Rescue cats for adoption and rehoming in and around Leeds

Of the cat rescues we list, only Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) has foster carers inside Leeds itself. It is a volunteer branch of a small national cat charity, and it asks a donation for each cat rather than a set fee.

The others are a short drive away: Yorkshire Cat Rescue is a rehoming centre in Keighley with its kittens in foster, and Heronbank Cat Rescue fosters in Huddersfield and rehomes within Yorkshire only. Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity and Royston Animal Welfare are on the Barnsley side, and Greenleaf Animal Rescue is a national foster network. Our Leeds cat rescues guide compares every one.

Where you live decides which cats a Leeds rescue can place with you (each rescue's rule). Check the rule before you apply.

• Main roads. Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) prefers homes away from busy and main roads, so it checks your address first.
• Flats and indoor cats. Yorkshire Cat Rescue matches homes in flats or near a busy road with a cat that already likes staying in, and not usually with one used to coming and going outdoors. Cats their rescue says need an indoor-only home are on our Leeds indoor cats page.
• Home checks. Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) always checks your address and visits, Royston Animal Welfare arranges one once you decide, and Heronbank Cat Rescue asks a £10 home check fee first, taken off the adoption donation if you pass.

Leeds-area cat rescues that publish a fee ask from £80 at Royston Animal Welfare to £125 for an adult cat at Yorkshire Cat Rescue. In between, Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity asks £110 for an adult cat. Kittens are £130 at Barnsley and £135 at Yorkshire Cat Rescue.

Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) and Heronbank Cat Rescue ask a donation rather than a set fee, so ask them how much. Cats Protection's Harrogate & District branch, which covers LS17, LS22 and LS23, asks £95 for an adult cat and £115 for a kitten up to 6 months.

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.

These charities rehome cats around Leeds (our guide to them). We don't list their cats, so search their own sites.

• The Cats Protection Leeds Cat Centre covers LS1 to LS18 and LS24 to LS28, plus some BD and WF postcodes. It is open every day from 11am to 3pm, and all cat viewings are by appointment.
• Cats Protection Harrogate & District, a volunteer branch, covers LS17, LS22 and LS23, and Cats Protection North Yorkshire Cat Centre covers LS24 and LS25 (Cats Protection lists the postcodes on each branch page).
• The RSPCA's Leeds, Wakefield and District Branch has an animal centre at East Ardsley. The RSPCA also rehomes animals; search on its own site.

Take it to a vet or a cat rescue, who can scan it for a microchip. The council stray service is set up for dogs: the law behind it, section 149 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, is headed "Seizure of stray dogs". The RSPCA says it can't respond to calls about healthy stray cats, and in England a pet cat must now be microchipped, so a scan is the quickest way to find its owner.

Looking for a kitten? Our rescue kittens guide for Leeds covers which rescues have kittens and why some prefer pairs, and the kittens page lists every kitten near Leeds today. There are pages too for older cats and bonded pairs.

Need to rehome your own cat instead? Our Leeds rehoming page covers the Cats Protection Leeds Cat Centre, the Harrogate & District branch's Direct Homing scheme and Heronbank Cat Rescue's surrender form.