Members of the Bingham u3a club in the UK knitted about half a dozen personal blankets for the cats and dogs at the RSPCA shelter in Radcliffe. The initiative arose after the group's visit to the centre in October 24, 2026 and is aimed at enabling the animals to take a familiar scent with them to their new home.
The idea belongs to the club's vice-chair, Ann Lewis. During a tour of the shelter, RSPCA staff said they constantly need blankets: each animal receives its own on arrival and takes it with them when adopted. This helps the pets adapt more quickly to their new family thanks to the familiar scent.
Most of the group's members also belong to the "Knit and Natter" knitting and handicrafts club. They quickly got to work and made six blankets. Ann Lewis, who has been knitting for most of her life, noted that the project was a natural extension of their hobby and of the visit to the shelter.
The blankets are handed over to the RSPCA Animal Centre in Radcliffe. There they are given to incoming animals, and when the animal moves to a new family the blanket goes with the pet. This approach reduces the stress of a change of surroundings and helps cats and dogs feel more confident in the first days.
The initiative shows how small volunteer projects can support shelters and ease animals' transition to new homes. Similar practices are already used in other British centres, where handmade blankets are becoming part of standard care for shelter pets.
