Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Birman
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
Birmans have their own rescue. Birman Welfare and Rescue, a registered charity with safehouses across the UK, says homes are especially needed for older cats whose owners have died or can no longer care for them for health reasons. Contact your nearest area contact, and tell adopters plainly whether your Birman would be happier as an only cat.
List your pet for free
Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.
Why Birmans end up needing a new home
Birman Welfare and Rescue says homes are often needed for older cats "whose devoted owner may have died or for health reasons are no longer able to care for their beloved Birman". It says the average age of its cats tends to be between 6 and 10 years, "which is not considered old for a Birman", and that it rarely takes kittens, as these are usually returned to their breeder.
The breed is a people cat. The GCCF (the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, which registers pedigree cats in the UK) says Birmans adore being around people and often follow them from room to room. The Seal & Blue Point Birman Cat Club says homes are especially needed for "solitary cats who prefer the love and attention of being an only pet".
None of this makes your cat a problem, or you a bad owner. It usually means the match didn’t fit, and a careful rehoming fixes exactly that.
What to tell adopters about your Birman
Other cats. The GCCF says Birmans will happily share their lives with other cats and dogs, but Birman Welfare and Rescue says single-cat homes are often required. Say honestly how your Birman is with other cats, and whether they would do better alone.
Company. Because Birmans like to be with their people, tell adopters how long your cat is used to being left, and how they show it when they want attention.
Grooming. The GCCF says the silky coat does not mat easily and should be combed weekly, with more combing in spring, and PDSA suggests twice a week. Say what routine your cat is used to.
Health and age. The GCCF says HCM, a heart disease, is the most severe threat to the breed, and PDSA lists kidney disease. Pass on your cat's vet records, and be clear about their age: an older Birman can still have years ahead.
Birman rescues that take owners’ cats
One is a registered charity and the other a breed club's rescue and welfare service. Both take cats into safehouses or rescue homes. Birman Welfare and Rescue is run by volunteers, so leave a message if no one answers.
Birman Welfare and Rescuecats · Safehouses across the UK, with area contacts in England, South Wales and Ireland
Asks owners who can no longer care for their Birman to email or phone their nearest Area Contact Manager, listed on its area contacts page. It says its volunteers can't always answer, so leave a message. Registered charity no. 1123174.
The Seal & Blue Point Birman Cat Clubcats · Four rescue homes in the UK
The club's Birman Rescue and Welfare service asks anyone with a Birman that needs rehoming to get in touch through the contact form on its welfare page. It helps "Birmans of ALL colours, not just Seal & Blue".
National charities that take any breed
Blue Crossdogs, cats, rabbits
Home Direct keeps your pet with you while Blue Cross finds a new owner. That is "the quickest way", it says, because space in its own kennels, cattery and small pet units "is very limited". It takes dogs, cats, rabbits and small pets. Call pet admissions on 0300 777 1960 or use its online form.
Cats Protectioncats
Contact your local Cats Protection branch or centre (not its charity shops), and plan ahead: "there can often be waiting lists". Its Home to Home scheme lets your cat stay at home while it's rehomed, with no specific fee.
Should you charge a rehoming fee?
You can ask for a rehoming fee, paid at the handover after the adopter has met your pet, and never as a deposit beforehand. PAAG's worry with "free to good home" adverts is that people may take an animal on impulse and that a free advert "may devalue an animal" (PAAG). A fee does make the handover a sale, though, so animals can't go to anyone under 16 and you should be honest about your pet's health.
How listing your Birman on LocalPetFinder works
- Fill in the free listing form. Photos, age, health, how your cat is with children and other animals, and an honest description. It takes about ten minutes, and your cat stays at home with you.
- A person checks it, usually within a day, before it goes live.
- Your Birman appears next to rescue cats on the Birmans pages for your city (Ashford, Barnsley, Barrow-in-Furness, Bath and North East Somerset, Belfast, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chester, Chesterfield, Chippenham, Colchester, Coventry, Crawley, Darlington, Derby, Doncaster, Dover, Dumfries and Galloway, Durham, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Exeter, Falmouth, Folkestone, Glasgow, Gloucester, Grantham, Great Yarmouth, Guildford, Hartlepool, Hayle, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Kendal, Kidderminster, Kingston upon Hull, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, Llanelli, London, Lowestoft, Luton, Maidstone, Manchester, Mansfield, Margate, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newport, Newquay, North East Lincolnshire, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Penrith, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Sleaford, Solihull, Southampton, Southport, Spalding, St. Helens, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Swansea, Torbay, Truro, Wakefield, Walsall, Warrington, Watford, Wellingborough, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Worthing, Wrexham, York), marked as listed by the owner.
- You choose. Adopters message you through LocalPetFinder, so your email and phone number stay private. You decide who to meet and who takes your cat, and you hand over in person.
We take listings from owners anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland the new owner needs a dog licence before they take a dog, so ask to see it before the handover.
Ready to find your Birman a good home?
List your cat free. Every listing is checked by a person, and you stay in control of who adopts.
Start your free listing →Before the handover: the must-dos
The microchip has to be transferred
In England, Scotland and Wales a dog can't be passed to a new keeper until it's microchipped, and the new keeper must update the database (England, Scotland, Wales); in Scotland the keeper's own details must also be correct before the handover. In England the same applies to cats, while in Scotland and Wales chipping a cat is optional. Check the chip is on a government-approved database and do the transfer at the handover.
No deposits, no couriers
Never ask for, or accept, money before an adopter has met your pet in person, and hand over face to face. A request for a deposit is the classic sign of a pet scam, and on LocalPetFinder it gets a listing taken down.
Banned dog types can’t be rehomed at all
It's against the law in England, Scotland and Wales to give away a banned dog. In England and Wales it's illegal to "rehome, sell, buy, or transfer ownership of an XL Bully" (gov.uk: England and Wales). In Scotland, since 23 February 2024 it has been illegal to sell, advertise, gift or exchange an XL Bully, Scottish guidance says it is unlawful to "sell, give away or rehome an XL Bully" (gov.scot), and since 1 August 2024 it has been an offence to own one without an exemption certificate. If you think your dog could be an XL Bully, don't list it.
Adopters must be adults, and you must be honest
Adopters must be 18 or over, and the listing must be accurate about health, behaviour, and whether your pet is good with children, dogs and cats. A good match is the one that lasts.
Rehoming your Birman: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a Birman rescue take an older cat?
Yes. Birman Welfare and Rescue says homes are often needed for older cats, and that the average age of its cats tends to be 6 to 10 years, which is not considered old for a Birman. The GCCF gives the breed a lifespan of 12 to 16 years.
Can I rehome my Birman kitten through a rescue?
Ask the breeder first. Birman Welfare and Rescue says it rarely takes kittens, as these are usually returned to their breeder where possible.
Does my Birman need to go to a home without other cats?
It depends on your cat. The GCCF says Birmans will happily share their lives with other cats and dogs, but Birman Welfare and Rescue says single-cat homes are often required. If your Birman has struggled with another cat, say so in your listing.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other cat breeds
Sources: Birman Welfare and Rescue · Birman Welfare and Rescue: Area contacts · The Seal & Blue Point Birman Cat Club: Welfare · GCCF (The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy): Birman · PDSA: Birman