New Data Shows Nearly 75% Fewer Cats Killed in Shelters than a Decade Ago
Best Friends Animal Society's latest data shows record high save rate of cats saved last year
KANAB, Utah, March 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading national animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society just announced new data showing that a record number of cats were saved in the U.S. in 2025.
According to Best Friends 2025 data which is collected from over 10,000 shelters, the number of cats killed in shelters has decreased by just under 75% over the past decade. Best Friends attributes this historic progress to three key factors:
- Community cat programs – More communities nationwide have implemented humane programs that spay/neuter, vaccinate, and return healthy cats to their outdoor homes. These programs have been one of the strongest drivers in reducing the number of cats killed in shelters, with a nearly 70 percent increase in the number of cats safely returned to their outdoor homes over the past decade.
- Gen Z's impact on cat adoptions - Cat adoptions have risen 20 percent over the last 10 years, with Gen Z leading the way as the generation adopting the most cats.
- Kitten foster programs - Kittens make up nearly half of all cats entering shelters and are the most fragile while in care. Shelters across the U.S. have increasingly added volunteer-based programs where kitten fosters provide intensive, round‑the‑clock care at home to help these young kittens survive and thrive during the crucial early weeks of their lives. These programs also relieve pressure on shelters and dramatically increase kitten survival rates.
"A 75% decrease in the number of cats unnecessarily dying in shelters simply because they don't have a safe place to call home is something I want to shout from the rooftops," said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. "This is incredibly promising news, however, there are still roughly 200,000 more cats being killed each year.To be part of the solution, people can adopt, foster, volunteer, donate, advocate, and share on social media to help us save them all."
The data release comes as most shelters enter kitten season, the spring-to-fall period when cats have litters and shelters see an influx of vulnerable neonatal kittens.
Shelters are urging community members to foster kittens this spring to help sustain the progress reflected in the new data.
Best Friends Animal Society is working to end the killing of cats and dogs in America's shelters and take the country no-kill*, which means saving every healthy and treatable pet. To become part of the solution, please visit bestfriends.org.
*No-kill is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter and is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. For any community to be no-kill, all stakeholders in that community must work together to achieve and sustain that common goal while prioritizing community safety and good quality of life for pets as guiding no-kill principles. This means cooperation among animal shelters, animal rescue groups, government agencies, community members and other stakeholders, all committed to best practices and protocols.
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America's shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 6,000 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation's largest no-kill animal sanctuary — a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public — empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®
SOURCE Best Friends Animal Society
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