Rescue cats for adoption and rehoming in and around London

Celia Hammond Animal Trust has two centres inside the city, in Lewisham and Canning Town, and each rehomes to set areas: Lewisham to South East London and nearby, Canning Town to East London, the IG postcodes and parts of North London. Foal Farm Animal Rescue at Biggin Hill, in the London Borough of Bromley, rehomes cats from its own site too.

Most London cat rescues have no cattery: the cats live with volunteer fosterers and you meet them in a home. London Inner City Kitties has fosterers in East and North London, Hounslow Animal Welfare Society covers listed towns in the W, TW and KT postcodes, Croydon Animal Samaritans covers South London and Surrey, Feline Friends London has fosterers across London, and Protected Paws Animal Rescue keeps its cats in foster homes in and around London. Our London cat rescues guide compares every one we list.

Many Londoners live in flats or beside busy roads, and London's cat rescues answer that differently (each rescue's rule). Check the rule before you apply.

• Indoor homes. London Inner City Kitties calls itself "an INDOOR first cat rescue", and Celia Hammond Animal Trust rehomes pairs of kittens and young cats never used to going out to indoor-only homes. Hounslow Animal Welfare Society won't place kittens where they can't go outside.
• Busy roads. Last Chance Animal Rescue won't rehome cats on fast or busy roads, and Pussycat Lodge won't rehome on or near a busy road, or to flats except in special cases.
• Young children. Hounslow Animal Welfare Society generally doesn't rehome to families with children under 4, while Pussycat Lodge says families with young children "will certainly be considered".
• Kittens in pairs. L.I.C.K. doesn't rehome single kittens, and Croydon Animal Samaritans says "Kittens are much better homed as pairs".
• Home checks. Protected Paws Animal Rescue does every home check by video call, and Hounslow Animal Welfare Society visits within a few days of your form.

London cat rescues that publish a fee ask from a suggested minimum donation of £85 per cat at Celia Hammond Animal Trust to £100 to £175, by age, at Foal Farm Animal Rescue. Hounslow Animal Welfare Society asks £100 for a cat over 6 months and £125 for a kitten, London Inner City Kitties £100 a cat or £170 a pair, and Croydon Animal Samaritans £120 per adult cat.

Feline Friends London charges £120 for an adult cat and £90 for cats aged 10 and over, and Animal Rescue and Care £90 for a neutered adult, or £110 vaccinated. Rescue Remedies asks an "appropriate donation" and doesn't publish an amount.

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.

These charities rehome cats in or near London (our guide to them). We don't list their cats, so search their own sites.

• Battersea Dogs & Cats Home rehomes cats from its London centre in Battersea, as well as Old Windsor and Brands Hatch, and generally looks for homes with a garden or other outside space.
• Cats Protection has two London centres, its South London Cat Centre in Mitcham and its North West London Cat Centre in Harrow, plus volunteer branches across London.
• Mayhew in Kensal Green rehomes dogs and cats, and Blue Cross rehomes cats from its Hertfordshire rehoming centre at Kimpton. 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. In England, 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 London covers which rescues have kittens and their rules on pairs, and the kittens page lists every kitten near London today. There are pages too for indoor cats, older cats and bonded pairs, and guides to adopting a Ragdoll, British Shorthair or Maine Coon in London.

Need to rehome your own cat instead? Our London rehoming page covers the Cats Protection branch for your postcode and Celia Hammond Animal Trust, which takes in pet cats but says it can't take every one.