This page contains a list of items we volunteers would find most useful to help continue our support of the animals. There isn't much to it as we use the shelter's stock for many of our needs, so donations to the shelter will reach the volunteers as well! If you have any questions about the items we accept, please email
fobcas@yahoo.com.
If you wish to donate to Friends of BCAS directly, you can ask the shelter's front desk where to put the items to separate them from the shelter's donations.
Cat and Dog Toys
We've got our own supply of cat toys for the volunteers to use, and more certainly couldn't hurt! Anything easily washable would be ideal, so things made of plastic that can be dunked in cleaner (bottle caps and rings are cheap and easy to collect, and many cats love them just as much as a fuzzy mouse toy), or fabric toys that can be thrown in a washer without becoming ruined would be best. Many cats enjoy playing with things that can slide or bounce across a floor, or things that make little noises like plastic crinkling, or bells jingling.
As for dog toys, we use the shelter's supply so anything you donate to the shelter may be used by volunteers!
Cat and Dog Treats
We accept donations of cat and dog treats for the volunteers to use. We don't seem to go through the cat treats very quickly, so any overflow we get will likely go to the shelter's supply. I imagine the dog treats will go faster! (Who doesn't like giving a biscuit to a good boy who just did a trick? If only cats were that trainable...) We accept treats of all sizes and types! Soft treats are particularly valued for giving to the older dogs (or the picky ones).
Leashes and Collars
One of the most convenient tools for handling dogs is a British Slip Lead! They double as a collar and leash, and fit easily on dogs of all sizes. This way, handlers don't have to worry about picking out correctly sized collars for a hyper dog. Anybody who's ever tried to fit a collar on a dog that only wants to jump and wiggle and run will tell you it's not easy!
We accept donations of collars, leashes and harnesses of all sizes (no choke collars, please). We can use cat items too!
These are the tents we're using in the shelter. They're a great addition to the socializing process because they allow the cats a quieter, more open space for themselves for a little while, away from the small metal cages they're kept in most of the time, surrounded by other stressed cats. Some cats have a blast and play with toys the whole time, and some cats just want to relax and observe the world, or be petted and cuddled, but all of them enjoy their tent time. These tents can also be used to allow the kitties to enjoy a breath of fresh air outside, when the weather is nice.
Cages like this allow the cats extra room to play and explore. Their portability means we could set them up virtually anywhere, which would be a great help with displaying the kitties to potential adopters during adoption events, or even during the course of a normal day. These cages can also be used to allow the kitties to enjoy a breath of fresh air outside, when the weather is nice.
