No-kill 101: The 3 pillars of saving pets in shelters

Over the past several decades, animal sheltering and animal control — known collectively as animal services — have undergone a dramatic transformation. As more cities and counties recognize the importance of companion animals and embrace lifesaving practices, the approach to caring for dogs and cats in animal shelters has evolved.

In the past, unclaimed dogs and cats in shelters were often killed after just a few days, even though the pets weren’t terminally ill or suffering. Today, more and more animal services organizations across the nation understand the value of protecting pets' lives and have implemented policies to ensure that they stay with their families or are placed in new homes quickly.

At the heart of this evolution are the three pillars of lifesaving: managed intake, community cat programs, and barrier-free adoptions. These pillars form the foundation for much of the progress seen in animal shelters today. Here, we’ll look at what each of these terms mean, and how they impact dogs and cats in every community.

Managed intake has become the key ingredient for transforming animal shelters into resource centers for pets and their people. In the past, the admission of dogs and cats was automatic, leading to overcrowded shelters where pets became stressed, sick, or behaviorally deteriorated. But today, we know that the shelter environment — no matter how caring the staff — is not the best place for our pets.

Still, people often come to shelters believing that giving up their pet is the only option, unaware of the other options and resources available. With managed intake, shelter staff and animal services officers prioritize helping people keep their pets at home.

[No-kill 101: Keeping pets at home and out of shelters]

Instead of immediately taking in pets, officers and shelter staff work with families to find solutions, offering advice and resources to prevent pets from unnecessarily entering the shelter. Whether it’s temporary housing during a crisis, support for veterinary care, a food pantry connection, or behavioral counseling, the goal is to keep pets where they belong: in their homes and with their people.

For decades, community cats — cats who live outdoors and are often cared for by people in the community — were rounded up and killed in a futile attempt to control the population. Trapping and killing cats proved not only cruel but did not reduce populations.

Today, many shelters have adopted community cat programs centered on trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR). This humane practice involves safely trapping community cats, spaying or neutering them, vaccinating them, and then returning them to their outdoor homes.

[What Every Advocate Should Know About Community Cats]

By embracing TNVR, shelters reduce the number of kittens born outdoors and create space in the shelter for cats who really need emergency assistance. Community cat programs also respect the bonds that people have with community cats.

When potential adopters are expected to meet strict requirements — such as homeownership, fenced yards, landlord approval, full family visits to the shelter, and even providing veterinary records for other pets — these can become what are known as barriers to adoption. These barriers keep dogs and cats in shelters longer, putting many at risk of losing their lives due to factors such as illness, behavioral decline, or lack of space.

However, more and more people who work in shelters are recognizing that people who want to adopt a pet are there because they want to do the right thing. By removing unnecessary hurdles, shelter staff have found that dogs and cats are adopted more quickly and the rate of pets being returned to shelters remains low. With barrier-free adoptions, open, honest conversations between staff and potential adopters are replacing the rigid criteria of the past, making adoption a more positive, life-changing experience for both people and pets. This shift in practice is leading to faster adoptions, healthier pets, and more lives saved.

By implementing the three pillars of lifesaving — managed intake, community cat programs, and barrier-free adoptions — animal shelters across the country are creating systems where pets stay with their families, community cats are protected, and adoption becomes a smooth process that benefits both the animals and their new families.

The lifesaving isn’t just up to the animal shelters. You can get involved too. Consider volunteering at your local shelter, advocating for modern lifesaving policies and practices, or even exploring a career in animal services. Together, we can continue to advance these humane and life-affirming practices, ensuring a brighter future for the pets who share our lives and enhance our communities.

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.