Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Norwegian Forest Cat
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
When your circumstances change and your Norwegian Forest Cat needs a new home, there is a breed club that helps. The Norwegian Forest Cat Club says cats come to it "for many different reasons", including owners who are simply unable to look after them any more. Whichever route you take, describe your cat honestly: how big and active they are, whether they go outdoors, and how they are with children and other pets.
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Why Norwegian Forest Cats end up needing a new home
The Norwegian Forest Cat Club says unwanted Norwegians "become available spasmodically and for many different reasons. Sometimes they have a behavioural problem which needs to be dealt with; sometimes their previous owners are simply unable or unwilling to look after them any more." No source we have read gives figures on why Norwegians in particular are given up.
What we can say is what the breed needs. The GCCF (the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, which registers pedigree cats in the UK) says Norwegians are large, have a lot of energy, love to climb and need a strong climbing frame built to hold a big cat. They are slow to mature, taking around four to five years to be fully grown, and their thicker winter coat and spring moult need extra combing.
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 Norwegian Forest Cat
Indoors or outdoors. Say whether your cat goes outside or has always lived indoors. The GCCF says Norwegians love the outdoors, and the Norwegian Forest Cat Club says that "if a cat is used to being indoors, we look for an indoor home". International Cat Care says an indoor-only cat needs room to climb and daily play.
Size, energy and climbing. Tell adopters how big your cat is and how much they play and climb. The GCCF says Norwegians enjoy interactive games and "think nothing of climbing trees and descending head first", so a new home needs space and sturdy furniture for them.
Coat and grooming. Describe the grooming routine your cat is used to and how they cope with it. The GCCF calls the coat "fairly low maintenance", but PDSA and the GCCF both say it needs extra attention in spring, when the cat moults, to stop knots forming.
Health, children and other pets. Pass on your vet records and anything known about your cat's health. PDSA lists polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a kidney condition, in the breed, and the GCCF mentions some anecdotal evidence of urinary problems, so diet matters. The GCCF says Norwegians are usually tolerant of respectful children, other cats and cat-friendly dogs, but say how your own cat actually behaves: the Norwegian Forest Cat Club places a cat that dislikes children in a home with only adults.
Norwegian Forest Cat rescues that take owners’ cats
The GCCF says breed clubs have a welfare officer "whose job is to try to re-home pedigree cats that are no longer able to stay with their owners", so the breed club is a good first call. You can list your cat with us at the same time.
Norwegian Forest Cat Clubcats · UK-wide breed club
A GCCF breed club whose welfare co-ordinator rehomes Norwegian Forest Cats whose owners can no longer keep them. Contact details are on its welfare page; it asks for a donation to help keep its rescue service going.
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 Norwegian Forest Cat 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 Norwegian Forest Cat appears next to rescue cats on the Norwegian Forest 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 Norwegian Forest Cat 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 Norwegian Forest Cat: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a Norwegian Forest Cat breed club take my cat?
It may help. The Norwegian Forest Cat Club runs a welfare scheme for Norwegians whose owners can't keep them, and asks for a donation towards the service. Contact its welfare co-ordinator through the page, and list your cat with us as well.
What checks does my cat need before going to a new home?
The Norwegian Forest Cat Club says it makes sure every cat is tested for FeLV (feline leukaemia) and FIV (feline AIDS), and is neutered and vaccinated before going to a new home. If you rehome privately, share your cat's vet records so the adopter knows where things stand.
My Norwegian Forest Cat goes outside. Can they go to an indoor home?
Possibly, but it is worth thinking through. The GCCF says Norwegians love the outdoors, and International Cat Care says there is no single right answer: it depends on the cat, and an indoor-only cat needs room to climb and daily play. Say how your cat lives now so the adopter can decide.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other cat breeds
Sources: Norwegian Forest Cat Club: Welfare · GCCF: Rescue and rehoming · GCCF (The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy): Norwegian Forest Cat · PDSA: Norwegian Forest · International Cat Care: Should I keep my cat indoors or allow outdoor access?