But my question is, if for moral or fear reasons, is turning it into a bear or pillow or two any better?

Yes, if you fear wearing a fur because you may be confronted, using them inside the home could make sense. I think the moral argument against recycling existing fur is week.

Could you make it into a throw?

Whether it is an issue to wear it may vary based on where you live.

I just donated my mother's silver fox chubby, 1940s style, to a local fox rescue. My mother had dismantled the collar from the body many moons ago to make a Halloween costume for my sister.

Somehow I'd rather see it as a teddy than a coat but I'm not sure I can explain why. So many I know wear faux fur any more but we're not in a climate where the warmth is needed consistently and I do know those climates do exist.

My SIL has (had?) a hip length fox and a full length mink with matching hat. I shopped with her the day she bought the mink, and I know it spent many more months in cool storage provided by the vendor than her closet. They did used to travel all over the country to different sporting events including in winter - I have a couple of photos of her wearing it and with the hat - but a little older now, they choose their travel locations more carefully around comfortable weather than they once did. I clearly remember them returning to their hotel rather the brave the ice in the street to breakfast at a restaurant the concierge had suggested to them. Felt their footing just too dangerous.

I don't really know where the coats are now, I should ask her if she has them or has donated them.

We did not have the money or the need when I was growing up. My mother did have a martin stole that she occasionally wore over a two piece suit. A gift from her brother - It lived in the vegetable crisper in the fridge. I know that does nothing to resolve your quandary but it did bring back memories of having to explain an animal in our refrigerator to my friends.

Using an already made coat seems more morally acceptable than letting it go to waste. Everyone has their line. Unless you are Vegan the moral outrage against wearing a fur seems just silly. Plenty of people are wearing furs.

Could you make it into a throw?

I looked into this when we moved into our last house for a full length coat. The store where it was purchased, via custom made in NYC, has an event each year when the reps come to reinvent them. They won't do throws, only sheer the coat, turning it inside out, making them fur lined with new fabric exterior. Also asked the workroom owner that made the draperies for me, he started out in fashion and is meticulous. He wasn't interested, although no doubt in my mind he could do.

I think it's a personal decision to wear real fur or not. I've never been a fan and own a cashmere coat with removable fur collar that's been in a box since purchasing.

It depends where you live. In our snow country, you see furs often in grocery stores, churches. It can get to -10 F in our zone.

Here are two organizations that reuse fur coats for animal rescue as well as to provide warm outerwear for the homeless (click for link):

PETA

Fur For Animals

Sorry if this is a stupid question but it's not obvious to me--- what does an animal rescue do with a fur coat donation?

I'm thinking using the stuffed animal or throw is done inside one's home - could be enjoyed with no issues. I guess the days of throwing paint or blood on fur coats is gone, but it seemed for a while that wearing a fur coat out and about made the wearer vulnerable.

I can remember my mom had a long seal coat. It was beautiful. It was sent to the furrier regularly. Now that's a business that has definitely obselesced ( if that's a word). . I can't recall what we did with the coat, pretty sure just donated it somewhere because furs had really fallen out of favor at that time.

salonva, not a stupid question--I wondered the same thing. From their website: "Fur for Animals The primary goal of this campaign is to enable fur donations to wildlife rehabilitation centers and animal sanctuaries across the country, which use the fur to provide familiar comfort, warmth, and enrichment to injured, orphaned, and rescued wildlife."

PETA donates most of their furs to the homeless and also has shipped to refugee causes in freezing areas.

My mother still has a few furs that I will probsbly end up with. One is a beautiful black mink swing coat that hits at hip level andI will probably keep that to wear occasionally. The minks have been dead for more than 75 years and I don’t see a throw as any more respectful than a coat. 🤷‍♀️

I have a friend who had/has several beautiful fur coats that she got in the 1980's-early 1990's. She had a few made into throws. She had a full-length racoon coat that she had shortened to knee length and I think she still wears that one -- fakes are so good now that many might think it wasn't real. I know she loved the furs when they were fashionable but she wouldn't buy them today. When you know better, you do better.

I personally would not want the fur in my home or on my body, in any form.

I am having a similar issue with ivory right now. When I graduated from law school (40 years ago!) my aunt gave me a huge and elaborate ivory necklace. Even back then it must have cost a fortune. But I'd never wear it today. The problem is it's illegal to sell it, so I need to either donate it to the US Fish & Wildlife Service or just eventually die with it in my home. I'd give it away to a friend or family member if there were one that wanted it, but I am pretty sure they all feel the same way as I do about wearing such a thing.

I'd say the best answer is to do something that gets the coat to someone in a freezing cold climate who really needs it to stay warm. Somehow I could see it leading to a skirmish with the homeless but who knows. And my thought is the animals died long ago and not because I bought a vintage fur coat. I did buy a lovely swing length mink in perfect condition for $100 in MN. I wore it on below zero days and I was never cold unlike my other coats. I never got any grief for wearing it. People wear down coats all the time - do the birds survive having their down removed?

I wear furs to keep warm. I like mink the most, it doesn’t shed. But fox and coyote long fur coats can keep you really warm when temp goes below 10 F. Make inherited fur coats into fur lined rain coats is a good idea, or just sell them online.

Down, as I understand it, is a by-product. So vegans would avoid down. I think in very cold climates people don't get as worked up over fur, esp if it appears to be vintage (one cannot always tell). I have a vintage black Persian lamb that one of DDs stole ... I think many young people do not even realize what it is.

For people who want fur without any hint of ostentation, fur lined raincoats are popular. But the labor involved in doing that with an existing seems very inefficient

I have a couple of my mother’s, and one of my grandmother’s fur coats in the closet. The mink jacket is beautiful, the long seal coat is my favorite, and there was a shearling or two. They are warm, yes, but so heavy. Even if I had the inclination, I wouldn’t for that reason. A throw, that might work for me, it would be like a weighted blanket.

I’ll have to go back to the post I saw and see what the OP is doing.

Just want to mention, if you inherited sable or fisher fur coats, they are very expensive furs. It depends on the condition, it could be worth over $10,000-$20,000.

That might be a bit high; here is where they retail.... just generally

Thanks. That one looks pretty. I have seen someone had a sable coat on inside a Wegman’s grocery store once. It’s very rare to see one.

OT but I did a little reading about how down is sourced for comforters, pillows, coats, etc. It might make one want to avoid those items as well if one is as concerned about the birds' welfare as they are about the furry creatures.

It is a tough time to be a sensitive soul. I care about all those things. I have a practical streak too though. So if it is an old or already owned family item, the poor critter is not coming back no matter what one does.

Locally, there is a big annual fundraiser that I would describe as a garage sale on steroids. They raised $350,000+ last year, which was donated to 3 organizations treating or supporting cancer patients.

Last year, I counted at least 12 donated fur coats, most were full length. They do not sell well, even at $30 each. The year before a person bought all the furs she could fit in a garbage bag for $40 (last day of the 4 day sale in bag day, most if not all the donated coats had not sold before bag day).

My grandfather had a floor length racoon coat with racoon tails hanging out of the pocketslets. My brother and I secretly called him Pimp Daddy when he wore it!

My brother tecently had it make into car coat length. Not sure when he wears it.

I have mixed feeling about fur and emotions in direct conflict with those feelings. I would not buy new fur, I might be willing to wear vintage publicly but not with total comfort.

Among other less elegant furs, my mother had a gorgeous dark ranch mink swing coat, below knee length with large bell sleeves that could function like a muff if needed. She looked so graceful wearing it and because my father chose it, (he was not known to be a great gift giver!) even more special. I was 39 when she died, the coat came to me and after a time I had it re-fashioned, shortened, slimmed down body and sleeves, like a knee length car coat. I did wear it, (mostly with jeans to the grocery store!) but not a lot because even then Chicago winters were hit and miss with severe cold. I paid for yearly storage and conditioning even after I stopped wearing it, wanting it to be cared for. When I had it restyled I had the section of satin lining with her initials reused and mine added. It hasn't been worn in years but I can't part with it. This is one of those 'brown things' my children will have to deal with when I'm gone.

But it doesn't have to be brown! sigh. Don't hate me. I have a custom-made fur coat and hat. It was absolutely necessary for me when we regularly saw temps of -30F, but that seems to be a thing of the past so I no longer wear them. I chose opossum (least offensive) and the furrier loved my hair so his suggestion was to bleach the fur and then dye the tips blond to match my hair. It's truly beautiful. If you've ever seen/felt sheared and dyed beaver, then you know what amazing things they can do with fur. I would think that old fur coats could be completely reinvented by doing things like shearing and/or bleaching and dying them. I noticed my fur coat in the closet recently and was thinking it would make a gorgeous throw on my cream-colored leather sofa. :)

eta: that comment about my leather sofa inadvertently speaks volumes. Is there a stance on wearing leather shoes or sitting on leather furniture?

I love this movie, and this scene:

As to leather shoes, they are pretty durable. The leather sofa, well we don’t like ours, it’s too slippery!

I'm more curious than anything else. What kind of fur is this?

I think it’s muskrat fur.

Thanks summer. Someone on Nextdoor is giving it away. I think it's UGLY!

I remember years ago....seeing a denim jacket lined in mink...THAT was nice!

(Sorry, I'm being silly today and it reminded me of that old Seinfeld episode....)

Muskrat is also called "poor man's mink". It's cheaper than mink. The coat in Seinfeld is mink. It looks like a male mink, female mink is silky.

Looks like this Gucci coat (link) that says "hamster" and another (link) with the same.

I looked up hamster fur and OMG it's is a real thing.

Nicole, that was hamster fur not muskrat. Allison got it right. I have never heard of such fur.

Today I learned! 😆

How many hamsters does it take to make a coat? Good lord.

OMG! That's NUTS! I believe you! The World got weird for a minute there....

NYT article link about furs being back in style. Maybe this year I’ll be the lady buying up all the donated furs at the fundraising sale, and then reselling them. 😆

I guess you just never know..... Even though I didn't expect to wear my fur, I am going to Chicago today (brother is in the hospital) where the forecast is frigid while I'll be there. He texted this morning telling me to bring warm clothes (older brother!) so I told him I might wear mom's fur - he responded YESS!!!

Yes DLM, winter is finally here! I’m sorry your brother is in the hospital for glad he still look out for you like a good big brother.