You must contact CNHS prior to appearing for a surrender. ALL surrenders must be approved and scheduled. If you have attempted to find a home and were not successful, we will accept your pet(s) for a fee, as long as we have available kennel space. If we are unable to accept your pet due to space limitations, we will add your information to our surrender wait list.

An “Open Admission” shelter accepts all animals brought to their facility and does not turn away animals based on age, breed, health, or behavior or due to capacity limitations. “Limited Admission” shelters are not obligated to accept any animals and may be selective as to which animals they choose to intake and can control their facility’s capacity by stopping intakes. A “No Kill” shelter is a facility that does not euthanize healthy animals due to time restrictions or lack of space and have a save rate/live release rate of at least 90 percent. The terms “Open Admission” and “Limited Admission” only reflect an organization’s intake policy, either category of shelter can also be considered a “No Kill” facility based on their save rate. Because of our contracts to provide animal control services, CNHS is considered an “Open Admission” facility with regards to animals found in violation of city code or state statute. This means that CNHS accepts animals regardless of health status or temperament. We do operate at capacity most of the time due to our open intake policy with these contracts, which often means we are unable to accept animals from outside of Hall County or owner surrenders. Despite operating as an “Open Admission” facility, CNHS has achieved a “Nearly No Kill” rating according to the Best Friends Animal Society with a save rate of 87% in 2021.

The Central Nebraska Humane Society is a private, non-profit organization. While we do have contracts with local municipalities to provide animal control services, these funds only cover the work of Animal Control. The shelter side of our operation relies solely on donations and fundraising to support our mission. 

CNHS is an independent, non-profit organization. We are not related to the ASPCA, HSUS, or any other Humane Societies. While we do draw inspiration from other organizations to improve our facility and operations, we make policies and decisions independently and are not governed by any other entity. 

Municipalities outside of Hall County are not contracted with CNHS for stray services and use other resources to handle found animals. Due to this and the fact that CNHS often operates at capacity with the municipalities we do serve, we are unable to accept animals from outside of Hall County. Citizens from other municipalities are encouraged to contact their local law enforcement or officials to determine the best course of action when they find a stray. It is also important to keep stray animals in the municipality they were found, as owners do not often think to contact shelters that are a significant distance from where the animal went missing. 

CNHS does NOT euthanize animals due to time restrictions, breed bias, or lack of space. CNHS differs from many other shelters in the area as we are contracted by local municipalities to house stray and other animals found in violation of local statutes in our community. This means we do not get to pick which animals enter our facility from these contracts. We provide kennels and care to every abandoned, stray, and lost animal from the Grand Island and Hall County area regardless of temperament or health status. We frequently house animals with bite histories, aggression, significant injuries, and advanced illnesses. CNHS is fortunate to have a network of rescue organizations to assist us with animals that have needs surpassing our resources and we rehabilitate every animal in house that we can, but not all of these animals can be saved. CNHS does humanely euthanize animals in cases of extreme aggression or health conditions, either to end their suffering or for the safety of the community.

For dogs, the adoption fee includes all appropriate vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, flea and tick treatment, de-wormer, heartworm test, and microchip. 

For cats, the adoption fee includes all appropriate vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, flea and tick treatment, de-wormer, FELV/FIV combo test, and microchip.

While CNHS does have an on-site veterinarian, we do not offer veterinary care for owned animals. Please contact local vet clinics if in need of veterinary services. 

A stray cat is one that is comfortable with humans. In most cases, these are cats that were once owned but became lost or abandoned outdoors. Depending on how long they have been fending for themselves, a stray may react fearfully towards humans but can re-acclimate quickly. Strays are more likely to approach people, houses, and cars. Stray cats found within Hall County, NE may be brought to CNHS.  

Feral cats are unsocialized and, typically, have never been owned by a person. They are very fearful of humans and will not approach you. Ferals are more likely to run away or seek hiding places to avoid people. Because they are not socialized with humans, they behave similarly to wildlife and have excellent survival instincts. They do not rely on human intervention to survive. In the City of Grand Island, feral cats are considered wildlife. Feral cats are not accepted at CNHS. 

If you have caught a cat in a trap in Hall County and are unsure whether it is a stray or feral, you may call to have an Animal Control Officer dispatched to your location to make this decision. If the ACO believes it is a stray, it will be brought to the shelter; if the ACO believes it is a feral cat, it will be released at the same location. 

Our friends at Alley Cat Allies have some excellent tips on determining whether a cat is a stray or feral, to learn more, click HERE to learn more!

CNHS believes that feral cats can survive outside with little human support. Per Grand Island City Codes, feral cats are considered wildlife. CNHS does not have the ability to care for feral cats or other wildlife within our facility, and so, we do not accept either unless it is sick or injured.