Hidden Cruelty: How Cat and Dog Fur Ended Up in Australian Stores

A simple shopping trip for a child’s winter vest in Melbourne has cracked open a disturbing reality that animal welfare advocates say represents just the tip of a much larger iceberg. What began with a concerned shopper’s quiet tip to investigators has spiraled into a scandal touching multiple retailers, exposing systemic regulatory failures, and forcing uncomfortable questions about what Australian families are really buying when they shop.

Forensic testing has now confirmed what animal rights campaigners have long feared: labels cannot be trusted. Trust between consumers and retailers has been badly shaken, and somewhere in Melbourne’s shopping centers and weekend markets, products made from beloved household pets are being sold alongside legitimate goods—ready for unsuspecting families to take them home.

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What Shoppers Thought They Were Buying vs. What They Got

At first glance, the item seemed perfect: a children’s vest prominently labeled “100% Australian sheepskin or wool,” purchased from Suttons UGG in a busy Melbourne mall. Parents believed they were investing in a locally made, natural product that would keep their kids warm during the harsh Victorian winter.

But forensic analysis by UK-based fiber laboratory Microtex uncovered a horrific truth. The vest contained no Australian sheep wool at all. Instead, the fibers came from two domestic cats, mixed with rabbit fur. In other words, children were unknowingly wearing clothing crafted from animals many families consider members of their household.

And this was not an isolated case. Collective Fashion Justice, the advocacy organization that commissioned the testing, found other shocking examples. Two beanies purchased at Melbourne’s historic Queen Victoria Market, labeled “100% acrylic,” were found to have pom-poms made from fox and raccoon dog fur—animals that suffer brutal treatment on overseas fur farms.

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The Brutality Behind the Labels

Raccoon dogs, fox-like animals native to East Asia, are routinely subjected to cruelty that defies comprehension. Investigations into fur farms have documented these animals being electrocuted, clubbed, or even skinned alive to preserve the quality of their pelts.

Australian shoppers, however, rarely imagine such suffering when they pick up a beanie or vest labeled “acrylic” or “sheepskin.” Mislabeling allows products created through extreme cruelty—products that could never be legally produced in Australia—to enter the market disguised as harmless or even local goods.

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How Advocates Uncovered the Truth

Emma Hakansson, founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, has been working with the Animal Justice Party since 2021 to systematically test suspicious fur items across Melbourne. Acting as an unofficial watchdog in the face of government inaction, her team repeatedly found mislabeling that went undetected by regulators.

“Every single time we’ve sent fur to the lab, it came back mislabelled—and this has been happening for years,” Hakansson explained. From high street shops to major chain retailers, the problem appears to be widespread.

Her findings raise an urgent question: if one advocacy group on a limited budget can uncover so many violations, why haven’t official enforcement agencies done the same?

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Two Decades of Law, Zero Enforcement

Australia banned the import and export of cat and dog fur back in 2004, creating what seemed to be a strong legal safeguard. But nearly twenty years later, the Australian Border Force admitted it has never once seized an illegal cat or dog fur shipment.

Documents obtained by advocates in April confirmed that “there have been no reports of seizure of illegal imports of dog or cat fur since the introduction of the prohibition.” Only nine permits have been issued in two decades, all for keepsakes of deceased pets. Meanwhile, mislabeled retail products continue to flow freely into stores, raising concerns that the ban exists only on paper.

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Victoria’s Previous Investigation—Ignored Lessons

Consumer Affairs Victoria already investigated fur product mislabeling in 2020, testing items across the state. The results were damning: every single fur product tested was incorrectly labeled.

Authorities issued warnings, and one business pledged to end fur sales. Yet four years later, activists continue to uncover the same patterns. Critics argue that warnings without penalties simply do not work—businesses know they can continue misleading consumers with little risk of meaningful consequences.

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Retailers Admit They Can’t Guarantee Their Own Products

When confronted with the evidence about the cat fur vest, Suttons UGG representatives admitted the label was “wrong” but claimed they could not “100% confirm” what the product actually contained. Queen Victoria Market management, likewise, insisted they were “unaware” of mislabeled products being sold but placed responsibility on stallholders and government regulators.

This points to a deeply unsettling reality: many Australian retailers selling animal-based goods cannot trace their supply chains or even verify what species of animal is in their products. Consumers are expected to trust labels that even sellers admit may be false.

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How to Spot Real Fur

Hakansson advises shoppers to educate themselves:

• Check the ends of the fur: wispy tapered tips often signal animal fur, while synthetic fibers end bluntly.

• Look at the base: real fur attaches to skin or leather, while synthetic fur is woven into fabric.

• Observe the shine: animal fur reflects light unevenly, while synthetics often shine uniformly.

Still, she notes, ordinary consumers shouldn’t have to play detective. “The burden shouldn’t fall on shoppers. It’s the government’s role to protect the public from being deceived.”

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Calls for a Total Ban

Georgie Purcell, Animal Justice Party MP for Northern Victoria, is now pushing for a complete ban on fur sales, arguing that piecemeal enforcement has failed. “The message from the community couldn’t be clearer—fur is out of fashion. Whether it’s cat, dog, rabbit, or fox—it’s all cruel.”

Her position is echoed by Four Paws Australia, which warns that fur farming practices overseas would never meet Australian animal welfare standards, yet products from those very systems are openly sold in Melbourne malls.

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Fashion Industry vs. Retail Reality

Ironically, Melbourne Fashion Week became the first global fashion event to ban fur, wild animal skins, and feathers from all runways. Australian Fashion Week soon followed suit, highlighting innovative alternatives and cruelty-free materials. Yet on the very same streets, shops continue to sell mislabeled cat, rabbit, and raccoon dog fur.

This disconnect reveals how far government regulation lags behind both industry innovation and public sentiment. While the fashion world embraces ethical practices, regulators still permit the sale of items made from pets.

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International Pressure Mounts

Globally, momentum is shifting fast. Switzerland recently became the first European country to ban the import and export of cruelly produced fur, and Britain is actively debating a similar measure after a petition gathered over 1.2 million signatures.

By contrast, Australia’s lack of enforcement and failure to update laws increasingly marks it as a laggard in animal welfare. Critics argue that this not only damages the country’s reputation but also risks making it a dumping ground for products rejected elsewhere.

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Big Penalties, Little Action

Under Australian Consumer Law, misleading product labeling can trigger massive fines—up to $50 million for corporations and $2.5 million for individuals. But despite these theoretical deterrents, no significant penalties have been applied to fur mislabeling cases.

Hakansson points out the emotional weight of this issue: “Every Victorian would be horrified to know they could walk into a store and accidentally buy something made from cat fur—especially when they may have a cat at home themselves.”

Public outrage is now spilling across social media, with users describing the findings as “disgusting,” “horrific,” and demanding urgent government intervention. Activists hope this wave of anger may finally push lawmakers to act where regulators have failed.