Cuddle Coats

As of 2026, only two U.S. states have enacted statewide bans on the sale of new fur products: California and Oregon.

California
Ban scope: Prohibits the sale, manufacture, and import of new fur products made from any animal species.

Effective date: Statewide ban became law in 2019, following earlier city bans such as those in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, and West Hollywood.

Enforcement: Applies to retail, online, and import sales; requires labeling under the Fur Products Labeling Act.

Oregon
Ban scope: Outright ban on the sale of new fur products.

Effective date: Implemented in 2024, following similar city-level bans in Portland and other urban areas.

For decades, luxury fashion has relied on animal fur as a symbol of status and wealth. Behind many of those coats and accessories are animals raised in confinement or trapped in the wild, all for their skin.

Now, one of the biggest names in fashion is taking a different step.

Louis Vuitton has unveiled a plant-based fur alternative made from natural fibers instead of animal fur. While the company has not announced a complete fur ban, this move shows that high-end fashion can create the same luxurious look without taking animal lives.

This matters because major fashion brands influence trends around the world. When a global luxury label starts exploring animal-free materials, it helps prove that compassion and innovation can go hand in hand.

Millions of animals are still killed every year for the fur industry. Change will not happen overnight, but every shift away from animal fur sends a message that the future of fashion does not have to be built on suffering.

The question is no longer whether alternatives exist. They do.

The question is how quickly the industry is willing to embrace them.

Just a reminder that their skin, their fur, their feathers, their flesh ... it belongs to them.

We have 127 coats prepped and ready to be shipped out to wildlife rehabs across the US! If you have rescued or rehabilitated wildlife that would benefit from Cuddle Coats, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/b2fF5a7xXmgX8Sp28

For questions, email [email protected].

How did the ARC Cuddle Coats program begin?

With a single fur-lined glove lying alone in a parking lot.

Whether it had been dropped or discarded, Dallas Rising — then Program Director at the Animal Rights Coalition — couldn’t bear the thought of simply throwing it away. Instead, she imagined something gentler: perhaps this small piece of fur could become warmth and comfort for a tiny, orphaned animal in need. That compassionate thought became the beginning of Cuddle Coats in 2013.

Dallas reflected on the usual suggestions for unwanted fur items - donating them to theaters or passing them along to others, but neither option felt right. She wondered if there was a way to give something back to the animals whose lives had been taken so cruelly. Could these coats instead help comfort vulnerable wildlife as they healed?

She brought the idea to the ARC board: thrift stores could become collection sites for old fur items, which volunteers would then prepare and send to wildlife rehabilitation centers for injured, orphaned, and recovering wild animals.

With the help of dedicated volunteers, the idea quickly grew into a meaningful and far-reaching program. Volunteers connected with wildlife rehabilitators across the country, partnered with secondhand stores, and encouraged shops to choose compassion by refusing to resell fur and instead donating it to the program. Many stores proudly signed ARC’s fur-free pledge and became drop-off locations for donated items.

Today, Cuddle Coats has become a nationally recognized program, providing comfort and warmth to countless wild animals in rehabilitation centers across the country. More than 3,000 coats have been donated and transformed into soft bedding and nesting materials for animals recovering from injury, illness, or loss.

Most fur donations now come directly from individuals and second-hand stores who mail them to ARC, where volunteers carefully prepare each item before Outreach Coordinator Kelsey Hambor sends them to wildlife rehabilitation partners nationwide.

If you would like to support the Cuddle Coats program, donate here:
https://www.givemn.org/story/Cuddle-Coats55d4ed60542ea

If you're a second-hand store owner and want to partner with Cuddle Coats, we have a small window cling you can proudly display! Contact us! [email protected]

It's a messy job, but the Cuddle Coats volunteers know it's all worth it. Your donations make it possible for us to send these furs to wildlife rehabilitation centers across the country (once we make them safe for the animals).

https://www.givemn.org/story/Cuddle-Coats55d4ed60542ea

Who are the targets of hunters in Minnesota this time of year? Coyotes, plains pocket gophers, porcupine, striped skunks, and woodchucks.

Tell your friends and family members that hunting is unnecessary and unethical because it is no longer a requirement for survival, is ineffective for population control, disrupts the natural social structures, causes genetic degradation, and harms wild animals.

Happy International Family Day.

Please choose plant-based options for the sake of all the families out there.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Choose compassion. Choose animal-free options.

The future of fur-free fashion is here—and it’s plant-based.

Innovative materials like Biofluff, Savian (made from h**p and nettle), and plastic-free plant cellulose are redefining what “luxury” can look and feel like, without harming animals.

These next-generation textiles offer the softness and style people expect, while moving away from both animal fur and petroleum-based faux fur. The result? Beautiful, high-quality materials with a significantly lower environmental footprint.

Compassion and innovation are a powerful combination. This is just the beginning!