Rescue guide
Cat rescues in Preston and Blackpool, compared
Unlike dogs, rescue cats are close to Preston: a volunteer cat rescue works from Penwortham, and a cattery, a foster network and a Blackpool sanctuary are within about 15 miles. Here they are side by side, with what each charges, the house rules that decide who adopts, and where the RSPCA fits in.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 5 November 2026
The short answer
The nearest cat rescue to Preston is Lancashire Cat Rescue in Penwortham, about 2 miles out, which homes mostly locally for a minimum donation of £70 a cat. Woodlands Animal Sanctuary at Holmeswood charges £95, and in Blackpool Cats Paws Sanctuary asks at least £120. Book first: every one of them works by appointment or application.
- 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.
- Lancashire Cat Rescue
- A minimum donation of £70 a cat and £60 a kitten; more is welcome.
- Woodlands Animal Sanctuary
- £95 for one cat, £180 for a pair, paid on the day you collect.
- English Barn Cats Rescue
- £95 a cat or kitten, £170 a bonded pair, £225 a bonded trio, with neutering, vaccinations, a microchip and flea and worm treatment.
- Cats Paws Sanctuary
- At least £120 a cat, with four weeks of Petplan cover.
- Further out
- Carla Lane Animals in Need usually £135 an adult cat; Animal Care Lancaster at least £75.
Preston and Blackpool cat rescues compared
All of these had cats listed with us within 25 miles of Preston on 5 November 2026. Click a name for its cats with us today; you then apply to the rescue, which runs its own checks.
| Rescue | Where | How you adopt | Cat fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancashire Cat Rescue | Penwortham (about 2 miles) | Phone for an appointment; homes mostly locally | £70; £60 a kitten |
| Woodlands Animal Sanctuary | Holmeswood, West Lancashire (about 10 miles) | Booked cattery visit; home check; 7 to 10 days | £95; £180 a pair |
| English Barn Cats Rescue | Foster homes around Darwen (about 11 miles) | Form; home check; cat brought to you | £95; £170 a pair |
| Cats Paws Sanctuary | School Road, Blackpool (about 15 miles) | Appointment only | £120 minimum |
| Cats Guidance Rescue | Wigan (about 15 miles) | Home check | £95 |
| PawPurrs Halfway House | Hindley (about 16 miles) | Emailed form, visit, home check | Not published |
| Carla Lane Animals in Need | Melling, in Sefton (about 20 miles) | Questionnaire; meeting by invitation | £135 usually |
| Animal Care Lancaster Morecambe & District | Scotforth, Lancaster (about 20 miles) | Form; appointment; home check | £75 minimum |
The cat rescues near Preston, one by one
Each runs things its own way, from a volunteer's phone line to a booked cattery tour.
Lancashire Cat Rescue, Penwortham
Founded in January 1994, Lancashire Cat Rescue is run by unpaid volunteers and usually has about 25 cats and kittens in its care, neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and tested for FIV and FeLV (feline leukaemia) where appropriate. It is home-based in Penwortham, and visits are by appointment only: phone and leave a message if nobody answers.
Its rules are simple. It usually homes only locally, around Preston; a cat must be kept in at night with a litter tray, kittens must be neutered at about five months, and it prefers homes away from busy roads unless the cat will stay indoors. It posts each cat on its own blog, and its cats are on our Lancashire Cat Rescue page.
Woodlands Animal Sanctuary, Holmeswood
Rehoming since 2005, Woodlands Animal Sanctuary keeps a rehoming cattery at Holmeswood, near Rufford, about 10 miles south-west. You book a visit and send a form; at the 30 to 45 minute appointment staff introduce cats that suit you, then a home checker follows up, and collection is usually 7 to 10 days after the first visit.
Its rules are worth knowing before you go: no adult cat into a home that already has an adult cat, no single kitten without another cat in the house, and every cat already at home must be neutered. Its cats are on our Woodlands page.
English Barn Cats Rescue, Darwen
Volunteers and fosterers run English Barn Cats Rescue, based in Darwen, rescuing stray and feral cats and neutering colonies. It homes within 15 miles of Darwen, a radius Preston, about 11 miles away, sits towards the edge of, so ask before applying; it sometimes goes further for elderly or special-needs cats.
After a form and a home check it brings the cat to you. It won't home a cat within 200 metres of a busy road or a railway, homes children aged 6 and over, and asks for a cat that will go outside to stay in for at least 6 weeks first. Its cats are on our English Barn Cats page.
Cats Paws Sanctuary, Blackpool
Formed by a group of friends in 1986, Cats Paws Sanctuary opened its own sanctuary on School Road, Blackpool, in July 2002, and is staffed every day of the year by a team of five. It takes in unwanted, stray and abandoned cats from the Blackpool area.
Adoptions are by appointment. Adult cats are tested for FIV and FeLV and neutered; a kitten goes home with a voucher for neutering at five months and one towards its second vaccination. Tenants need to show a tenancy agreement that allows pets. Its cats are on our Cats Paws page.
Further afield: Wigan, Hindley, Melling and Lancaster
Towards Wigan, about 15 miles south, Cats Guidance Rescue asks £95 a cat, and PawPurrs Halfway House runs its own shelter at Hindley. South-west at Melling, Carla Lane Animals in Need shows cats only by invitation after its questionnaire, and about 20 miles north, Animal Care Lancaster Morecambe & District has a cattery at Scotforth.
Which Preston cat rescue suits your home
House rules decide more adoptions here than fees do. Check these before you apply:
- Other cats. Woodlands won't place an adult cat with your adult cat, and wants every cat at home neutered. A kitten can join an adult cat there.
- Kittens. Woodlands and English Barn Cats Rescue won't home a single kitten into a house without another cat or pet.
- Roads. English Barn Cats Rescue says 200 metres from a busy road or railway; Lancashire Cat Rescue prefers quiet roads or an indoor cat.
- Where you live. Lancashire Cat Rescue homes mostly around Preston, and English Barn Cats Rescue within 15 miles of Darwen.
- Renting. Cats Paws Sanctuary wants your tenancy agreement, and Carla Lane Animals in Need written landlord permission.
RSPCA cats in Preston and Blackpool
The RSPCA Preston & District Branch rehomes cats from its Longridge Road centre: after a form and a home visit, it asks you for one viewing, and the cat can go home that day. The RSPCA Blackpool & North Lancs Branch rehomes cats from Stalmine. We don't list RSPCA cats, so search their own sites.
Found a cat in Preston?
Pet cats in England must now be microchipped, so a vet's scan is the quickest way to find an owner. The councils' stray services cover dogs, not cats.
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
Is there a cat rescue in Preston?
Yes. Lancashire Cat Rescue is a volunteer charity in Penwortham, about 2 miles from the centre, that usually homes cats locally. Visits are by appointment, and the minimum donation is £70 a cat and £60 a kitten.
Is there a cat rescue in Blackpool?
Yes. Cats Paws Sanctuary has its own sanctuary on School Road, Blackpool, and lists its cats with us. Adoption is by appointment and the minimum donation is £120 a cat.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat near Preston?
Lancashire Cat Rescue asks at least £70 a cat, Woodlands Animal Sanctuary and English Barn Cats Rescue £95, and Cats Paws Sanctuary at least £120. Carla Lane Animals in Need usually charges £135 for an adult cat.
Can I visit cats at Woodlands Animal Sanctuary?
Yes, by booked appointment with an application form. The visit to its rehoming cattery takes 30 to 45 minutes, a home checker follows up, and collection is usually 7 to 10 days after the first visit.
Can I adopt a cat near Preston if I already have a cat?
It depends on the rescue. Woodlands won't place an adult cat with your adult cat, though a kitten can join one, and every cat at home must be neutered. Ask each rescue about the cat you like.
Will English Barn Cats Rescue rehome to Preston?
Possibly: it takes applicants within 15 miles of Darwen, and Preston is about 11 miles away. It sometimes goes further for harder to home cats, so ask before you apply.
Does the RSPCA rehome cats in Preston?
Yes. The RSPCA Preston & District Branch rehomes cats from its Longridge Road centre after a form and a home visit. It rehomes through its own site, and we don't list its cats.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Preston? 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: Lancashire Cat Rescue: home page · Lancashire Cat Rescue: about · Lancashire Cat Rescue: adoption process · Lancashire Cat Rescue: contact (appointments) · Woodlands Animal Sanctuary: rehoming (fees, rules) · Woodlands Animal Sanctuary: rehoming process · English Barn Cats Rescue: about us · English Barn Cats Rescue: adopt (fees, rules) · Cats Paws Sanctuary: home page · Cats Paws Sanctuary: about us · Cats Paws Sanctuary: adopting a cat · Carla Lane Animals in Need: adoption FAQs (cat fee) · Carla Lane Animals in Need: contact · Cats Guidance Rescue: adoption policy · Animal Care Lancaster: how to adopt a cat · RSPCA Preston & District Branch: adopt · RSPCA Blackpool & North Lancs Branch: home page · gov.uk: microchipping for cats becomes compulsory · 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