Rescue guide
Cat rescues in Bristol: the best ones compared
Bristol's cat rescues could hardly be more different: a volunteer shelter in Bishopston with the strictest rules of any rescue we list, a foster network that needs no garden at all, and catteries out in Somerset, in Gloucestershire and in south Wales. This guide sets the six rescues whose cats we list side by side, with Cats Protection's Bristol branch and the RSPCA's local centres.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 27 October 2026
The short answer
Inside the city, The Moggery in Bishopston rehomes cats to homeowners with a garden and a cat flap, away from main roads, and asks for a donation rather than a fee. Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue keeps its cats in foster homes around Bristol, needs no garden and sets a minimum fee of £100 a cat (its 2025 figure). Further out, Compassion for Cats has a cattery at Oakhill in Somerset, and Happy Landings in Somerset, Teckels in Gloucestershire and All Creatures Great and Small in south Wales rehome cats alongside dogs.
- 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.
- Cat rescues near Bristol that publish a fee
- £90 for a cat and £120 for a kitten at Teckels Animal Sanctuaries; a £99 donation for a cat and £120 for a kitten at All Creatures Great and Small in south Wales; a minimum of £100 a cat at Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue, its 2025 figure; and a £150 adoption donation at Compassion for Cats. The Moggery charges no fee but asks for a generous donation, and Happy Landings doesn't publish one.
- Buying a pedigree cat
- Cats Protection says, in its "Getting a pedigree cat" advice, that a registered pedigree can cost anything from £200 to well over £1,000 depending on the breed.
- A lifetime with a cat
- PDSA estimates a cat costs at least £11,400 to £13,600 over its lifetime, with set-up costs of about £366 and a minimum of £79 a month (its 2024 figures, not counting buying the cat).
Cat rescues near Bristol compared
Below, nearest first, are the rescues whose cats appear on our pages within about 25 miles of central Bristol. A rescue's name leads to the cats it has with us today; the third column goes to its own adoption page. The rescue runs the application, the home check and the fee: LocalPetFinder doesn't rehome cats.
Only The Moggery has premises in the city. Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue's cats live with volunteer fosterers around Bristol, and the other four are a drive of 16 to 25 miles.
| Rescue | Where | How you adopt (their site) | Fee (their words) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Moggery | Bishopston, Bristol (a shelter run by volunteers) | Meet its criteria, then phone for an appointment | No fee; "a generous donation" towards vet bills |
| Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue | Volunteer foster homes around Bristol | Apply online or by phone, a home check, then meet the cat in its foster home | A minimum of £100 a cat (its 2025 figure) |
| Compassion for Cats | Bramley Farm, Oakhill, Somerset (about 16 miles), plus fosterers | A visit by appointment, then a home check before you can reserve | A £150 adoption donation |
| All Creatures Great and Small | Llanfrechfa, Cwmbran, in south Wales (about 21 miles) | A "Perfect match form", a meet and greet, then a home visit | £99 for a cat, £120 for a kitten under 12 months (donations) |
| Happy Landings Animal Rescue Centre | Pylle, near Shepton Mallet, Somerset (about 22 miles) | Its rehoming form, an appointment, then a home visit | Not published |
| Teckels Animal Sanctuaries | Whitminster, Gloucestershire (about 25 miles) | An online application for a named cat, then meetings by appointment | £90 for a cat, £120 for a kitten |
Which rescue near Bristol for which cat
Roughly, the six fall into three groups: a city shelter, a foster network and the country catteries.
In the city: The Moggery
The Moggery opened in 1997 in Bishopston and is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers, rehoming about 250 cats a year. It asks you to check its criteria before you get in touch, and they are the strictest of any rescue we list near Bristol. You must own your home, have a garden with grass and borders, live away from a main road or bus route, have a cat flap fitted, be ready to pay vet bills for 18 to 20 years, and live in the wider Bristol area.
If you meet them, you phone The Moggery for an appointment; every visit is booked, and not all of its cats are shown online. Because its checks are done in advance, you can take a cat home the same day. Its cats over 20 weeks are neutered, microchipped and treated for worms and fleas, and kittens must stay indoors until they are neutered and at least five and a half months old. There is no fee, though it asks for a generous donation towards the vet bills.
Foster homes around Bristol: Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue
Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue keeps its cats with volunteer fosterers, and despite its name the cats we list are fostered around Bristol. You apply online or by phone, a volunteer checks your home, and then you meet the cat in its foster home, where you may be able to take it home there and then. It doesn't insist on a garden or a cat flap, your working hours won't rule you out, and it says it doesn't rule anyone out on location alone.
Whether a cat can share a home with children is set out on its profile, and on that point the rescue doesn't bend. Kittens go in pairs where possible, a single kitten under 14 to 16 weeks won't go alone, and kittens are never homed as indoor-only cats. Its minimum fee is £100 a cat, its 2025 figure, and it offers free neutering for its young adoptees at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre.
Out of town: Compassion for Cats, Happy Landings, Teckels and All Creatures Great and Small
Compassion for Cats became a registered charity in October 2023 and runs a cattery with heated pens and an outdoor pen at Bramley Farm, Oakhill, about 16 miles south, with other cats in foster homes; some of its cats suit farms and stables. Visits are by appointment, and for a fostered cat it puts you in touch with the fosterer. A home check comes before any reservation, after which you collect the cat or it is delivered. It matches cats to homes, so a cat that doesn't mix with small children isn't offered to a family with them.
Happy Landings Animal Rescue Centre near Shepton Mallet asks you to download its rehoming form and book an appointment, holds a cat for 24 hours after you meet it, and then makes a home visit. Teckels Animal Sanctuaries, in Gloucestershire, rehomes by appointment only after an online application for a named cat. All Creatures Great and Small, at Cwmbran in south Wales, asks everyone in the household to a meet and greet before a home visit, and its cats go home with 4 weeks of free Petplan insurance.
How to choose a cat rescue near Bristol
Your home narrows the field quickly, because the rescues near Bristol set very different rules. Ask yourself these questions first.
- You rent or live in a flat. The Moggery homes only to homeowners with a garden. Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue doesn't turn families away for a lack of outside space, and All Creatures Great and Small and Teckels ask renters for their landlord's permission in writing.
- You live on a busy road. The Moggery won't home a cat near a main road or bus route; Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue judges busy roads case by case.
- You want an indoor cat. Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue never homes kittens as indoor-only, and The Moggery wants a cat flap. Cats their rescue wants kept indoors are on our indoor cats page.
- You have young children. Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue states on every profile whether a cat suits children, and Compassion for Cats only offers families with small children cats that mix with them.
- You don't drive. The Moggery is in Bishopston, Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue's cats are fostered around the city, and Compassion for Cats can deliver your cat after the home check, though you visit it first.
Adopting a cat near Bristol, step by step
The order shifts a little between rescues, but the stages are the same. Expect a "home check": a volunteer calls round, usually briefly, to see the place the cat would live.
- Shortlist a cat on our Bristol pages or the rescue's site, noting anything its write-up rules out, such as small children, other cats or a life without outdoor access.
- Check the rescue's own rules before you apply. The Moggery asks you to meet its criteria first, then phone.
- Apply. Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue takes an online form or a call, Teckels Animal Sanctuaries an online application for a named cat, and Happy Landings Animal Rescue Centre its rehoming form.
- Have the home check and meet the cat, at the shelter, cattery or foster home. Compassion for Cats reserves a cat only once the home check has gone well.
- Settle the fee or donation and collect your cat, then sign up with a vet and stick to anything in the adoption agreement, for example getting a kitten neutered.
Cats Protection and the RSPCA in Bristol
Two well-known charities also rehome cats around Bristol. Their cats aren't on our pages; go to each charity's own website.
- Cats Protection's Bristol & District branch is run by volunteers and covers most BS postcodes in and around the city; you enquire about a cat through its listing on Cats Protection's website. Cats Protection says an adult cat costs £80 to £120 on average across its branches.
- Bristol Animal Rescue Centre in St Philips, the working name of the RSPCA's Bristol branch, and Bath Cats & Dogs Home at Claverton Down, the RSPCA's Bath and North Somerset branch, rehome animals from their own centres.
Find a cat near Bristol
Each of these pages pulls together one kind of cat across all six rescues, with the closest at the top: kittens, older cats, bonded pairs, long-haired cats or special needs cats, or browse domestic shorthairs, black cats and tabby cats.
Found a stray instead? Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue suggests a paper collar and asking at nearby doors first, then a free microchip scan at a vet. Don't expect the council to collect it: the stray duty in England's Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 149, covers dogs, not cats.
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
What is the best cat rescue in Bristol?
Which one is best for you turns on your home, your household and the cat you are after. The Moggery in Bishopston suits homeowners with a garden away from main roads, Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue suits homes without a garden and fosters around the city, Further out are Compassion for Cats and Happy Landings in Somerset, Teckels in Gloucestershire and All Creatures Great and Small in south Wales. Steps and fees for all six are in the comparison table.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat in Bristol?
Usually £90 to £150 at the rescues that publish a fee. Teckels Animal Sanctuaries asks £90, All Creatures Great and Small a £99 donation, Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue a minimum of £100 (its 2025 figure) and Compassion for Cats a £150 donation. The Moggery asks for a donation instead of a fee, and Happy Landings Animal Rescue Centre doesn't publish one.
Can I adopt a cat for free, or for £100 or less, in Bristol?
No rescue gives cats away, though several ask £100 or less: Teckels Animal Sanctuaries asks £90 for a cat and All Creatures Great and Small a £99 donation. The Moggery charges no set fee but asks for a generous donation towards vet bills. If an advert offers a cat for nothing, you are dealing with a private owner, so check its vaccinations and neutering yourself.
Do I need to own my home or have a garden to adopt a cat in Bristol?
Only at The Moggery, which homes only to homeowners with a garden and a cat flap, away from main roads and bus routes. Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue doesn't require a garden or a cat flap, and says indoor cats are also an option. Renters elsewhere may need their landlord's written permission, as at Teckels and All Creatures Great and Small.
Can I take a rescue cat home the same day in Bristol?
Sometimes. The Moggery says you can take your cat home the same day, because its checks are done beforehand, and Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue may let you take a cat home from the foster home there and then. Compassion for Cats reserves a cat only after a home check, then arranges collection or delivery.
Can I adopt from Cats Protection in Bristol?
Yes. Cats Protection's Bristol & District branch is run by volunteers and covers most BS postcodes, and you enquire about a cat through its listing on Cats Protection's website. Its cats aren't on LocalPetFinder, and Cats Protection says adult cats cost £80 to £120 on average.
Should I adopt a kitten, an adult or an older cat?
Think about how much time you have at home. Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue homes kittens in pairs where it can, and The Moggery keeps kittens indoors until they are neutered. With an adult or older cat you know its character before it comes home; our older cats page lists those near Bristol today.
What should I do if I find a stray cat in Bristol?
Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue suggests a paper collar and asking at nearby doors, then a free microchip scan at a vet, which needs no appointment. The council won't collect it, because the stray duty in England's Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 149, covers dogs, not cats.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Bristol? 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: The Moggery: how to adopt (criteria, donation, same-day homing) · The Moggery: about us · Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue: adopt (fee, pairs, no garden needed) · Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue: rehoming and strays · Compassion for Cats: adoption and foster process · Compassion for Cats: about us · Happy Landings Animal Rescue Centre: how to rehome a cat · Teckels Animal Sanctuaries: how to adopt (fees) · All Creatures Great and Small: the adoption process (rehoming donations) · Cats Protection: Bristol & District branch page and its Getting a pedigree cat advice (homepage linked; its terms ask that deep links be approved) · Bristol Animal Rescue Centre · Bath Cats & Dogs Home · PDSA: the cost of owning a cat · legislation.gov.uk: Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 149 (seizure of stray dogs) · 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