Adoption guide
Adopting a rescue kitten in Plymouth: rescues, rules and costs
Kittens are seasonal and in demand at the cat rescues around Plymouth, and each rescue handles the rush differently: one keeps a waiting list, another refuses to. Here is which rescues rehome kittens, how each one works, what a kitten costs against buying, and the vet work to ask about.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 28 October 2026
The short answer
To adopt a rescue kitten in Plymouth, watch our Plymouth kittens page and the cat rescues nearby. When we checked on 28 October 2026 most kittens listed were at Gables Dogs & Cats Home at Plympton, which asks £75 for a crossbreed kitten and keeps a kitten waiting list. Woodside Animal Welfare Trust, also at Plympton, says kittens are born May to September and won't reserve one until it is ready to go, and Cats Protection's Plymouth & Rame branch charges £105 for a kitten.
- Rescue adoption fees
- Each rescue sets its own 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 kittens up to 16 weeks start from £175. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.
- Cat rescues around Plymouth
- Gables Dogs & Cats Home asks £75 for a crossbreed kitten, Woodside Animal Welfare Trust £85 to £300 for a kitten under 14 weeks (£160 to £180 for two), and Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry) £300 for a kitten under 6 months (£550 a pair). Cats Protection's Plymouth & Rame branch charges £105 for a kitten up to 6 months old.
- A lifetime with a cat
- PDSA puts the lifetime cost of a cat at £11,400 to £13,600 on 2024 prices, with set-up costs of £366 and at least £79 a month.
Where to find a rescue kitten in Plymouth
Our Plymouth kittens page shows every kitten listed with us within about 25 miles, and our guide to Plymouth cat rescues compares the rescues themselves.
Gables Dogs & Cats Home, Plympton
On Merafield Road, Plympton. Gables says it doesn't advertise all its kittens online, so it suggests filling in its adoption application to join its kitten waiting list. If it has a match, its rehoming team calls you and sends videos and photos of the kitten before you meet it. It rehomes in Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, to people over 21 who live on a safe road.
Woodside Animal Welfare Trust, Plympton
At Elfordleigh, Plympton. Woodside says kittens are born only in the summer months, generally May to September, that they are in high demand when it has them, and that you may need to call several times to find one that fits what you want. It doesn't allow kittens to be reserved until they are ready to be rehomed, and its cats are viewed strictly by appointment. It also says it often has more cats and kittens than it lists online, so a call is worthwhile.
Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry), Ipplepen
At Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot, about 23 miles east. It no longer keeps a kitten waiting list, because people waited too long and had often found a kitten elsewhere by the time it called. Instead every available kitten goes on its cats page, you apply for the one you want with its "Apply to rehome me" button, and it homes each kitten to the most suitable applicant. It warns there will always be more applicants than kittens, and that being flexible improves your chances.
Cats Protection Plymouth & Rame
Cats Protection's Plymouth & Rame branch is run by volunteers and covers postcodes PL1 to PL11, PL13, PL19, PL20 and PL21. You enquire through each cat's listing on the Cats Protection website; we don't list its cats.
Waiting lists, pairs and appointments
Three of the rescues we list handle waiting lists differently, so pick the approach that suits you. Gables keeps a kitten waiting list and contacts you if it has a match. Woodside asks you to keep calling in kitten season and won't reserve a kitten until it is ready. Animals in Distress keeps no list at all: apply for a specific kitten as soon as it appears.
Pairs are common. Woodside prices two kittens under 14 weeks at £160 to £180, and Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry) charges £550 for a pair of kittens, against £300 for one. Woodside views cats strictly by appointment, and the FAQ of Animals in Distress says all rehoming is by appointment, so phone before you go.
What a rescue kitten costs, and what the fee covers
A rescue kitten's fee pays towards vet work already done. Gables' £75 includes neutering, a vet health check, a microchip, vaccination and flea and worm prevention, every cat's fee at Woodside includes neutering, vaccinations, microchipping and flea and worm treatment, and every cat at Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry) is vaccinated, microchipped and neutered, wormed and flea treated, and examined by a vet.
A kitten bought from an advert may come with none of that done, so neutering, a full course of vaccinations and the microchip are extra bills on top of the price.
Vaccinations, neutering and microchips
Ask the rescue what has been done and what you agree to do. This is what the rescues around Plymouth say on their own pages:
- Neutered and vaccinated. The rescues above include neutering and vaccination in the fee, as each says on its own page; check what is still to come for a very young kitten. Woodside says it books young pets in for neutering as soon as they are old enough and never allows breeding.
- Microchipped. In England the law requires a cat to be microchipped before it is 20 weeks old (see the law section below), and the rescues above chip their cats before adoption.
If you've been searching "kittens for sale Plymouth"
Plenty of people around Plymouth search for kittens for sale. Rescue kittens are adopted, not sold: you apply, the rescue matches you, and you pay its adoption fee. Every kitten on our Plymouth kittens page is adopted that way. The same goes for "free kittens": a rescue asks a fee towards vet work, and a "free to good home" advert has no rescue behind it.
If you decide to buy a pedigree, Cats Protection suggests a breeder registered with a breed association such as the GCCF, and seeing the kitten with its mother at home. If an advert looks like a scam, report it to Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud.
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
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Where can I adopt a rescue kitten in Plymouth?
At the cat rescues we list around the city: Gables Dogs & Cats Home and Woodside Animal Welfare Trust at Plympton, and Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry) at Ipplepen. Cats Protection's Plymouth & Rame branch rehomes kittens too. Our Plymouth kittens page shows every kitten listed with us today.
How much does it cost to adopt a kitten in Plymouth?
Gables Dogs & Cats Home asks £75 for a crossbreed kitten, Cats Protection's Plymouth & Rame branch £105, Woodside Animal Welfare Trust £85 to £300 for a kitten under 14 weeks, and Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry) £300 for a kitten under 6 months. The fee covers vet work such as vaccination and a microchip, and neutering or a plan for it.
When is kitten season around Plymouth?
Woodside Animal Welfare Trust says kittens are born only in the summer months, generally May to September, and that they are in high demand, so expect to apply or call several times.
Can I join a waiting list for a kitten?
At Gables Dogs & Cats Home, yes: it suggests an adoption application to join its kitten waiting list, as not all its kittens are advertised. Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry) keeps no waiting list, and Woodside won't reserve a kitten until it is ready to be rehomed.
Can I adopt two kittens together?
Yes. Woodside Animal Welfare Trust prices two kittens under 14 weeks at £160 to £180, and Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry) charges £550 for a pair of kittens under 6 months.
Are there free kittens or kittens for sale at Plymouth rescues?
No. Rescues adopt kittens out for a fee that covers vet work such as vaccination and a microchip, and neutering or a plan for it; the lowest we found near Plymouth was Gables at £75 for a crossbreed kitten. A "free" kitten in a private advert comes with no rescue checks, so see it with its mother at home and never pay a deposit for one you haven't met.
Does a rescue kitten need to be microchipped?
Yes. In England a cat must be microchipped before it is 20 weeks old, and the rescues near Plymouth chip their cats before adoption. Keep your contact details up to date on the microchip database.
Keep reading
- Kittens for adoption in and around Plymouth
- All rescue cats in and around Plymouth
- Cat rescues in Plymouth: the best ones compared
- Every cat adoption guide for Plymouth
- Rescue pets in Plymouth
Kittens in other cities: Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Ipswich, Kendal, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Truro, Worcester
Kitten guides in other cities: Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Glasgow, Ipswich, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Truro
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Plymouth? 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: Gables Dogs & Cats Home: rehoming (cat fees and process) · Woodside Animal Welfare Trust: adopt a pet (fees, kitten season) · Woodside Animal Welfare Trust: adopt a cat · Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry): kittens (read in Chrome) · Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry): cat rehoming process (read in Chrome) · Cats Protection Plymouth & Rame (homepage linked; its terms ask that deep links be approved) · Cats Protection: homepage · GCCF · PDSA: the cost of owning a cat · Report Fraud · 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