There were 34,000 fewer dogs and cats unnecessarily killed in U.S. shelters in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to data unveiled recently by the nonprofit organization Best Friends Animal Society. This is the sharpest drop in U.S. animal shelter deaths in five years. Throughout 2025, four million dogs and cats in shelters found homes, moving the country closer to achieving no-kill, which means saving every healthy and treatable pet.
While both dogs and cats had history-making years, it was a true breakthrough year for the dogs. From 2024 to 2025, the number of dogs killed in shelters decreased by 8.5 percent, which translates to nearly 20,000 additional dogs across the country that got out of shelters and into homes. This was the first time the number of dogs killed in shelters has decreased since 2020, when the COVID pandemic posed unprecedented challenges for shelters. Contrary to popular belief, adoptions from U.S. shelters declined in 2020 and still have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, an obstacle that shelters continue to face today.
The good news didn’t just go to the dogs – 2025 was another record-breaking year for cats, too. Continuing the positive momentum from 2024, a record high of 83 percent of cats that entered shelters were saved in 2025. The number of cats killed in shelters is now at its lowest point in history, with Best Friends attributing much of this progress to community-based kitten fostering, community cat programs, and increased adoption demand from Gen Z.
“2025 was a turning point for animal sheltering in the U.S., and the data shows an undeniable momentum for the movement to end the killing of healthy, treatable pets in shelters,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “The number of no-kill shelters in this country is at an all-time high, with 68 percent of shelters reaching this milestone last year, and of those that are not yet no-kill, nearly half have fewer than 100 additional pets to get there. This progress didn’t happen by chance or by working alone. This is a clear example of what happens when pet lovers, shelters, and rescue groups work together to save lives.”
Collective action remains critical as Best Friends and its network of 6,000 shelter and rescue group partners work toward when no dog or cat dies in a shelter simply because they don’t have a safe place to call home. Best Friends encourages everyone to get involved by adopting, fostering, volunteering, and advocating for homeless pets. Best Friends works in partnership with both the Aztec Animal Shelter and the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter.
Saying hello from the Aztec Animal Shelter is Cameo. She is a young spayed female cat, formerly abandoned and now looking for a new home. She is estimated to be a year old and is a domestic short-haired cat. A domestic shorthair is not a distinct breed, but rather a catch-all term for mixed-breed cats with short coats, making up roughly 80 percent of the feline population in the United States. Black and white cats like Cameo are sometimes referred to as tuxedo cats due to their markings. Cameo is one of many deserving cats and kittens needing a home available now at the Aztec Animal Shelter.