Rescue cats for adoption and rehoming in and around Kendal

Animal Rescue Cumbria near Kendal rehomes cats and kittens as well as dogs, meeting adopters in its cat rehoming room. Animal Care Lancaster Morecambe & District at Lancaster, Animal Welfare (Furness), whose cattery is in Barrow-in-Furness, and Eden Animal Rescue, near Penrith, list cats with us too. Each profile links to the rescue that cares for the cat, and you apply with them.

Bentham & District Pet Rescue at High Bentham, about 18 miles east, keeps its cats in foster homes and helps pets from Bentham and the area around it.

Animal Rescue Cumbria asks £150 for a cat and £100 for a kitten, not refundable. Animal Care Lancaster asks a minimum donation of £75 for a cat, and Eden Animal Rescue a minimum of £110 for a cat or kitten and £180 for a pair.

Animal Welfare (Furness) asks a minimum of £100 for a cat and £150 for a kitten on its adoption form, and £280 for a pair on its pair listings (read 2 November 2026). Bentham & District Pet Rescue asks £100 per pet.

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.

Animal Rescue Cumbria rehomes its cats by appointment, after an enquiry or a form, and never on a first visit; the other rescues each have their own steps.

• Indoors first. Animal Rescue Cumbria neuters adult cats before they go, tests them for FeLV and FIV, starts their vaccinations and microchips them. Keep a new cat in for 4 to 6 weeks, and a kitten in until it is neutered.
• A home check. At Animal Care Lancaster you apply, wait to be invited, reserve the cat, and a home checker visits to see your house suits it. Cats are rehomed as pets, never to be kept outside.
• Photos instead of a visit. Animal Welfare (Furness) asks for its adoption form and photos of your living area, kitchen and outside space, and does not rehome to families with children under 5.

The RSPCA Westmorland Branch rehomes cats and kittens from its cattery at Beezon Fields in Kendal, through its own site. We don't list RSPCA animals, so look there and apply to it directly.

In England a pet cat must now be microchipped, so a vet's scan is the quickest way to find the owner. Ask neighbours too, since a cat you haven't seen before may simply be new to the street.

The council stray service is for dogs: in England, section 149 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 deals with stray dogs, not cats.

Our guide to cat rescues in Kendal compares every rescue above. The kittens page lists every kitten near Kendal today, and there are pages too for older cats and bonded pairs.

Need to rehome your own cat instead? Our Kendal rehoming page covers Animal Rescue Cumbria's cat intake form.