Rescue guide
Cat rescues in Leeds: the best ones compared
There is no single best cat rescue in Leeds: the right one depends on the cat you want, where you live and how your home is set up. These are the cat rescues within about 25 miles of the city centre whose cats we list, side by side, plus the Cats Protection branches you can contact yourself.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 19 October 2026
The short answer
For a cat fostered inside Leeds, start with Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds). Yorkshire Cat Rescue in Keighley is a rehoming centre whose kittens wait in foster homes, and Pawprints Cat Rescue in Bradford mainly rehomes adult cats for a £100 fee. Expect a home check, and if you live near a busy road, expect to be matched with a cat that stays indoors. Cats Protection's Leeds Cat Centre rehomes cats too, but we don't list its cats, so search its own site.
- 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.
- Leeds-area cat rescues that publish a fee
- From £80 a cat at Royston Animal Welfare, through £100 at Pawprints Cat Rescue and £110 for an adult cat at Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity, to £125 for an adult cat at Yorkshire Cat Rescue. Kittens are £130 at Barnsley and £135 at Yorkshire Cat Rescue. Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) asks a donation and doesn't publish the amount.
- 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. Pedigree cats at Yorkshire Cat Rescue usually cost £400 to £800, shown on each cat's page.
- 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).
Leeds cat rescues compared
Every rescue below keeps the cats we list within about 25 miles of central Leeds. Click a name to see the cats it has listed with us today, or follow the link in the last column to the rescue's own page. Each rescue runs its own application, home check and fee: we don't rehome cats ourselves.
Expect a short drive. Of the cat-only rescues we list, only Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) fosters its cats inside Leeds itself. Pawprints is in Bradford, Yorkshire Cat Rescue in Keighley and Heronbank in Huddersfield, and Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity and Royston Animal Welfare are on the Barnsley side.
| Rescue | Where | How you adopt | Fee (their site) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity | Kennels and cattery near Barnsley (about 17 miles) | Open for rehoming 11am to 3pm on weekdays, weekends by appointment | £110 an adult cat, £130 a kitten |
| Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) | Foster carers in Leeds | Contact it about a cat; it checks your address and does a home check | A donation; ask for the amount |
| Greenleaf Animal Rescue | National foster network; each cat's page says where it is | Apply online; home check and a vet reference | Not published; ask it |
| Heronbank Cat Rescue | Foster homes, Huddersfield (about 14 miles) | Pre-adoption form, a £10 home check fee, then the home check; rehomes within Yorkshire only | A donation; amount not on its adoption page |
| Pawprints Cat Rescue | Bradford (about 8 miles) | Enquiry form, visits by appointment, home check when it brings the cat to you | £100 |
| Royston Animal Welfare | Foster homes near Barnsley (about 15 miles) | Contact it and it puts you in touch with the fosterer; home check once you decide | £80 |
| Yorkshire Cat Rescue | Keighley (about 15 miles); kittens in foster | Apply online for a listed cat; a call if you are a match, then a meeting at the centre | £125 an adult cat, £135 a kitten |
Which Leeds rescue for which cat
The table is alphabetical. Grouped by what each rescue does best, it looks like this.
Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds), inside the city
The only cat rescue we list with foster carers in Leeds itself. It is a volunteer branch of a small national cat charity, and it likes to rehome its cats away from busy and main roads, so it always checks your address and carries out a home check. It asks a donation for each cat or kitten rather than a set fee, so contact it to find out how much.
Yorkshire Cat Rescue, Keighley
A rehoming centre that also uses foster homes. You apply online for a cat and, if you are a match, its team aims to call within 24 to 48 hours; no call means you weren't chosen that time. It holds a reserved cat for three days at most, so apply when you are ready. Adult cats on site can be met at the centre, while kittens stay in foster until they are reserved.
Its fees go towards neutering, microchipping, vaccinations and flea and worm treatment. Its adoption FAQ says you can adopt if you work full time, as long as your cat has indoor shelter while you are out, and that it may help with vet bills for some older cats or cats with long-term conditions, decided cat by cat.
Pawprints Cat Rescue, Bradford
Pawprints mainly rehomes adult cats and only takes kitten adopters for kittens over 12 weeks. Visits are by appointment once it has processed your enquiry. Every adopter is home checked when the cat is dropped off, and it won't rehome an outdoor cat to a home on or very near a main or busy road, a railway line or a waterway. Its fee is £100, and its cats go home health checked by a vet, neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, with 5 weeks' free insurance.
Heronbank Cat Rescue, Huddersfield
Heronbank's cats live in foster homes and it can only rehome within Yorkshire. Once you send its form it asks for a £10 home check fee: that comes off the adoption donation if the check passes, is refunded if it fails, and is not refunded if you pass but decide not to adopt. That is the rescue's own process. You must be able to get to its vet in Mirfield, and any cats you already have must be fully vaccinated.
The Barnsley side
Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity rehomes dogs, cats and rabbits from its kennels and cattery, and its fee includes vaccinations, neutering, a microchip, worming, flea treatment and 4 weeks' free insurance with Petplan. Royston Animal Welfare is foster-based: its fee is £80, its cats are vaccinated, microchipped, neutered and flea and worm treated with 4 weeks' free insurance, and it gives vouchers for anything not done by the time you adopt. When a cat gets lots of applications, it picks the best match to meet the cat first.
A national foster network
Greenleaf Animal Rescue runs a national foster network, so its animals live in foster homes around the UK; each cat's page says where it is. It carries out home checks before adoption and asks for veterinary references.
How to choose a Leeds cat rescue
Start from your own home, because each rescue's rules decide which cats it can place with you. These are the ones Leeds adopters run into most.
- You live near a busy road. Pawprints Cat Rescue won't rehome an outdoor cat on or very near a main road (a catio or cat-proofed garden can help), and Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) prefers homes away from busy and main roads. Yorkshire Cat Rescue matches homes near a busy road with a cat that already lives indoors, unless the cat can go out on the side away from the traffic.
- You live in a flat or want an indoor cat. Yorkshire Cat Rescue will match you with a cat that prefers staying in, but not usually with a cat used to coming and going outdoors. Pawprints marks cats that need outdoor access and cats that need an indoor home or a cat-proofed garden. Cats their rescue says need an indoor-only home are on our Leeds indoor cats page.
- You have children or other pets. Most rescues near Leeds decide cat by cat, so read each profile. Heronbank invites you to tell it whether you want a cat used to dogs or small children, and asks that any cats you already have are fully vaccinated.
- You work full time. Yorkshire Cat Rescue says you can adopt if your cat has indoor shelter while you are out. A pair of cats, or an adult instead of a kitten, can suit a busy home better; bonded cats are listed together.
- Where you live. Heronbank rehomes within Yorkshire only. Pawprints Cat Rescue checks your address first, and Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) always checks your address too.
How adopting from a Leeds cat rescue works
The order varies, but most cat rescues around Leeds follow the same steps. A "home check" is a short visit, sometimes made when the cat is delivered, to see that your home suits the cat. It is not an inspection of how tidy you are.
- Find a cat on the rescue's site or ours, and read its profile for the home it needs (indoor or outdoor, children, other pets).
- Apply or enquire. Yorkshire Cat Rescue takes an online application for each cat, and Pawprints Cat Rescue starts with its enquiry form and an address check.
- Pay any pre-check fee. Heronbank Cat Rescue asks for £10 before it processes your form, as described above.
- Meet the cat. Pawprints visits are by appointment, Yorkshire Cat Rescue books a meeting at its centre, and Royston Animal Welfare puts you in touch with the fosterer.
- Pass the home check, pay the fee or donation and take your cat home. Heronbank asks for its donation in full before collection.
Cats Protection and other charities to contact directly
Some of the best-known cat charities have branches covering Leeds. 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 (the full list is on its page). 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 asks £95 for an adult cat and £115 for a kitten up to 6 months. Cats Protection North Yorkshire Cat Centre covers LS24 and LS25, and the Cats Protection branch for Huddersfield and Wakefield covers the HD and some WF postcodes.
- The RSPCA has a branch for Leeds and Wakefield, the RSPCA Leeds, Wakefield and District Branch. The RSPCA also rehomes animals; search on its own site.
Find a cat in Leeds
Each page lists every cat of that kind with the rescues above, nearest first. Start with kittens, older cats, indoor cats, bonded cats or special needs cats, or look by type: domestic shorthairs, domestic longhairs, black cats, tabby cats, black and white cats, ginger cats and British Shorthairs.
Found a cat rather than looking for one? The council stray service is for dogs: in England, section 149 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 deals with stray dogs, not cats. Take a found cat to a vet or a cat rescue to be scanned for a microchip, so its owner can be traced.
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 Leeds?
There isn't one best rescue: it depends on the cat you want and your home. Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) is the cat rescue we list with foster carers inside the city. Yorkshire Cat Rescue in Keighley is a rehoming centre with kittens in foster, and Pawprints Cat Rescue in Bradford mainly rehomes adult cats. The comparison table on this page sets out each rescue's area, process and fee.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat in Leeds, and what does the fee cover?
Each rescue sets its own fee, and those near Leeds that publish one ask £80 to £125 for an adult cat. Royston Animal Welfare asks £80, Pawprints Cat Rescue £100, Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity £110 and Yorkshire Cat Rescue £125. The fee usually covers neutering, vaccinations, a microchip and flea and worm treatment, and several include a few weeks' free insurance.
Can I adopt a cat for free, or for under £80, near Leeds?
Not free from a rescue, but £80 is the lowest fee published by the rescues on this page: Royston Animal Welfare's fee for a cat is £80, and it gives vouchers for any of its usual vet work (vaccinations, microchip, neutering, flea and worm treatment) not done by the time you adopt. Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) asks a donation rather than a set fee. A "free cat" advert usually comes from a private owner, so ask what vet work has been done.
Should I adopt a kitten or an adult cat?
Either can work: an adult cat suits a busy home and its character is already known, while a kitten needs more time and its vet work finished. Pawprints Cat Rescue mainly rehomes adults. Kittens need more time and their vet work finishing; Yorkshire Cat Rescue keeps its kittens in foster until they are reserved, and Heronbank Cat Rescue likes to rehome young kittens in pairs where it can.
Can I adopt an indoor cat in Leeds, or one that will live with children or other pets?
Yes, if you choose the right cat. Yorkshire Cat Rescue matches homes in flats or near busy roads with cats used to staying in, and Pawprints Cat Rescue marks cats that need an indoor home or outdoor access on their profiles. For children and other pets, most rescues decide cat by cat, so read each profile; Heronbank Cat Rescue asks that any cats you already have are fully vaccinated.
Can I adopt a cat if I live near a main road?
Usually only a cat that will stay indoors. Pawprints Cat Rescue won't rehome an outdoor cat on or very near a main or busy road, and Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) prefers homes away from busy and main roads. Yorkshire Cat Rescue matches homes near a busy road with a cat that already lives indoors, unless it can go out away from the road.
Why adopt a cat rather than buy one?
Because the fee buys vet work you would otherwise pay for, and a rescue tells you the cat's character before you commit. Rescue fees near Leeds of £80 to £125 for an adult cat include neutering, vaccinations and a microchip, while Cats Protection says a registered pedigree costs from £200 to well over £1,000. Pedigree cats do come into rescue: Yorkshire Cat Rescue usually charges £400 to £800 for one.
Are older cats easier to adopt?
Often, because a rescue knows an older cat's habits and character. Yorkshire Cat Rescue says it may help with vet bills for some older cats or cats with long-term conditions, decided cat by cat. Older cats near Leeds are listed together on our older cats page.
Will a Leeds cat rescue do a home check?
Yes, almost always. Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds) checks your address and carries out a home check, Pawprints Cat Rescue home checks every adopter when it drops the cat off, and Royston Animal Welfare arranges one once you have met and chosen a cat. Heronbank Cat Rescue asks a £10 home check fee first, deducted from the donation if you pass.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Leeds? 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: Cat Action Trust 1977 (Leeds): home (adoption, address and home checks) · Yorkshire Cat Rescue: the process (steps and fees) · Yorkshire Cat Rescue: adoption FAQ (full-time work, flats and busy roads, vet bills) · Pawprints Cat Rescue: adoption · Heronbank Cat Rescue: available cats and kittens (adoption information) · Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity: adopt a pet · Royston Animal Welfare: fees and adoption requirements · Greenleaf Animal Rescue: about · Cats Protection: Leeds Cat Centre, Harrogate & District, North Yorkshire Cat Centre and Huddersfield and Wakefield branch pages, and Getting a pedigree cat advice (homepage linked; its terms ask that deep links be approved) · RSPCA Leeds, Wakefield and District Branch · 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