Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Burmese
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
Three Burmese breed clubs run rehoming services, so you have options. If you can keep your cat until a new home is found, the Burmese Cat Society can list your Burmese with you as the contact; if it's urgent, The Burmese Cat Club has safe houses across the country. Tell adopters honestly how your Burmese gets on with other cats, and share any history of diabetes or other health problems.
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Why Burmese cats end up needing a new home
The Burmese Cat Club says cats come to it "due to changes in personal circumstances of their present owners, a fall-out with other cats in the household", or because they are found wandering with no home. The Burmese Cat Society adds that "sometimes Burmese decide that they want to live alone rather than with other cats".
The breed asks a lot of company. The GCCF (the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, which registers pedigree cats in the UK) calls the Burmese "the extrovert of the cat world", says Burmese love human company, want to be part of family life and do not like to feel neglected, and that if you enjoy the quiet life, a Burmese "probably isn't for you".
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 Burmese
Other cats. Say exactly how your Burmese is with other cats, including any fall-outs. A cat that has decided it wants to live alone needs a home that can offer that.
Company and attention. Tell adopters how long your cat is used to being left and how they let you know they want attention. The GCCF says Burmese want toys and games with their people joining in.
Health. The GCCF says there is "a slight tendency to Diabetes in the breed", with the risk rising with age and weight, and PDSA says Burmese are the most common cat breed to develop diabetes. The GCCF also recommends DNA testing for HK (hypokalaemic polymyopathy), which International Cat Care says causes episodes of muscle weakness. Pass on vet records, weight, diet and any treatment routine.
A companion cat. If your Burmese lives with a cat they are bonded to, say whether they should go together. The Burmese Cat Association will rehome a cat that lives with a Burmese alongside it.
Burmese rescues that take owners’ cats
All three are breed clubs rather than rescue charities. One can list your cat while it stays with you, and the others have safe houses or temporary care for urgent cases.
The Burmese Cat Clubcats · UK-wide, with safe houses across the country
The club's rehoming service takes cats "released into the Club's care by their former owners" and rehomes them, with their non-Burmese companions where needed, from waiting lists of people who want a Burmese. It says it helps around 400 cats a year. Contact its Welfare Officer through the details on its rescue and rehoming page.
Burmese Cat Societycats · Across the UK
If your need is not urgent and you can keep your cat until a new home is found, its BCS Burmese Welfare and Rehoming Service can put your Burmese on its website with you as the contact, so you help choose the new home. For urgent cases it has a number of safe houses. Contact details are on its rescue page.
The Burmese Cat Associationcats
Its rehoming service is "available to everyone, whether or not they are members", and it rehomes any cat that lives with a Burmese together with it. It asks old and new owners for a donation without setting an amount, and may be able to arrange temporary care if a cat has to move urgently.
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 Burmese 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 Burmese appears next to rescue cats on the Burmese cats 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 Burmese a good home?
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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 Burmese: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Can my Burmese and its companion cat be rehomed together?
Yes. The Burmese Cat Association rehomes any cat that lives with a Burmese and finds a home where they can carry on living together, and The Burmese Cat Club rehomes cats with their non-Burmese companions where needed.
Can my Burmese stay with me until a new home is found?
Yes, if it isn't urgent. The Burmese Cat Society says it can put your cat's details on its website with you as the contact, so you are fully involved in choosing the new home. For urgent cases, it points owners to The Burmese Cat Club, which it says has a far greater network of safe houses.
My Burmese has diabetes. Can I still rehome them?
Yes, as long as you are open about it. PDSA says Burmese are the most common cat breed to develop diabetes, so breed clubs and experienced owners will know it. Tell adopters what your vet has said, hand over the records, and explain the daily routine your cat needs.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other cat breeds
Sources: The Burmese Cat Club: Rescue and rehoming · The Burmese Cat Club: Benevolent Fund · Burmese Cat Society: Rescue · The Burmese Cat Association: Rehoming · GCCF (The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy): Burmese · PDSA: Burmese · International Cat Care: Hypokalaemia in cats