Best Friends Animal Society, a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of pets in America’s shelters, just released new data that shows positive momentum toward its no-kill goal.
Based on 12-month sample data collected from December 2023 through November 2024*, there has been a 10.1 percent decrease in the number of cats killed in shelters – that means the number of cats killed in shelters is now at the lowest point in recorded history.
“There was a time, not that long ago, when cats were the most at-risk species in shelters, so this is incredibly positive news,” said Julie Castle, Chief Executive Officer, Best Friends Animal Society. “The data shows that no-kill programming such as trap-neuter- vaccinate-return (TNVR) is working and saving lives across the country.”
Best Friends’ data continued to show good news, with a 3.9 percent increase in adoptions, and a 2.3 percent decrease in killing overall (dogs and cats combined) for the same time period. This is the first positive trend for that data point since 2020. “While this hard work should certainly be celebrated, there is more to do right now to save lives, particularly for dogs, which are currently most at-risk in shelters,” Castle said.
The need for adopters and fosters to help save lives is as urgent as ever, Castle noted. Shelters also need volunteers and donors. Since February is Spay/Neuter Awareness month, it’s also a great time for pet owners to get their pets fixed, which is the only proven way to reduce accidental litters that contribute to the pet overpopulation issue.
“It will take all of us to keep this positive momentum going and get every shelter in every community to become no-kill,” she said. To find a shelter or rescue near you, visit bestfriends.org
*Analysis based on a sample of 688 shelters that reported a full year of monthly data in 2023 and 2024 (with 46 percent being municipal, 29 percent contract, and 25 percent private nonprofits w/o contract). Best Friends Animal Society has the most accurate data for sheltered dogs and cats in the United States, collected from more than 7900 shelters and rescue groups.
