Rescue guide
Cat rescues in Nottingham: the best ones compared
There isn't one best cat rescue in Nottingham: the right one depends on the cat you want, how you can travel and who already lives with you. These are the three cat rescues near the city whose cats we list, side by side, with the Cats Protection centres that handle Nottingham adoptions.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 26 October 2026
The short answer
Two of the cat rescues we list near Nottingham are foster networks: Meow and Furever Cat Rescue, which asks £125 a cat and brings your cat home to you, and Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham, a Nottinghamshire based rescue with more than twenty cat fosterers. The third, Ashbourne Animal Welfare, has a cattery at The Ark in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, about 24 miles west, and held most of the cats listed with us near Nottingham when we checked in October 2026. Cats Protection's Nottinghamshire centre doesn't carry out adoptions: its cats are adopted through its Mansfield and Derbyshire centres.
- 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.
- Cat rescues near Nottingham that publish a fee
- £100 for an adult cat up to 9 years at Ashbourne Animal Welfare (£180 for two adults adopted together) and £125 a cat at Meow and Furever Cat Rescue. Kittens are £110 at Ashbourne and £125 at Meow and Furever. Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham says an adoption fee applies but doesn't publish it.
- 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.
- 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).
Nottingham cat rescues compared
Each rescue below has the cats we list within about 25 miles of Nottingham city centre, nearest first. Each name opens our page of that rescue's current cats; the third column links its own adoption page. The rescue handles your application, home check and fee: LocalPetFinder doesn't rehome cats itself.
None of the three has a cattery inside the City of Nottingham. Meow and Furever and Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham place their cats with volunteer fosterers in their own homes, and Ashbourne Animal Welfare is in Derbyshire, so the widest choice usually means a drive west.
| Rescue | Where | How you adopt (their site) | Fee (their words) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meow and Furever Cat Rescue | Volunteer fosterers around Nottinghamshire; charity registered at Burton Joyce, about 5 miles east | Adoption form and a video of your home and garden, then a visit; a volunteer delivers the cat | "£125 per cat/kitten" |
| Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham | Nottinghamshire based; more than twenty volunteer fosterers | Contact it and fill in its application form; home check | Not published: "Adoption fee and home check apply" |
| Ashbourne Animal Welfare | The Ark cattery, Wyaston Road, Ashbourne, Derbyshire (about 24 miles) | Cat adoption enquiry form, then an appointment | £100 an adult (two for £180), £110 a kitten (two for £190) |
Which rescue near Nottingham for which cat
The three rescues work in two quite different ways.
Foster networks: Meow and Furever and FAW
Meow and Furever Cat Rescue is a charity whose fosterers care for its cats across Nottinghamshire; its registered address at Burton Joyce isn't somewhere you can visit. You apply through the WhatsApp form linked from its adoption page, giving your hours away from home, any children's ages, your pets and a video of your home and garden (it can arrange a visit in person instead). Once it has checked the application you visit your chosen cat, it phones to finish the paperwork, and a volunteer brings the cat to your home unless you agree otherwise. Its £125 fee includes flea and worm treatment, 5 weeks of Agria insurance and a food voucher, and it lists its cats on its own cats page.
Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham, often shortened to FAW, was co-founded by two registered veterinary nurses and has more than twenty cat fosterers. You contact it and fill in its application form; a home check and a fee apply, though it doesn't say how much. Not every cat it has is listed online, because some are still settling in and a few are adopted first. Its cats are neutered (a kitten that is too young is neutered at one of its vets after adoption), vaccinated, flea and worm treated, health checked and blood tested, including for FIV.
A cattery in Derbyshire: Ashbourne Animal Welfare
Ashbourne Animal Welfare runs The Ark on Wyaston Road, Ashbourne, about 24 miles west of Nottingham, with a cattery that has runs and gardens and a maternity unit for expectant and nursing cats. When we checked in late October 2026, most of the cats listed with us near Nottingham were there, so it is the place to look for the widest choice of ages and characters.
You start with its cat adoption enquiry form; if it thinks it has a cat that would suit you, it arranges an appointment, and every visit to the cattery is by prior appointment. Its cats are health checked, microchipped, fully vaccinated and flea and worm treated, are neutered first if they are old enough, and come with 4 weeks of Petplan insurance if eligible. An adult cat up to 9 years is £100 and two adults together £180, and it may reduce the fee for older cats. If you later can't keep the cat, you agree not to sell or pass it on without Ashbourne's written consent.
How to choose a cat rescue near Nottingham
Your circumstances narrow the choice quickly, since each of the three has its own rules about the homes it uses. These are the questions that separate them.
- You don't drive. Meow and Furever Cat Rescue says a volunteer brings your cat to your home, and its home check can be done from a video. Ashbourne, about 24 miles away, needs a trip to Derbyshire for the appointment.
- You already have a cat. Meow and Furever prefers to send kittens out in pairs, making an exception for a home that already has a young cat. Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham sets rules cat by cat, and some of its listings ask to be your only pet.
- You want an indoor cat. Some of FAW's cats are listed as indoor only, and our Nottingham indoor cats page gathers the cats their rescue says need an indoor home.
- You want an older cat. Ashbourne Animal Welfare may reduce its fee for older cats, and Meow and Furever rehomes older cats singly or as a bonded pair. See our older cats page.
- Your household. Meow and Furever asks that everyone at home agrees to the adoption before you apply, and asks the ages of any children.
Adopting a cat near Nottingham, step by step
The order differs a little between the three, but the steps are recognisable. The "home check" is how a rescue sees where the cat would live: a visit from a volunteer, or at Meow and Furever a video you film yourself.
- Pick out a cat here or on the rescue's own site, and check what its listing asks for: an indoor or outdoor life, no young children, or no other pets.
- Apply. Ashbourne Animal Welfare asks for an enquiry form, Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham an application form, and Meow and Furever Cat Rescue an adoption form with a video of your home and garden.
- Meet the cat by appointment, at the Ashbourne cattery or the foster home.
- Pay the fee and bring your cat home, or at Meow and Furever wait for a volunteer to bring it to you.
- Register with a vet and keep up anything you agreed, such as neutering a young kitten.
Cats Protection and other routes near Nottingham
The best-known cat charity in the area works differently in Nottingham. Its cats aren't on LocalPetFinder, so look them up on its own website.
- Cats Protection's Nottinghamshire Cat Centre covers DE7, DE72 and NG1 to NG16, but it isn't open to the public and cat adoptions aren't carried out there. It sends East Midlands adopters to its Mansfield Cat Centre, which covers NG17 to NG25 and wants a pre-booked appointment to meet a cat, and its Derbyshire Cat Centre, which covers NG10 (Long Eaton) and many DE postcodes. For NG10, DE7 and DE72, which the Nottinghamshire centre also lists, adoptions go through the Derbyshire Cat Centre. Cats Protection says an adult cat costs £80 to £120 on average across its branches.
- The RSPCA also rehomes animals; search on its own site.
Find a cat near Nottingham
These pages gather the cats of each kind from the three rescues, closest first. Start with kittens, older cats, indoor cats, bonded cats or special needs cats, or by type: domestic shorthairs, black cats and tabby cats.
Found a stray rather than looking to adopt? A vet or cat rescue can scan it for a microchip, which is the quickest way to reach its owner. Councils don't collect stray cats: the stray duty in section 149 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 applies to dogs in England.
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 Nottingham?
No single one: the right rescue depends on the cat you are after and the home you can offer. Meow and Furever Cat Rescue places cats from volunteer foster homes and delivers them, Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham is a Nottinghamshire based foster rescue, and Ashbourne Animal Welfare's Derbyshire cattery held most of the cats on our Nottingham pages in October 2026. Fees and steps for each are in the table above.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat in Nottingham, and what does the fee cover?
Usually £100 to £125 for an adult cat. Ashbourne Animal Welfare asks £100 for a cat up to 9 years, and Meow and Furever Cat Rescue £125 a cat, which includes flea and worm treatment, 5 weeks of Agria insurance and a food voucher. Ashbourne's cats are health checked, microchipped, vaccinated and neutered if old enough. Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham doesn't publish its fee.
Can I adopt a cat for free, or for £100 or less, near Nottingham?
Not free from a rescue, but £100 is possible: Ashbourne Animal Welfare asks £100 for an adult cat up to 9 years and may reduce it for older cats. Cats Protection says its adult cats cost £80 to £120 on average, varying by branch. If you see a "free cat" advert, it is almost always a private owner rather than a rescue, so find out which vaccinations and checks the cat has had.
Can I adopt from Cats Protection in Nottingham?
Yes, though not at the Nottinghamshire Cat Centre itself, which is closed to the public and carries out no adoptions. Nottingham adopters go through the Mansfield Cat Centre at Warsop, where meetings are by pre-booked appointment, or the Derbyshire Cat Centre. Its cats aren't on LocalPetFinder, so look them up on Cats Protection's own site.
Where will I find the most rescue cats near Nottingham?
At Ashbourne Animal Welfare's cattery at The Ark in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, about 24 miles west: it held most of the cats listed with us near Nottingham when we checked in October 2026. Visits there are by appointment after an enquiry form. The two foster rescues have fewer cats at a time, and Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham doesn't list every cat online.
Can a rescue bring the cat to my home?
Meow and Furever Cat Rescue does: it says a volunteer brings every adopted cat or kitten to your home unless something else is agreed, and it accepts a video of your home and garden in place of a visit. Ashbourne Animal Welfare meets adopters at its cattery by appointment.
Should I adopt a kitten, an adult or an older cat?
That comes down to your time and household. Kittens need company and a lot of attention, which is why Meow and Furever Cat Rescue prefers to home them in pairs. With an adult or older cat you know its temperament before it arrives, and Ashbourne Animal Welfare may lower its fee for an older cat. For kittens, read our Nottingham rescue kittens guide.
Are rescue cats near Nottingham health checked and FIV tested?
Yes, at the rescues that say so. Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham vaccinates, health checks and blood tests its cats, including for FIV, and Ashbourne Animal Welfare health checks, microchips and vaccinates its cats. Meow and Furever Cat Rescue says cats over 16 weeks are assessed, neutered and microchipped before they leave.
What should I do if I find a stray cat in Nottingham?
Ask a vet or a cat rescue to scan it for a microchip, which is the quickest way to find its owner. Councils don't collect stray cats: in England, the stray duty in section 149 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 applies to dogs only.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Nottingham? 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: Meow and Furever Cat Rescue: adoption · Meow and Furever Cat Rescue: cats available · Meow and Furever Cat Rescue: contact · Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham: adopt a cat · Feline and Wildlife Rescue Nottingham: home · Ashbourne Animal Welfare: adopting a cat · Ashbourne Animal Welfare: The Ark today · Cats Protection: Nottinghamshire, Mansfield and Derbyshire cat centre pages, and its Getting a pedigree cat advice (homepage linked; its terms ask that deep links be approved) · RSPCA · 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