donations needed
Help shelter pets bloom this spring!
donations needed
You can help provide lifesaving care to animals in need like Seven.
A young German Shepherd mix named Seven came into our care on December 31, 2025, after our Animal Control Officers spent several days trying to safely catch her near the train tracks in Elmwood. Once she was finally contained, the full extent of her suffering became clear. While we may never know exactly what she endured, her injuries strongly suggest she was struck by a train. Your donation today helps provide lifesaving medical care and programming to more than 10,500 Hamilton County animals annually.
donations needed
Donate to support vulnerable kittens!
Kitten season brings hundreds of the most fragile kittens through our doors, many too young to survive without help. Our goal is to move them into loving foster homes as quickly as possible so they have the care they need to grow and thrive. Please consider donating from our Amazon wishlist below to provide the lifesaving food and supplies that will help us care for the kittens still to come in the months ahead.
Virtual Ways to Give
Shopping our various department wishlists is an amazing way to help meet the immediate needs of the animals in our care!
Gently Used Donations
We are incredibly grateful for the generous donations we receive from our community! However, it’s important to know which used items we can accept and which ones we cannot. Understanding these guidelines ensures that your donations have the greatest impact! Here’s a detailed breakdown of what we can and can’t accept, along with suggestions for alternative donation destinations. Physical donations can be delivered to 3949 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45223 in Northside!
Host a Donation Drive
Donation drives are a vital way to support CAC, providing not only much-needed supplies for the hundreds of cats and dogs in our care every day, but also strengthening community connections and raising awareness about our lifesaving mission. When individuals, schools, businesses, or community groups host drives, they directly help us offset costs, stretch our budget further, and ensure animals have consistent access to comfort and care while they await adoption. These drives also spark conversations about adoption, fostering, and volunteering, helping us reach new supporters who may not otherwise be familiar with our work.
The items that are always most in demand include wet dog, cat, and kitten food, dog training treats, durable dog toys and long-lasting chews, used blankets, sheets, and towels, puppy pads, cat litter, and kitten season supplies!
More Ways to Give
There are so many ways to donate to Cincinnati Animal CARE!
1-Time Donation
Make a one-time monetary donation to the homeless animals of Hamilton County. Donations will go towards daily programming and care of the 8,000+ animals that come through our doors annually.
Kennel Sponsorship
Thousand of prospective adopters walk through our kennel runs every year. Show your support for your Hamilton County shelter by sponsoring a kennel where your name or the name of your business will be displayed for all to see!
Monthly Donors
Become a monthly donor to support ongoing programming at CAC! Even $5/month makes a huge difference for the animals in our care, especially our animals that need extensive medical care.
Gifts of Stock
Gifting stock to CARE provides lifesaving support for animals, offers potential tax advantages, maximizes your charitable impact, and helps ensure sustained care, medical treatment, and second chances year-round.
donor Feature:
Cincinnati Chrome Divas
The Cincinnati Chrome Divas host an annual bike wash where they 'wash anything on wheels' and in 2024 they donated a portion of the proceeds to CAC! If your group wants to give back to the homeless animals of Hamilton County, let us know!
Become a Treat Warrior!
At Cincinnati Animal CARE, treats are more than just a snack—they provide comfort, training, and enrichment for the animals waiting for their forever homes. But did you know we spend over $500 a month on treats alone? That’s where you come in!
For just $20 a month, you’ll ensure our animals always have the treats they need to stay happy, healthy, and engaged while they wait for their families. It only takes 25 Treat Warriors to fully cover our monthly treat costs! Will you be one of them?
Donation FAQs
Yes! We accept gently used pet supplies like leashes, collars, harnesses, toys, dog beds, etc. Please bring any used supply donations to 3949 Colerain Avenue any day between 1-6pm!
Your generous donation will be used to support activities and programming throughout the shelter and beyond. Donations not designated for a specific program will be used where it is most needed to maximize our lifesaving work. Specifically, donations go toward veterinary care, supplies, and other general operations that increase our ability to save lives.
Yes! Checks can be made out to Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society and mailed to 3949 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati OH, 45223. In-person supply or monetary donations can be dropped off at the shelter during regular business hours: we’re open seven days a week from 1pm-6pm.
Our most needed items are usually at the top of our Amazon/Chewy wishlists, but here are some supplies we go through very quickly:
- Wet/dry cat/kitten food
- Wet/dry dog/puppy food
- Non-clumping cat litter (we go through hundreds of pounds of litter every day)
- Packs of hot dogs
- Blocks of cheese
- Cleaning supplies
- Paper towels
- 55 gallon garbage bags
- PPE
- Dog and cat treats
- Toys
- PetSafe Easy Walk harnesses
- 2 Hounds Freedom harnesses
- Food scales for weighing baby kittens
- Peanut butter
- Puppy pads
- Poo bags
- Canned Tuna
- Gerber Baby chicken and gravy baby food
- Pill pockets
Donate your time by becoming a CAC foster parent!
Fostering is crucial to Cincinnati Animal CARE’s mission. By turning the community into an extension of the animal shelter, foster homes get pets out of an overcrowded facility and allows us to learn more about their behavior in a home environment.
Cincinnati Animal CARE provides foster opportunities for dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, and other small animals. Puppy and kitten fosters are always an urgent need!
