Best Friends says Idaho, Montana have reached no-kill status: full analysis

Best Friends Animal Society has declared Idaho and Montana “no-kill” states, saying the two became the fifth and sixth states nationally to meet its benchmark and the first in the West to do so. In a May 7, 2026, announcement, the group said Idaho reached the mark at the end of January with a 93% save rate, and Montana followed in February at 95%. The designation is based on Best Friends’ definition of no-kill: a 90% or greater save rate for dogs and cats entering shelters over 12 consecutive months. (prnewswire.com)

The milestone comes after years of Best Friends’ national “no-kill” campaign and a steady expansion of state-level advocacy. In its latest national shelter reporting, the organization said four states — Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont — were already no-kill, while Idaho and Montana had been among the states closest to crossing the line. Best Friends’ 2025 national report also said the U.S. shelter save rate reached 82.5% in 2025, with more than 2 out of 3 shelters at no-kill status, underscoring the broader momentum behind the group’s framing of shelter progress. (bestfriends.org)

Best Friends attributed Idaho’s final push largely to cat lifesaving and transport support. According to the organization, volunteer drivers helped move cats within the state and into placement pathways at the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Salt Lake City and Cat World at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab. For Montana, Best Friends pointed to monthly coordination among shelter and rescue leaders on operational needs, events, legislation, and veterinary medicine updates, describing collaboration as the key factor behind the state’s improvement. Both states also received gubernatorial support in 2025 through “Loves Shelter Animals Day” proclamations from Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte. (prnewswire.com)

The Idaho result is notable because Best Friends had said as recently as March 2025 that just one shelter, People for Pets Magic Valley Humane Society in Twin Falls, still needed to improve for the state to qualify. At that point, the group said 28 of Idaho’s 29 shelters were already at no-kill status, and that the remaining gap could be closed by saving five additional pets per week. That gives some context for how narrow the final margin was, and how much targeted intervention at a single shelter can affect a statewide designation. (bestfriends.org)

Industry reaction is likely to be mixed, because the no-kill label remains both influential and contested. Best Friends presents the 90% benchmark as a practical standard, and says its dashboard uses standardized methods, with some missing shelter data estimated through models reviewed by outside academics. But critics in shelter medicine and animal welfare have argued that the metric can flatten important differences in case mix, intake pressure, and humane euthanasia decisions. In a recent Smithsonian feature, University of Florida shelter medicine specialist Julie Levy said conflicts around the “arbitrary 90 percent metric” have contributed to burnout and attrition among shelter leaders, veterinarians, and staff. (bestfriends.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this story is less about a celebratory label than about the operational model behind it. Best Friends’ account of Idaho and Montana points to several recurring levers: transport for cats, regular inter-shelter coordination, stronger rescue partnerships, community foster capacity, and public policy support. Those are areas where veterinarians, shelter medical teams, and practice partners often have direct influence, whether through population management, transfer protocols, access to sterilization, outbreak prevention, or advising on treatability and quality-of-life decisions. (prnewswire.com)

It also matters because statewide no-kill claims can shape pet parent expectations, donor behavior, local policy, and workforce pressure. In communities that are close to the threshold, small changes in feline outcomes, access to veterinary care, or diversion programs may have outsized effects on the reported save rate. At the same time, veterinary teams may need to help explain that “no-kill” in this framework does not mean euthanasia never occurs; it means the aggregate save rate is at least 90%, with euthanasia still used for some animals with severe medical or behavioral compromise. (prnewswire.com)

What to watch: The next phase will be whether Idaho and Montana can maintain those save rates across future reporting periods, and whether other near-threshold states convert short-term gains into durable statewide performance without worsening strain on shelter staff, veterinary teams, or animal welfare outcomes. (bestfriends.org)