Rescue tortoiseshell cats for adoption and rehoming in the UK

As of 8 November 2026, 41 tortoiseshell cats are listed for adoption in the UK on LocalPetFinder, from Rescue Remedies, Midlands Animal Rescue Team, Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds), Warrington Animal Welfare, Feline Friends London, Freshfields Animal Rescue, Protected Paws Animal Rescue, Animal Krackers, Animal Rescue Cumbria, Caring for Cats (Yorkshire and Humber), Cat Rescue Chippenham, Cats Guidance Rescue, Celia Hammond Animal Trust, Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society, Eden Animal Rescue, Fife Cat Shelter, Four Paws Cat Rescue, Hounslow Animal Welfare Society, London Inner City Kitties, Margaret Green Animal Rescue (Church Knowle), Phoenix Rehoming, Royston Animal Welfare, St Francis Animal Welfare, Tails Animal Rescue, Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, Windyway Animal Rescue and Woodlands Animal Sanctuary. Each profile links to the rescue, and you apply to adopt with them directly.

As of 8 November 2026, Rescue Remedies (at Smallfield): 5, Midlands Animal Rescue Team (at Tipton): 4, Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) (at Leeds): 3, Warrington Animal Welfare (at Warrington): 3, Feline Friends London (at London): 2 and Freshfields Animal Rescue (at Ince Blundell): 2, and 21 more. By age, that is 7 kittens, 21 adult cats and 1 older cat, plus 12 with no age given. The newest was added on 7 November 2026. Each profile links to the rescue, which handles the adoption.

With the rescue that has the cat. Today the tortoiseshell cats on this page are with Rescue Remedies (5), Midlands Animal Rescue Team (4), Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) (3), Warrington Animal Welfare (3), Feline Friends London (2), Freshfields Animal Rescue (2) and 21 other rescues. Open a profile and apply to that rescue: each one runs its own application, home check and adoption fee. We don't rehome animals ourselves.

Nearly always. Cats Protection says nearly all tortoiseshell cats are female. The rescue's profile will say whether a particular tortie is male or female.

Very rarely. Cats Protection says a male tortoiseshell would need an extra chromosome, two X chromosomes and a Y, which is extremely rare. Male cats can usually only be ginger or not ginger.

Because of the X chromosome. Cats Protection says the ginger colour comes from a gene mutation on the X chromosome. A female has two X chromosomes, so she can carry ginger on one and another colour on the other, which gives the tortoiseshell patches. A male usually has only one X.

No, it is a coat colour. PDSA lists tortoiseshell among the colours of non-pedigree domestic cats, and some pedigree breeds come in tortie colours too, such as the tortie point Siamese the GCCF recognises.

A torbie is a tortoiseshell tabby: a tortie whose coat also shows tabby markings. The GCCF, for example, recognises "tortie tabby points" in the Siamese. Rescues use both names, so this page includes cats listed as either.

Not reliably. Cats Protection says a cat's personality is more important than its colour, and that temperament depends on many things, including its experiences as a kitten. The rescue's description of the individual cat is the best guide.

Yes. Cats Protection says one litter can contain kittens of all different colours, particularly if the mother mated with more than one male. Male kittens always inherit their colour from their mother, while female kittens are a combination of both parents' colours.

It depends on the cat, not the breed. Most of the 41 tortoiseshell cats listed in the UK today don't say either way, so ask the rescue. Where a profile says nothing, ask the rescue what age of children the cat could live with.

Each rescue sets its own adoption fee. Battersea charges £100 for a cat over six months and £130 for a kitten, 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.

No. We don't list animals for sale. Every tortoiseshell on this page is with a rescue or rehoming centre. Rescues rehome animals rather than selling them, usually for an adoption fee: for example, Battersea charges £100 for a cat over six months and £130 for a kitten. The fee usually goes towards vet work already done, such as neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations. If you searched "tortoiseshell kittens for sale", the tortoiseshell cats here are the rescue route: you apply to the rescue and pay its adoption fee, not a sale price.

Usually not. UK rescues normally ask for an adoption fee, which pays towards neutering, microchipping and vaccinations. At the large cat charities, fees for one cat are under £200: Battersea charges £100 for a cat over six months and £130 for a kitten, and Cats Protection says £80 to £120 on average for an adult cat. An animal offered "free to a good home" is usually a private advert rather than a rescue.

Yes: 7 kittens of the 41 listed in the UK are 12 months or under by their listed age.

Yes: 1 of the 41 listed in the UK is aged 10 or over by their listed age. Some rescues charge less for older cats: Blue Cross fees start from £100 for cats aged 8 or over.

This page lists every tortoiseshell with the rescues we list across the UK, each with its town. For a city, see tortoiseshell cats in Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Ipswich, Kendal, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Truro and Worcester. You can also search by postcode with the pet finder on our home page to see what is closest to you.