Rescue cats for adoption and rehoming in and around Birmingham

Unlike the dog rescues, several of Birmingham's cat rescues are inside the city, and most keep their cats in volunteers' homes. Team Cat Rescue has fosterers in North Birmingham, Left Paw Cat Rescue in Kings Heath, and Fur and Feathers Animal Sanctuary is foster based in South Birmingham. Freddie's Felines is in Quinton, and The Animal House Rescue has fosterers in Birmingham, West Bromwich and near Bromsgrove.

Around the city, Midlands Animal Rescue Team keeps its cats with fosterers in Tipton, Coseley, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Penkridge, and Wild Acre Rescue is in Cradley Heath. Wythall Animal Sanctuary is at Kings Norton, on the edge of the city, and Redditch Cat Rescue, Coventry Cat Group and Avon Cat Rescue are further out. Our Birmingham cat rescues guide compares every one we list.

Birmingham's cat rescues differ most on indoor homes, roads and children (each rescue's rule). Check the rule before you apply.

• Indoor homes. Fur and Feathers Animal Sanctuary says "All our cats are to be adopted on an "indoor only" basis", though a catio or cat-proof garden is fine. Coventry Cat Group looks for safe indoor homes unless a cat's bio says otherwise, and Left Paw Cat Rescue marks some cats to be rehomed indoor only.
• Busy roads. Wythall Animal Sanctuary won't rehome cats on or near a busy road or railway line, but says "We will rehome suitable cats to indoor homes, and also kittens".
• Young children. Wythall Animal Sanctuary doesn't rehome to homes with children under 3, and Team Cat Rescue says an adoption is not guaranteed with children under 5. Coventry Cat Group looks at kittens going to homes with children under three individually.
• Where you live. Ravens Rescue UK says "we only rehome within the West Midlands area", and Team Cat Rescue aims to rehome within the West Midlands.
• Home checks. Wythall Animal Sanctuary does most cat home checks by video or photos, Fur and Feathers Animal Sanctuary visits in person, and Coventry Cat Group visits before you meet the cat. Your family visits the foster home first at Midlands Animal Rescue Team, which says the whole process takes just a few days.

Birmingham cat rescues that publish a set fee mostly ask £90 to £100 a cat: Midlands Animal Rescue Team a minimum of £90 per cat or kitten, Team Cat Rescue £100 per cat and Coventry Cat Group a minimum of £100. The Animal House Rescue sets a donation on each cat's card. Coventry Cat Group can hold a cat that isn't ready yet for a non-refundable £50 deposit, its own process.

Cats Protection's West Midlands Cat Centre asks £95 for a cat aged 6 months and over and £115 for a cat or kitten up to 6 months. The fee pays towards vet work, and can include insurance: Avon Cat Rescue gives five weeks' free pet insurance "whatever their age".

Each rescue sets its own adoption fee. Cats Protection says you can expect to pay £80 to £120 on average for an adult cat and £100 to £120 for a kitten, varying between its branches, and Blue Cross fees start from £150 for cats aged 4 months to 7 years. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.

These charities rehome cats close to Birmingham (our guide to them). We don't list their cats, so search their own sites.

• Cats Protection's West Midlands Cat Centre is at Hollywood, about 7 miles from the city centre, and covers most Birmingham postcodes. It is open for cat adoptions by appointment only, six days a week (closed Wednesdays) between 11am and 2pm, and North Birmingham has its own Cats Protection volunteer branch.
• The Blue Cross Bromsgrove rehoming centre rehomes cats as well as dogs, and you apply through the form on each pet's profile.
• The RSPCA also rehomes animals; search on its own site.

Take it to a vet or a cat rescue, who can scan it for a microchip. The council stray service is set up for dogs: the law behind it, section 149 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, is headed "Seizure of stray dogs". The RSPCA says it can't respond to calls about healthy stray cats, and in England a pet cat must now be microchipped, so a scan is the quickest way to find its owner.

Looking for a kitten? Our rescue kittens guide for Birmingham covers which rescues have kittens and their rules on pairs: several, including Wythall Animal Sanctuary and Avon Cat Rescue, prefer to rehome young kittens two by two. The kittens page lists every kitten near Birmingham today, and there are pages for older cats, indoor cats and bonded pairs.

Need to rehome your own cat instead? Our Birmingham rehoming page covers Cats Protection's West Midlands Cat Centre, Blue Cross Home Direct and Wythall Animal Sanctuary's cat waiting list.