Contact them first

Both Born Free USA and Coats for Cubs tell donors to contact a rehabilitator before sending furs, so the coat goes to a place that needs it. Ask whether the center is taking furs now and where to send the box.

Step 3: Pack the coat the way the program asks

Follow the receiving program's own packing rules. Cuddle Coats, for example, asks for no bubble wrap, bags, or tissue paper, and for a slip with your address inside so it can send a receipt.

Step 4: Ship it with tracking

Choose a shipping method that gives you a tracking number, so you can see when the box arrives, and keep the receipt or acknowledgment letter you get back.

What The IRS Says A Donated Coat Is Worth

In the United States, the value of a donated coat for taxes is what a used coat sells for, not what you paid. IRS Publication 526 says the fair market value of used clothing is "usually far less than the price you paid for them," and that you should claim the price buyers of used items actually pay in used clothing stores, such as consignment or thrift shops. It also says you can deduct contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization, and that you can ask any organization whether it is one.

The same publication says clothing must be in good used condition or better to be deductible. The exception is a single item you deduct more than $500 for, which needs a qualified appraisal from a qualified appraiser and Form 8283. Cuddle Coats' donate page says the IRS requires a qualified appraisal if you claim $5,000 or more, and that the appraisal must be done before you donate. It also suggests asking a tax attorney. This page is not tax advice.

Where Fur Comes From

Most animals killed for fur are raised on fur farms, according to PETA, and the farmed animals it names most often are mink, followed by foxes. Humane World for Animals describes row upon row of small, cramped cages holding mink, foxes, and raccoon dogs, and says mink are semi-aquatic animals that cannot swim there.

The other source is trapping and snaring wild animals. PETA's fur trapping page says millions of raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, beavers, and other fur-bearing animals are killed by trappers every year. Humane World for Animals says a trapped animal cannot reach food, water, or shelter. Many animals suffer in traps for days or even weeks before the trapper returns, it says.

Fur is not the only trade that costs animals. Civets are among the abused animals in the kopi luwak coffee trade, and our post on civet coffee covers the practice of caging them for coffee.

Alternatives To Wearing Fur

Faux fur and vegan leather are made without animal skin or fur. The Minimalist Vegan describes vegan leather as a leather-like fabric made from a variety of plastic and plant materials, and says that "vegan or not, leather can be an incredibly harmful fabric at multiple levels of the supply chain." Its page explains how each type is made, so you can compare before you buy.

If you want to see brands that sell vegan clothing, our list of vegan designer brands names labels such as Stella McCartney, Reformation, and Matt & Nat. To see what other animals' fur is like, our list of animals with the softest fur describes the coats of 14 animals, from chinchillas to sea otters.

Fur Donation FAQs

Can I still donate a fur coat?

Yes, to a program or rehabilitator that is taking furs. Cuddle Coats' donate page gives a Minneapolis address and a mailing option and lists store hours of Wednesday through Saturday. Coats for Cubs has ended, and Born Free USA's drive is marked on hold, so contact a rehabilitator before you send a coat.

What happens to the coats after I donate?

Cuddle Coats says donated furs go from its drop-off point to partner wildlife rehabilitators. There they are used in the care of injured and orphaned wildlife, as bedding and in nests, and in the infirmary of The Wildcat Sanctuary for sick cats.

How do I know a rehabilitator will use my coat?

Ask before you ship, as Step 2 above describes. If a center has no need, try another center on the lists the programs publish.

Sources

• Cuddle Coats (Animal Rights Coalition), home, donate, how it works, and partners pages, read October 2, 2026: cuddlecoats.com/donate.html
• Born Free USA, Fur for the Animals, read October 2, 2026
• Coats for Cubs, home page and wildlife rehabilitator info, read October 2, 2026
• Humane World for Animals, About, Fur trapping, and Inside Fur Farms, read October 2, 2026
• PETA, Inside the Fur Industry: Factory Farms and Fur Trapping, read October 2, 2026
• Internal Revenue Service, Publication 526, Charitable Contributions (2025), read October 2, 2026
• The Minimalist Vegan, What Is a Vegan Leather, And How Is It Made?, read October 2, 2026

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