Rescue guide
Cat rescues in Brighton, Worthing and Sussex, compared
None of the cat rescues on our list keeps its cats inside Brighton, and before this update we showed hardly any cats near the city. Four Sussex rescues now add theirs, from a volunteer trust that fosters around Worthing to a centre near Lewes that rehomes over a thousand animals a year. This guide compares where their cats live, how each picks a home, and what it asks you to pay or give.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 5 November 2026
The short answer
For a cat near Brighton, start with Worthing Cat Welfare Trust, about 10 miles west, which places cats from shelters and foster homes, asks a donation for an adult cat and suggests £100 for a kitten. Raystede near Ringmer charges £100 a cat, Wadars £110, and The Kit Wilson Trust at Hadlow Down takes a donation of your choice.
- Rescue adoption fees
- 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.
- Worthing Cat Welfare Trust
- Adult cats by donation, no set fee (a cat costs it at least £300 on average); kittens £100, or £190 for two.
- Raystede
- £100 for a cat of 7 months or more, £130 for a kitten, with 4 weeks of Petplan.
- Wadars
- £110 over six months, £130 at six months or under.
- The Kit Wilson Trust
- No set fee: a donation of your choice.
- Owning a cat
- PDSA reckons a cat costs £11,400 to £13,600 or more over its life.
Cat rescues for Brighton, Worthing and Sussex compared
Every rescue in the table joins our Brighton pages with this update. Distances are straight-line from Brighton, and the rescue holding the cat handles the adoption.
| Rescue | Where the cats are | Before you meet | Cat fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worthing Cat Welfare Trust | Shelters and foster homes around Worthing (about 10 miles) | Application, home check, then a cattery visit | Donation; kittens £100 |
| Raystede | Its own cattery near Ringmer (about 10 miles) | Online application, then an invitation | £100, kittens £130 |
| Wadars | Commercial catteries where needed for now; Worthing area (about 10 miles) | Phone chat, then meet the cat | £110, kittens £130 |
| The Kit Wilson Trust | Its cattery at Hadlow Down (about 18 miles) | Register, possible home visit, appointment | Donation of your choice |
The cat rescues near Brighton, one by one
Fees sit close together; what changes is where the cats live and how much each rescue wants to know about your home first.
Worthing Cat Welfare Trust
Formed in 1995, the trust says it rehomes about 280 cats a year without a centre of its own: cats wait in a few shelters, one of them for mothers and kittens, and with foster carers. It welcomes adopters from the Worthing, Arun and Adur districts and the surrounding area, checks your home first, then gives you the details of the cattery to visit. No cat goes home on the day of that first visit.
It considers indoor homes only for cats that lived indoors before or need it for their health, and it won't split a bonded pair. Its Golden Oldies scheme helps with age-related vet bills for a cat adopted at 13 or over.
Raystede, near Ringmer
Raystede's cattery isn't open to the public, so the cats stay calm until a matched adopter is invited in. Most of its cats want a home with outdoor access, renters need their landlord's permission before a reservation, and a cat goes home flea and worm treated with 4 weeks of Petplan. On 5 November 2026 five of the fourteen cats on its page were 10 or older.
Wadars, Worthing
The Kit Wilson Trust, Hadlow Down
At The Kit Wilson Trust you register first, by phone or online; adopters hoping for a cat are shown round the cattery at their appointment. It won't home a cat in a house on a busy road, and it asks you to agree to neutering and to return the cat to the Trust if things don't work out. The charity began in 1975 with a legacy from a cat show judge.
Choosing a cat rescue from Brighton
Look at our Brighton cats page first, then check these against your home:
- Roads and outdoor access. Kit Wilson turns down homes on busy roads, and Raystede and Worthing Cat Welfare Trust mostly want homes where a cat can go out.
- Renting. All four ask for your landlord's permission, so get it in writing before you apply.
- Where you live. Worthing Cat Welfare Trust welcomes adopters from Worthing, Arun and Adur and the area around, and says applications from outside it are increasingly hard to take on.
- Older cats. Ask Worthing Cat Welfare Trust about Golden Oldies if you would like a cat of 13 or more.
Cat rescue near Worthing and Eastbourne
Worthing has two of the four on its doorstep, and our Worthing cats page also reaches The Cat & Rabbit Rescue Centre at Sidlesham, near Chichester. From Eastbourne, our Eastbourne cats page adds Celia Hammond Animal Trust's centre at Brede and Rolvenden Cat Rescue, both listed with us already.
Kittens, strays and Cats Protection
Kittens near Brighton are covered in our rescue kittens guide. Cats Protection also rehomes cats in Sussex; we don't list its cats, so search its own site.
Found a friendly cat? In England a pet cat over 20 weeks old must be microchipped, so any vet can scan it for an owner. Worthing Cat Welfare Trust also takes cats from owners who can't keep them.
The law in England
Microchipping cats
In England, cats must be microchipped before they are 20 weeks old and registered on a database, a rule in force since 10 June 2024. An owner found without one has 21 days to comply or may be fined up to £500. Free-living cats (farm, feral and community cats) are exempt.
Lucy's Law: buying a kitten
In England, Lucy's Law has meant since 6 April 2020 that kittens under six months can't be sold by a third party such as a pet shop or dealer: you buy direct from the breeder or adopt from a rehoming centre.
Questions
Tap a question to expand
Is there a cat rescue in Brighton?
Not one we list inside the city. The nearest are Worthing Cat Welfare Trust and Wadars around Worthing and Raystede near Ringmer, each about 10 miles away, and The Kit Wilson Trust at Hadlow Down, about 18.
Is there a cat rescue in Worthing?
Yes. Worthing Cat Welfare Trust places cats from shelters and foster homes around the town, and Wadars rehomes cats there too. Our Worthing cats page also reaches The Cat & Rabbit Rescue Centre at Sidlesham.
Which cat rescues cover Sussex near Brighton?
Worthing Cat Welfare Trust and Wadars in West Sussex, and Raystede and The Kit Wilson Trust in East Sussex. All four list cats on our Brighton pages from this update.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat near Brighton?
Raystede charges £100 for a cat and Wadars £110. Worthing Cat Welfare Trust and The Kit Wilson Trust take a donation for an adult cat, and the trust suggests £100 for a kitten or £190 for two.
Can I visit Raystede to choose a cat?
Not by walking in. Raystede's cattery is closed to the public; you apply online and it invites you to meet a cat it thinks suits your home.
Will Worthing Cat Welfare Trust rehome to Brighton?
It welcomes adopters from the Worthing, Arun and Adur districts and the area around them, and says applications from further away are increasingly hard for its volunteers to handle. Ask before you apply from Brighton.
Can I adopt an indoor cat near Brighton?
Sometimes. Worthing Cat Welfare Trust keeps a waiting list for indoor homes and offers only cats that lived indoors before or need to for their health. Most of Raystede's cats want outdoor access.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Brighton and Hove? Get your animals listed free.
Every animal links back to your own adoption page, and you can ask to be removed at any time.
Sources: Worthing Cat Welfare Trust: adoption process (area, home check, fees, indoor cats) · Worthing Cat Welfare Trust: about (1995, shelters and fosters, 280 a year) · Worthing Cat Welfare Trust: Golden Oldies · Worthing Cat Welfare Trust: rehome to us · Raystede: adopt a cat FAQs (fees, outdoor access, cattery closed) · Raystede: cats for adoption (dated snapshot) · Raystede: FAQs (over 1,000 animals a year) · Wadars: adopt a pet (process, cat fees) · Wadars: cats · The Kit Wilson Trust: animal rehoming (process, busy roads, donation) · The Kit Wilson Trust: about (1975) · Cats Protection: home page · Brighton & Hove City Council: microchipping (read in Chrome) · PDSA: the cost of owning a cat · gov.uk: Get your dog microchipped · gov.uk: Banned dogs · gov.uk: Lucy's Law in England · legislation.gov.uk: Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 · gov.uk: microchipping for cats becomes compulsory