Faces of No-Kill: 71 cats find love and healing

A handsome black-and-white kitty with an adorable stripe on his nose gleefully chases after a wand toy. A stunning cream-colored cat with piercing blue eyes saunters over to say hello. This is the scene you’ll find in Vinnie’s House, one of the buildings in Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s Cat World. But this wasn’t always the case.

When 71 unsocialized kitties from an overcrowded home arrived at Cat World, there were only a handful who could be handled. Nowadays, many of these once-timid felines line up for baby food treats, rub against your legs, and play with your shoelaces. In fact, some have already been adopted thanks to the efforts of both caregivers and volunteers.

“We ask volunteers if they will just socialize with the cats,” says Cat World caregiver Robert Griffin. “The most crucial part of this project right now is getting the cats to trust a variety of people, so they can get adopted. These cats have been through a lot, and for them to be in a new environment and take those steps to start trusting people again is truly inspiring.”

Watching these shy bundles of fur emerge from their shells to embrace the love and joy of human companionship is nothing short of remarkable. And as more are adopted into loving homes, each cat's journey from fear to trust is a heartwarming reminder of the resilience of these kitties and the power of human kindness (and baby food, of course).

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.