Help animals in our shelter by donating secondhand items

Here at RSPCA South Australia, we’re always looking for ways to keep the animals in our care happy, healthy and mentally stimulated while they wait to find their forever homes.

We love receiving donations of items that can be quickly transformed into bedding or enrichment toys.

Even an empty cardboard box can be filled with delicious treats such as peanut butter and cream cheese for our dogs to fossick while in their kennels. These toys help bring joy to our animals while rewarding them with a game and treats for being such good boys and girls.

Donations can be dropped off at our Lonsdale, Port Lincoln or Whyalla shelters.

We gratefully accept:

Towels and blankets. These are used to help keep our animals warm and comfortable.

Shredded paper and newspapers. Shredded paper makes great bedding for our pocket pets.

Empty cardboard boxes, cereal boxes and egg cartons. We fill them with treats for our dogs and cats to play with. But please, no plastic or staples.

Empty toilet rolls. Truly! These can very easily be made into enrichment toys for our rabbits, guinea pigs and mice.

Dog and cat collars and harnesses. We go through so many collars, and harnesses for our rescue dogs and cats! We particularly appreciate dog clip collars (rather than buckle).

Wet and dry pet food. Donated pet food, especially cat and kitten food, is crucial to the community outreach work our inspectors and rescue officers undertake each day. We cannot accept open pet food.

Small and medium plastic cat carriers. These are helpful when collecting stray or injured animals.

Cat scratch poles. We pop these in our cat cages so our rescue kitties can have fun and keep their nails in ship-shape. Mini scratch poles are particularly appreciated by our vet team for placing in sick cats’ pens.

Dog coats and beds. These are hugely important to keeping thin and/or sickly dog’s warm and healthy in our shelter, especially during winter. Large and extra-large beds are particularly appreciated. We do often have a stockpile of coats, so please call us on 1300 477 722 before donating.

Litter trays. Used by our cats and pocket pets, we gratefully accept uncovered litter trays.

Flea and worm treatments. We go through loads of these items for all animal types.

Toys, toys and more toys! We’re always after toys that can stand up to a bit of rough play, fluffy toys (they often seem to be a winner with our dogs) and rope toys (great for games during exercise time).

Things we can’t accept:

Anything with stuffing (pillows, doonas, mattresses, etc). Unfortunately, these pose a choking and health hazard for our animals.

Items with buttons. These can’t be used for animal bedding because the buttons pose a choking and health hazard.

Tennis balls. They fall down our drains and clog the whole place up.

Wicker dog beds. These are too easily chewed, which can be dangerous for dogs.

Partially used medications and/or shampoos. Because many of our animals arrive sick and/or injured, we need to ensure they get the best treatments possible.

We cannot accept open wet and dry pet food.

Dirty litter trays. Yes, it happens! Secondhand litter trays are accepted, but please ensure they are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected first.

Our foster care team always needs:

Two-litre ice cream tubs with lids. We use these to hand out food to our volunteer foster carers, avoiding the need for unsustainable plastic bags.

Baby wipes (any brand is fine). These are used to help orphaned kittens go to the toilet. Sometimes carers can go through a pack a day!

Fleece baby blankets. These dry far quicker than towels, so are handy as kitten bedding.

Snugglesafe heat pads. These cost around $30 each and are crucial for keeping orphaned neonatal kittens warm through the night.

Comforting heart beat simulators. These simulate a mother’s heartbeat, calming orphaned kittens and helping them to feel safe.

Wombaroo Cat Milk Replacer Formula. This nutritionally balanced milk is used for orphaned kittens or when mums’ are having trouble producing milk. It’s about $10 for a 215g pack – we go through about 20kg of the stuff each year!

Toys, toys and more toys! The little four-packs of plastic toys from major stores are perfect, as they can easily be sterilised if need by and keep the baby kitties entertained for hours.

Want to donate to our op shops?

Donating your secondhand goods to our RSPCA op shops is a great way to help us care for animals.
If you have something you no longer need and that someone else may love, consider donating!

Want to buy an item for our animals?

You can also check out our wish list for other products and services we’re currently seeking.