Rescue cats for adoption and rehoming in and around Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter at Longbenton, on the edge of the city, rehomes cats as well as dogs, and Bryson's Animal Shelter at Eighton Banks in Gateshead has a cattery too. Near Sunderland, about 10 miles south east, Pawz for Thought rehomes cats and rabbits and Animal Krackers has its cattery at Ferry Farm.

Minnie's Haven Cat Rescue keeps its cats in foster homes and rehomes them across the North East, many of them in pairs. Each profile here links to the rescue that cares for the cat, and you apply with them.

Pawz for Thought asks £125 a cat, and every animal it rehomes is neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and treated for fleas and worms first. Animal Krackers asks a donation of £100 for a kitten or an adult cat; its adult cats are neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and a kitten comes with its first year's vaccinations and a neutering voucher.

Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter, Bryson's Animal Shelter and Minnie's Haven Cat Rescue don't publish a fee, so ask them.

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.

Most cat rescues around Newcastle visit your home before a cat goes, so allow a little time (Pawz for Thought's adopt page).

• Questionnaire, call, home visit. Pawz for Thought starts with a questionnaire and a phone call, then visits your home, and only then do you travel to meet the cat. It asks you not to start just before a holiday.
• One home contacted per cat. At Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter you apply on the cat's own page, and the team contacts the one applicant it thinks suits the cat best, so you may need to apply more than once.
• Indoors for the first four weeks. Animal Krackers books a 30-minute viewing at Ferry Farm and a home visit, and asks that a new cat stays indoors for at least its first four weeks.
• No smoking indoors. Minnie's Haven Cat Rescue can't accept an application if anyone smokes inside the home, and follows its online form with a home visit.

These centres rehome cats in the region. We don't list their cats, so search their own sites (Cats Protection Tyneside Cat Centre).

• Cats Protection Tyneside Cat Centre is on Green Lane in Gateshead. You enquire about a cat through its listing, or call 0191 653 1052; it opens 11am to 3pm, closed on Tuesdays.
• Felledge Animal Centre, run by the RSPCA, is in County Durham, about 10 miles south, and rehomes cats as well as dogs, with viewing by appointment.

In England a pet cat must now be microchipped, so a vet's scan is the quickest way to find the owner. Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter's FAQs give 0191 215 0435 for stray cats.

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

Looking for a kitten? The kittens page lists every kitten near Newcastle today, and there are pages too for older cats, indoor cats and bonded pairs, which suit Minnie's Haven Cat Rescue and its many pairs.

Need to rehome your own cat instead? Our Newcastle rehoming page covers Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter's waiting list and Cats Protection's Tyneside centre.