Adopting a British Shorthair in Birmingham: rescues, rules and costs

Our count above updates itself from the listings: it covers British Shorthairs and their crosses with the rescues we list within about 25 miles of Birmingham, and every profile links back to its rescue. Locally they are scarce but not unknown. On 20 October 2026, The Animal House Rescue had two lilac British Shorthairs, a bonded pair in foster in Birmingham, marked reserved; reserved cats drop out of our count. Most days, expect that count to be zero.

There are no breed-only intake figures that we could find, so the best guide is what the pedigree rescue says about its cats in general. Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescue says most arrive from homes where babies or children were upsetting them. Its policy page lists other routes in: cats kept in a garden pen for breeding, cats left behind in a garden after a move, and many that simply clashed with other cats, dogs or children.

Ask Strawberry for the fee on the cat you like, since none is printed. The package is spelled out: its homepage says every cat is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and treated for fleas and worms, with 5 weeks' insurance free, and the adoption page requires you to keep lifetime cover in place. For a cat from the club page, ask the owner which of those jobs are done.

Buying means £200 to well over £1,000 for a registered pedigree (Cats Protection), and the same vet questions for the breeder. Either way, PDSA reckons on £79 a month or more to keep a cat.

Two conditions come up. On kidneys, the GCCF says polycystic kidney disease (PKD, cysts in the kidneys) used to trouble the breed but is now under control because responsible breeders DNA test. On the heart, it warns that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) can be a problem, and that British cats have no DNA test for it yet.

• PDSA agrees. Its British Shorthair page names HCM and PKD as the breed's possible problems, with a genetic test available for PKD.
• A rescue vet check has limits. Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescue has a vet see each cat at vaccination, but it doesn't DNA test, scan or X-ray every one, so ask what is known about your cat.

Indoor life suits the breed. The GCCF calls the British fine as an indoor-only cat, and says any time outside should be supervised because a trusting cat can come to harm. Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescue rehomes its cats as indoor-only unless a listing says otherwise, and is happy with a flat, provided windows stay shut and a balcony is either fully cat-proofed or off limits. The pair The Animal House Rescue had reserved on 20 October 2026 needed a catio or cat-proof garden, so read each cat's own needs.

Expect a placid companion. PDSA describes a relaxed breed that may dislike being picked up and may not settle with other cats unless it grew up with them.

No rescue British Shorthair is for sale. You apply for one cat, the rescue chooses the home that suits it, and you pay an adoption fee. Pedigree rescues mainly take adults from owners who can't keep them, and Strawberry runs no breed waiting list for kittens. For what is available near the city today, check our Birmingham British Shorthair page.

If you buy, Cats Protection advises a breeder registered with a breed body such as the GCCF, and meeting the kitten with its mother at the breeder's home, not buying from a video or a social media post. Responsible breeders DNA test for PKD, says the GCCF, so ask to see both parents' results. Report a scam advert to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud).