MEDIA CONTACT: Deb Heise FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sun Cities 4 Paws Rescue Maintained No-Kill in 2024
More than 90% of the Cats That Entered the Shelter Last Year Were Saved
July 5, 2025 (Peoria, AZ) – Sun Cities 4 Paws Rescue, Maricopa County’s largest cat-only shelter, maintained no-kill in 2024, according to Best Friends Animal Society’s annual data report .https://bestfriends.org/no-kill-2025/animal-shelter-statistics This means Sun Cities 4 Paws Rescue saved 90% or more of the cats that entered last year.
“Being No-Kill in 2024 isn’t just a status—it’s a lifeline. It means that every cat who enters our care is given a real chance to heal, to be loved, and to find a home. But we can’t do it without you. Every time you give, adopt, or share our mission, you’re helping save a life. Your support is the reason we can keep saying ‘yes’ to the ones who have no one else.” — Mariann Peterson, Board President, Sun Cities 4 Paws Rescue
Opening our new Intake and Medical Center has not only expanded our capacity to care for cats in need but also strengthened public confidence in our ability to act quickly and compassionately. This facility plays a vital role in our ability to maintain No-Kill by streamlining medical care and increasing lifesaving outcomes. We are well on our way of intaking over 1000 cats and kittens this year.
Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters, recognizes this achievement as a positive step forward and one that can be replicated by other shelters in Peoria/Arizona.
To learn more about Sun Cities 4 Paws visit www.4pawsrescue.org.
*A 90 percent save rate is the nationally recognized benchmark to be considered “no-kill,” factoring that approximately 10 percent of pets who enter shelters have medical or behavioral circumstances that warrant humane euthanasia rather than killing for lack of space.
About Sun Cities 4 Paws Rescue
Sun Cities 4 Paws Rescue is the largest cat-only shelter in Maricopa County, Arizona, with over 29 years of service to the community. With adoption centers in Peoria and Youngtown, and a longstanding partnership with PetSmart in Surprise, the organization rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes over 1,000 cats and kittens each year. Sun Cities 4 Paws has proudly maintained its No-Kill status for more than a decade—reflecting a deep commitment to providing every healthy or treatable cat with the chance to heal, thrive, and find a home. The organization also operates a robust foster program, offers volunteer opportunities, and recently expanded its operations with a dedicated Intake and Medical Center
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 5,000 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary — a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public — empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®.