Rescue cats for adoption and rehoming in and around Oxford

Until now our Oxford cat page was empty. It fills with this update from seven rescues, mostly small volunteer groups that keep cats in private homes. Four Paws Cat Rescue at Forest Hill, about 5 miles east, is the nearest; Nine Lives Cat Rescue has fosterers around Witney, about 10 miles west, and Sunshine Cat Rescue has them all over the county.

The Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary at Stadhampton had 19 cats on its site on 7 November 2026, including a group of seven from one home. Further out, Thames Valley Animal Welfare keeps cats in heated cat houses in its fosterers' gardens around Reading, NAWT Berkshire had a pair at Great Shefford, and BARKS near Banbury had one cat looking for a home.

Four Paws asks a minimum donation of £80 for an adult cat, Sunshine Cat Rescue £95, and Nine Lives £110 for a cat aged 1 to 10. The Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary and NAWT Berkshire both charge £120.

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 of these rescues have no building to visit, so the order of steps varies:

• Four Paws: vetted before you view. After the online form it looks at your home and neighbourhood, then books a viewing and wants your yes or no within a day. Tenants show a landlord's letter.
• Nine Lives and Sunshine: your house first. A volunteer sees your home before you see any cat. Nine Lives then takes you to the foster home and later drives the cat to you; with Sunshine the fosterer gets in touch to set up a meeting.
• The sanctuary: one jab done, one to go. Stadhampton handles cats the same way as dogs, online first and a £20 deposit to hold one. You book the second vaccination yourself after adoption.

Two well-known names list elsewhere. Cats Protection Oxford & District, foster-based like most here, charges £100 for a cat and £120 for a kitten, and Blue Cross can house 21 cats at Burford. Their cats are not on LocalPetFinder.

All seven are set side by side in our Oxford cat rescues guide, and searchers after a kitten should start with the rescue kittens guide. Young cats and pairs have their own kittens and bonded pairs pages, and a Reading cats page covers the rider town.

If your own cat needs a new home, our Oxford rehoming page has the routes.