New animal shelter data reveals nationwide progress

Sometimes, a simple change can make all the difference.

Just ask people at Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC) in Wisconsin. They moved their adoptable cats from a busy lobby to a cozy, repurposed meeting room. The result: a 54% increase in cat adoptions — 1,158 more than the previous year.

Meanwhile, Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha, Nebraska, launched a new community cat program and made changes to their approach to dog enrichment. These efforts propelled the shelter to a 90% save rate, the benchmark for no-kill, transforming the lives of countless pets.

Based on data collected from December 2023 through November 2024, there has been a 10.1% decrease in cats killed in shelters. That puts the number of cats killed in shelters at its lowest point in history.

More good news: Dog and cat adoptions have increased by 3.9%. And a 2.3% decrease in killing overall (includes both dogs and cats) represents the first positive trend for this data point since 2020.

“There was a time, not that long ago, when cat lifesaving had plateaued in shelters, so this is incredibly positive news,” says Julie Castle, Best Friends CEO. “The data shows that no-kill programming such as trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) is working and saving lives across the country.”

[Community Cat Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) Success Stories]

Since 2016, when Best Friends launched the goal to take the country to no-kill in 2025, more and more shelters have achieved a save rate of at least 90%. Nearly 2 out of every 3 U.S. shelters are already no-kill, and hundreds more are within reach of that goal.

Change is never easy, says Karen Sparapani, MADACC executive director, whose organization serves 19 municipalities in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “But it’s always possible when you have trust,” she says.

“A lot of people in animal welfare have done things the same way for a long time,” says Karen. “For us, it was taking baby steps and trusting in the advice we received from our partners, as well as trusting our own experience of many years in animal welfare.”

Working with Best Friends, MADACC created a new feline area that separated cats from a busy lobby.

“Ensuring our cats have a stress-free environment was a critical factor in our decision to relocate and enhance their living space,” says Karen. “This change has had a noticeable impact: Our cats are now easier to handle, less fearful, and more interested in interacting with potential adopters in a relaxed and welcoming setting.”

Another impactful change at MADACC was the decision to lower adoption fees for dogs and make it easier for people to see and interact with them. “We also introduced the test drive foster program, which has been a game changer,” says Karen. “This program allows potential adopters to take a dog home for five days before deciding to adopt.”

The result: Dog adoptions increased by 577 in 2024, up 52% year over year.

MADACC has also been working to make it easier to reunite pets and people, whether through their veterinary team treating animals and then letting people reclaim them or through waived fees and other solutions. Each change, big or small, has led to more pets getting out of the shelter and into a home.

From creating a community cat program to rebranding their animal behavior team, changes across the board were responsible for increased lifesaving at Nebraska Humane Society (NHS), a longtime Best Friends Network Partner.

“People in the animal welfare business are very passionate about what they do, and so change is sometimes hard,” says Pam Wiese, NHS executive director. “But for us the growing pains were well worth it. We are ecstatic over the number of lives that we were able to save in 2024.”

The changes resulted in 1,168 fewer animals being killed at the shelter in 2024, compared to the previous year. The save rate for cats rose from 77% to nearly 90%, and the save rate for dogs rose from 83% to 93%.

[New data shows encouraging trend for pets in shelters]

“I’ve been at the organization for 22 years, and I remember back in the day we talked about a community cat program,” says Pam. “To be able to finally put it in place and feel like we’re doing right by all those kitties in our community is very gratifying.”

The animal care staff is thinking more holistically about providing all dogs and cats in the shelter with whatever they need from the minute they arrive. Along with providing care for their individual needs in-house, this also includes placing pets in a foster home or sending them to a rescue group.

Dog playgroups have been key to NHS increasing its save rate for dogs. “Seeing is believing, and once our staff saw dog playgroups in action, we could see all the possibilities,” Pam says.

“Best Friends provided a lovely diplomacy for us to be able to communicate with our people about change, which includes utilizing playgroups,” says Pam. “And we had the data to show our staff and volunteers that a community cat program is a much better option than just bringing cats into the shelter.”

With 3.4% fewer animals killed and nearly 4% more animals adopted, 2024 has pushed the needle forward for the cats and dogs we all love so much. But it will take all of us to keep this momentum going and get every shelter and every community to no-kill in 2025.

The need for adopters and foster caregivers to help save lives is as urgent as ever. Shelters also need volunteers and donors.

“While this hard work should certainly be celebrated, there is more to do right now to save lives, particularly for dogs, who are currently most at risk in shelters,” says Julie. “It’s more important than ever for us to harness this momentum to make every shelter across the country no-kill in 2025.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.