Rescue guide
Cat rescues in Cardiff: the best ones compared
Adopting a cat around Cardiff usually means a branch run by volunteers, a sanctuary out of town or a national charity's centre. These are the cat rescues around the city, side by side, with what each charges and how each works.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 29 October 2026
The short answer
The cat rescue whose cats we list near Cardiff is All Creatures Great and Small at Llanfrechfa, near Cwmbran, about 14 miles north east, which asks £99 for a cat of 12 months or older and £120 for a kitten. Cats Protection runs a volunteer Cardiff & The Vale branch and its Wales Cat Centre near Bridgend, which charges £80 for an adult cat and £100 for a kitten, and the RSPCA's Newport Animal Centre rehomes cats too. We don't list their cats, so look on their own sites.
- 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 around Cardiff
- All Creatures Great and Small asks £99 for a cat of 12 months or older and £120 for a kitten under 12 months. Cats Protection's Wales Cat Centre charges £80 for an adult cat and £100 for a kitten. The RSPCA's Newport Animal Centre and Cats Protection's Cardiff & The Vale branch publish no fee on the pages we read.
- A lifetime with a cat
- PDSA puts the lifetime cost of a cat at £11,400 to £13,600 on 2024 prices, with set-up costs of £366 and at least £79 a month.
Cardiff cat rescues compared
All Creatures Great and Small is the one whose cats we list; the others are charities you contact yourself. Each runs its own application, home check and fee: we don't rehome cats ourselves.
| Rescue | Where | How you adopt |
|---|---|---|
| All Creatures Great and Small | Church Farm, Llanfrechfa, near Cwmbran (about 14 miles north east); cats listed with us | "Perfect match form" or a call; a meet and greet with the household; a home visit |
| Cats Protection Cardiff & The Vale | A volunteer branch covering Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan postcodes; we don't list its cats | Enquire through a cat's listing on the Cats Protection website |
| Cats Protection Wales Cat Centre | Pant Hirwaun, Bryncethin, near Bridgend (about 16 miles west); we don't list its cats | Enquire through a cat's listing; £80 for an adult, £100 for a kitten |
| RSPCA Newport Animal Centre | Newport; cats and dogs its inspectors have taken in; we don't list its cats | Apply online for an animal; a call, a virtual home visit, then a visit by appointment |
Published adoption fees
These are the cat fees the rescues publish on their own sites. A fee usually covers vet work such as neutering and vaccination; ask what has been done for the cat you like.
| Rescue | Cat fee |
|---|---|
| All Creatures Great and Small | "Kittens (under 12 months): £120", "Cats (12 months and older): £99" |
| Cats Protection Wales Cat Centre | "£80 for an adult cat or £100 for a kitten" |
| RSPCA Newport Animal Centre | Not published on its centre page; ask when you apply |
Which Cardiff cat rescue for which cat
Here is how each one works.
All Creatures Great and Small, near Cwmbran
An animal sanctuary at Church Farm, Llanfrechfa, which rehomes dogs, cats and small animals. You start with its "Perfect match form" or a call or email; its adoption process then has a meet and greet, a home visit and an adoption date. Its donations, £99 for a cat of 12 months or older and £120 for a kitten, go towards vet treatment, neutering and flea and worm prevention, and every adopter gets four weeks' free pet insurance. Renters must email their landlord's written permission.
Cats Protection Cardiff & The Vale and the Wales Cat Centre
Cats Protection's Cardiff & The Vale branch is run by a small team of volunteers and covers postcodes across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, among them CF10, CF11, CF14, CF24 and CF62 to CF64; you enquire about a cat through its listing on the Cats Protection website. The charity's Wales Cat Centre at Pant Hirwaun, Bryncethin, near Bridgend, covers postcodes from CF31 to CF43 and parts of the Vale and Neath Port Talbot, and its fee is £80 for an adult cat and £100 for a kitten. Both match each cat to your lifestyle and home before it goes.
RSPCA Newport Animal Centre
The centre rehomes cats and dogs that its inspectors have taken in from cruelty and neglect cases, and doesn't take in unwanted pets from the public. Its animals are advertised on the RSPCA's "Find a pet" website: you complete the online form on an animal's profile, the team phones you if you are a match, then a virtual home visit by video call (or photos of your home), and at least one visit to the centre by appointment. You need photo ID or a utility bill, and you must be 18 or over.
Blue Cross, Newport
Blue Cross runs a rehoming, advice and behaviour unit at Langstone, Newport, about 14 miles east. It has no kennels or cattery on site: its pets stay with their owners or foster carers until they go to new homes, so search the Blue Cross site for cats near you.
How to choose a cat rescue near Cardiff
If you want to see the cats we list, start with our Cardiff cats page: every cat on it is with All Creatures Great and Small or another rescue within about 25 miles. For more choice, check the Cats Protection listings for the Cardiff & The Vale branch and the Wales Cat Centre, and the RSPCA's "Find a pet" listings for Newport.
Two things to settle first. If you rent, get your landlord's permission in writing, as All Creatures Great and Small asks for it. And ask each rescue whether the cat is microchipped: in Wales microchipping a cat is a choice rather than the law (see the law section below), but a chipped cat is far easier to reunite with you if it goes missing.
The law in Wales
Microchipping cats
In Wales, microchipping a cat is a choice rather than a legal requirement: gov.uk says owners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland "can choose to microchip" their cat. Compulsory cat microchipping applies in England only.
Lucy's Law: buying a kitten
In Wales, Lucy's Law has meant since 10 September 2021 that kittens can only be bought where they were bred, or from a rescue or rehoming centre.
Questions
Tap a question to expand
What is the nearest cat rescue to Cardiff?
Cats Protection's Cardiff & The Vale branch is run by volunteers in the city itself, without a public centre. The nearest centre whose cats we list is All Creatures Great and Small at Llanfrechfa, near Cwmbran, about 14 miles north east; Cats Protection's Wales Cat Centre near Bridgend is about 16 miles west.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat in Cardiff?
All Creatures Great and Small asks £99 for a cat of 12 months or older and £120 for a kitten, and Cats Protection's Wales Cat Centre £80 for an adult cat and £100 for a kitten. The RSPCA's Newport Animal Centre publishes no fee on its centre page.
Does Cats Protection rehome cats in Cardiff?
Yes. Its Cardiff & The Vale branch, run by volunteers, rehomes cats across Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan postcodes, and its Wales Cat Centre near Bridgend rehomes cats too. You enquire through each cat's listing on the Cats Protection website; we don't list their cats.
Does the RSPCA rehome cats near Cardiff?
Yes, from its Newport Animal Centre, which rehomes cats and dogs its inspectors have taken in. You apply online through the animal's profile on the RSPCA's "Find a pet" site, then have a call, a virtual home visit and a visit by appointment; adopters must be 18 or over.
Can I visit a cat rescue near Cardiff without an appointment?
Mostly not. The RSPCA's Newport Animal Centre no longer lets visitors walk round and books visits as part of the application, and Cats Protection asks you to enquire through a cat's listing first. Phone or apply before you travel.
Does a rescue cat need to be microchipped in Wales?
No. In Wales microchipping a cat is a choice rather than a legal requirement; compulsory cat microchipping applies in England only. Ask the rescue whether the cat is chipped, and keep your details up to date on the database if it is.
Can I adopt a cat if I rent in Cardiff?
Yes, with your landlord's permission. All Creatures Great and Small asks renters to email their landlord's written permission, so get it before you apply.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Cardiff? 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: All Creatures Great and Small: the adoption process (donations) · All Creatures Great and Small: adopt a pet · Cats Protection Cardiff & The Vale (homepage linked; its terms ask that deep links be approved) · Cats Protection Wales Cat Centre (homepage linked) · Cats Protection: homepage · RSPCA: Newport Animal Centre · Blue Cross: South Wales Newport rehoming and advice unit (read in Chrome) · PDSA: the cost of owning a cat · gov.uk: Get your dog microchipped · gov.uk: Banned dogs · Welsh Government: Lucy's Law in Wales · legislation.gov.uk: Microchipping of Dogs (Wales) Regulations 2015