Faces of No-Kill: 71 cats find love and healing
![Eugene and Alice the cats snuggling with each other](/sites/default/files/styles/story_desktop_1920x1230_/public/story_images/EugeneAlice0424MW.jpg?h=f0f6242d&itok=f-dQ1IAL)
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.
This story is a part of our Faces of No-Kill series, highlighting the journey of pets who lost their place to call home. These pets are thriving today thanks to an animal shelter that helped them rather than killed them. Best Friends’ goal is for every shelter and every community to reach no-kill in 2025, and this story shows why that’s so important.
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).
“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).
![Two cats snuggling together on a green shelf](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/BeaverCats3946MW.jpg?itok=Mi4xGQIx)
![Volunteer sitting on a chair with a cat standing up with front paws in her lap](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/BigPapaMaryJo5732MW_0.jpg?itok=j0nkvSEm)
![Anthony the cat lying down and playing with a toy](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/Anthony2270MW.jpg?itok=FMbbhsuT)
![Anthony and George the cats sleeping with heads next to one another](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/AnthonyGeorge5769MW_0.jpg?itok=7CW9kMtB)
![Group of cats lying together in one long pile together napping](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/ScarlettNapping1510MW.jpg?itok=yFj6HUHg)
![A bunch of cat legs and feet](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/BeaverCatPile5801MW.jpg?itok=gi1hZg9D)
![Kenneth and Eugine the cats sleeping snuggled next to and on each other](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/KennethEugene0361MW.jpg?itok=izDkVnuS)
![One cat grooming the face of another](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/SiennaAvatar0325MW.jpg?itok=99oX0b0X)
![Eugene and Diana the cats snuggling next to each other](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/EugeneDianaSnuggle0992MW.jpg?itok=GBSR_a7L)
![Three tabby cats lying on the floor by one another](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/ScarlettDianaBrian4310MW.jpg?itok=MEWM1Aqt)
![Cat World caregiver kneeling down to pet Nate the cat](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/RobertNate5336MW.jpg?itok=T85l-VNN)
![Person giving baby food on a spoon to Ronald and Scarlett the cats](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/RonaldScarlettBabyFood1470MW.jpg?itok=zctd_UuD)
![Person kneeling and giving baby food to the cats to get them on a scale](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/AliciaTrainingScale5302MW.jpg?itok=yCSaxo2G)
![Cats relaxing by each other on the floor](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/ScarlettGordonGianna4287MW.jpg?itok=AvjqR1qT)
![Alice the cat napping next to some other cats](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/AliceNapping0360MW.jpg?itok=wDMsXphL)
Let's make every shelter and every community 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.