08/05/2026
Why does PETA take in healthy, adoptable animals only to kill them? Why do they run a system focused on death instead of saving lives?
Consider their own numbers. In 2025, PETA reported killing 938 cats at its Norfolk, VA facility and found homes for only 14 of them. That adoption rate is less than 1%. The situation was similar for dogs: 719 were killed, with only 21 adopted. Rabbits and other small animals did even worse: 18 out of 20 brought in were killed. About half of the "farmed" animals in their care were killed, along with 76% of wild animals. These figures come from PETA's own intake and disposition reports, which must be filed annually with the Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
For years, former employees, whistleblowers, and public records have shown a clear pattern. Most animals taken in by PETA are killed, not adopted. This includes healthy animals, treatable ones, and even pets taken directly from homes.
PETA has not provided a clear or consistent explanation for these actions, but testimony from former staff reveals a fundamental belief system driving these numbers:
They believe people cannot care for animals responsibly.
They see life in a human home as a form of slavery for dogs and cats, rather than as care.
They consider killing pets, such as healthy, friendly animals, to be an act of "mercy," with PETA's founder calling it "the greatest gift of all."
They oppose allowing free-living community cats to remain free and reject TNR and other proven humane options.
In short, PETA's stated view is that animals are better off dead than in homes, communities, or under human care. This perspective contradicts the No Kill philosophy, modern shelter practices, and the values of compassionate advocates everywhere.
This pattern is not new. PETA has reported the deaths of over 50,000 dogs and cats, and this continues year after year, despite the public belief that donations to PETA support rescue, protection, and lifesaving efforts. Some former staff members have mentioned being instructed to keep animals off intake logs or to euthanize off-site. PETA's 2025 report raised further questions, noting hundreds of cats and dogs as "reclaimed by owner" at levels inconsistent with previous years, even though very few strays were documented as taken in to begin with.
At USA PAW, we completely reject this model of "rescue."
We believe animals deserve life, not death.
We believe the public is not the enemy; the public is the solution.
We believe dogs and cats belong in homes, with families, and in caring communities.
We support TNR, adoption, foster care, and every evidence-based No Kill program shown to save lives across the United States.
If you value compassion, ethics, transparency, and the right of every healthy or treatable animal to live, support your local No Kill rescues and shelters.
*Sources: PETA's 2025 intake/disposition report filed with the Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (VDACS); whypetaeuthanizes.org, "2025" and "Why?" (Nathan Winograd).*
