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Start Here > What is a Gap Analysis? > How a Gap Analysis Works > Sample Gap Analysis > Summary & Takeaways > Try it Yourself!

Sample Gap Analysis

This example walks you through a simple, realistic scenario so you can see how a gap analysis actually works inside a shelter. The numbers are fictional, but the situation is one many shelters face every year.

Meet the Shelter: "Anytown Animal Services"

  • Municipal contract

  • About 300 animals per year

  • 90 dogs, 210 cats

  • Small staff, limited veterinary capacity

  • Strong community support and volunteer interest

  • Current overall save rate of 75%

Even at 300 animals a year, Anytown Animal Services still qualifies as a small shelter. They’re managing a steady intake with limited resources, and on the surface their numbers look decent. But a deeper look at their outcomes reveals which animals are doing well, and which ones are slipping through the cracks.

Step 1: Look at the Outcomes

When the shelter sorts animals into meaningful groups and compares outcomes over the last year, clear patterns emerge.

Outcomes from the Last 12 Months:

  • Adult dogs: 90 intake | 83 live outcomes | 7 euth/deaths
    (Save rate: ~ 92 percent)

  • Adult cats: 150 intake | 120 live outcomes | 30 euth/deaths
    (Save rate ~ 80 percent)

  • Neonatal kittens: 60 intake | 29 live outcomes | 31 euth/died in care
    (Save rate ~ 48 percent)

Dogs are doing very well. Adult cats have room for improvement. But neonatal kittens (kittens under eight weeks old) are facing the highest risk by far. This is the shelter’s biggest gap.

Step 2: Understand Why the Gap Exists

Once Anytown Animal Services identifies who is struggling, the next step is understanding why.

A quick internal review shows:

  • No neonatal foster program

  • No overnight staff

  • No clear feeding or housing protocols for under-8-week kittens

  • Litters placed in standard adult cat housing

  • Volunteers interested in helping, but no training or structure

  • Outcome decisions vary depending on who is on duty

This is a common challenge in many shelters. Neonates simply have needs the shelter isn’t currently set up to meet.

Step 3: Choose the Right Program Response

The shelter reviews several options:

Option A: Reduce neonatal kitten intake

Option B: Focus on increasing adult cat adoptions

Option C: Create a neonatal kitten foster program

The strongest choice is Option C, because it directly supports the population with the highest risk.

A neonatal kitten foster program can include:

  • Recruiting dedicated foster volunteers

  • Providing bottle-feeding and care training

  • Creating simple, step-by-step protocols

  • Setting up supplies (formulas, bottles, heating pads)

  • Building an intake and triage workflow for neonates

  • Assigning one staff member or lead volunteer to coordinate

  • Tracking neonatal outcomes separately week-by-week

The shelter doesn’t need new staff or a new building, just a focused program designed for the animals with the greatest need.

Step 4: See the Impact

After launching the kitten foster program and keeping it running for a full year, the outcomes shift dramatically.

Before the Program:

  • Neonatal kittens: 60 intake | 29 live outcomes | 31 deaths/euth
    (Save rate: 48 percent)

  • Overall save rate: 75 percent

After the Program:

  • Neonatal kittens: 60 intake | 52 live outcomes | 8 deaths/euth
    (Save rate: ~87 percent)

  • Overall save rate: 85 percent

Anytown Animal Services staffing or budget has not changed.

The only change was where they focused their energy.

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