Shelter Wish List

In-kind donations keep our shelter running! We’re always thankful for your generous donations. Please read on to learn about items the shelter needs, as well as notes on a few items we’re unable to accept. To make a donation, please drop by the shelter anytime during business or adoption hours (Sat/Sun 12:00-3:00pm, Mon/ Wed/Fri 9:00am-5:00pm, and Tues/Thurs 9:00am-8:00pm) or email us at INFO@ADOPTPETSHELTER.ORG to make arrangements! You can also view OUR AMAZON WISHLIST and have items shipped directly to the shelter. Helping the animals is just a click away!

Pet Food, Treats, and Mealtime Supplies

Dry Dog/Puppy Food: We can use any brand of dog food, as long as it contains real meat as the #1 ingredient and contains no corn.

  • Some of our favorite healthy & affordable brands include KIRKLAND (COSTCO), CANIDAE, and TASTE OF THE WILD.

Dry Cat/Kitten Food: We can use any brand of cat food, as long as it contains real meat as the #1 ingredient and no corn in the top four ingredients.

  • Even our pickiest eaters seem to enjoy PURINA ONE CHICKEN & TURKEY or PURINA ONE HEALTHY KITTEN!

Canned Dog & Cat Food: We can use any brand and style of wet food for our canine and feline residents! Ground/pate-style wet food seems to be their favorite.

Pill Pocket Treats for giving medication to dogs and cats! We can use any brand- you can get GREENIES PILL POCKETS FOR CATS OR DOGS from most pet stores or ZOE PILL POPS at Jewel and other grocery stores.

Training Treats from the Grocery Store: We do training with our animals almost every day, from teaching basic obedience to working with feral cats! Many of our animals’ favorite treats can be found in the grocery aisle:

  • Hot Dogs – Inexpensive kind is fine
  • Frozen Cooked Meatballs
  • String Cheese
  • Spray Cheese/Easy Cheese
  • Hormel Pepperoni Minis
  • Salt Free Broth (Chicken or Beef)

Cleaning Supplies

  • Dawn Dish Soap
  • Unscented Liquid Laundry Detergent
  • Laundry Bleach
  • Baggies: sandwich and gallon size
  • Garbage bags (13 and 30 gal)
  • 50-gal heavy duty drumliners
  • Paper Towels
  • Disposable vinyl gloves (no latex)
  • Spray cleaner (pet safe)
  • Mop heads
  • Trigger spray bottles


Medical Supplies

  • Rubbing alcohol
  • KMR Kitten formula
  • Kitten nursing bottles and nipples
  • Fragrence-free baby wipes
  • Jar baby food – chicken or turkey
  • Distilled water

Office Supplies

  • Copy and fax paper
  • Stamps
  • 50 ft. Garden hoses (resistant to chemicals)
  • Garden hose sprayer head/s
  • Pet-friendly winter sidewalk salt (i.e. Snowmelt)
  • Rubber-backed mats, indoors and outdoors
  • White Out and/or Liquid Paper
  • Also, we accept pop cans for recycling

Cat Wishlist

  • Wand Toys
  • Cat Trees with hiding holes/cubbies (new or gently-used please)!
  • Ceramic food/water bowls (6-8″ diameter bowls are perfect for
  • letting multiple kitties share one bowl)
  • Scoopable Cat Litter
  • Litter Boxes (new boxes only, please)
  • Fleece Blankets
  • CUBBY-STYLE CAT BEDS
  • Jars of Baby Food (Chicken or Turkey) from the grocery store
  • Food/treat dispensing toys

Dog Wishlist

  • Dog Beds: Especially medium/large sizes
  • Chew toys: LARGE NYLABONES, BULLY STICKS, RAWHIDES (North American-made only, please)
  • Snap-buckle collars in green, yellow, purple, or grey (we use collar colors to color-code our dogs, which helps alert volunteers and staff members if the dog is shy, jumpy/mouthy, easy to handle, etc).
  • Food-Dispensing Toys/Puzzles
    • KONG WOBBLER
    • BUSY BUDDY MAGIC MUSHROOM
    • IQ BALL
  • Training Treats from the Pet Store:
    • Mini Training Treats (e.g., ZUKES, TRAIN ME!)
    • Freeze Dried Liver (e.g., STEWART, ROCCO & ROXIE SUPPLY)
    • NATURAL BALANCE FOOD ROLLS
    • Soft/Chewy/Meaty Treats- healthy (e.g., FRUITABLES), or yummy-smelling and moist “junk food” treats (CARRY OUTS, PUPPERONI)

Please no...

We appreciate each and every donation, but there are some items we’re unable to accept at this time due to limited storage space or health/safety concerns. If you’re looking to give some of these items to a good cause, we encourage you to contact our neighbors at NAPERVILLE AREA HUMANE SOCIETYLOAVES & FISHES, or SAVERS. Rest assured, any donations we receive will be put to good use! If we can’t use it, we will pass it along to another non-profit who can!

  • Open containers of food/treats: For health and safety reasons, we can only use open containers from our volunteers, staff, and business partners. Any open food that is donated to A.D.O.P.T. is passed along to
    LOAVES & FISHES, a local food
    pantry that will distribute it to
    local low-income pet owners to help care for their pets.

  • Dry food containing corn: We try to avoid using dog food that contains any corn and cat food that lists corn in the top four ingredients. CLICK HERE TO LEARN WHY CORN IS A CONTROVERSIAL INGREDIENT.

  • Milkbones/Biscuit-style Treats: Our supporters have generously donated more milkbones than we have room to store! We would like to use up what we have before accepting any more. Some of our dogs enjoy biscuits, but because many dogs have a decreased appetite when living in a shelter, we often need moist, meaty-smelling 
    treats to entice them to participate in training. As a result, we go through more chewy treats than biscuits.

  • Training Collars (including shock, 
    prong/pinch, and choke collars): 
    Although training collars have long 
    been recommended by trainers 
    who use “traditional” methods, 
    many TRAINERSBEHAVIOR EXPERTS 
    and VETERINARIANS have begun 
    to warn against their use due to 
    risk of physical or behavioral side effects. A.D.O.P.T. exclusively uses flat nylon collars and no-pull harnesses (like the EASY-WALK and FREEDOM HARMESS) for training.

  • Retractable Leashes: A.D.O.P.T. does not use retractable leashes due to THE SAFETY RISKS THEY POSE TO DOGS AND THEIR HANDLERS.

  • Used Litter Boxes/Scoops: To ensure sanitation, we’re unable to accept used litterboxes for our cats.

  • Heavily Used/Worn Items: We are unable to accept donations with signs of heavy use, such as very rusty kennels (a little rust is okay), frayed/dirty collars and leashes, etc.