Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Ragdoll
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
If your life has changed and your Ragdoll needs a new home, you are far from alone. The British Ragdoll Cat Club says the number of Ragdolls needing new homes has increased, because of changes in owners' circumstances or serious health and welfare problems. Tell adopters honestly how your cat copes with children and other pets, and whether they have always lived indoors.
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Why Ragdolls end up needing a new home
The British Ragdoll Cat Club (TBRCC) says it has "rehomed over 60 cats each year for the past few years", because of "unfortunate changes in their owners circumstances or serious health and welfare issues where they can no longer keep their cats" (its wording).
Home life is a common thread. TBRCC's rehoming page says it gets "large numbers of cats in rehome that have had to be removed from these situations as they cannot cope", meaning homes with children or other pets, or older cats that have never lived with either.
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 Ragdoll
Children and other pets. Say exactly how your Ragdoll is with children, dogs and other cats, including any signs of stress. TBRCC says many rehomed Ragdolls are advertised as not suitable for homes with children or other pets because they could not cope with them before.
Indoor life. TBRCC says that "like most pedigree cats, Ragdolls are indoor cats" and that complete freedom is not recommended, as their easy-going nature could make them less aware of danger. RaggiePaws will only rehome to people prepared to keep their cat indoors or provide a secure catio (an enclosed outdoor run). Tell adopters how your cat has lived.
Heart health. The GCCF (the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, which registers pedigree cats in the UK) says Ragdolls can carry a gene for HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), a heart disease, and International Cat Care says early heart disease may show no signs, though a vet may hear a murmur. Pass on any heart scan, DNA test result or vet notes you have.
Coat and grooming. The GCCF says the coat needs weekly care and "will mat if left unattended", and PDSA says tangles form under the arms and around the neck. Say how your cat feels about being groomed.
Ragdoll 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". TBRCC says it doesn't always have space for new cats, so contact more than one, and list your cat with us at the same time.
The British Ragdoll Cat Clubcats · UK-wide
A GCCF member club that runs a UK-wide rehoming service with a small team of volunteers. Email its rehoming address (on its rescue and rehome page) and it will send you a form; it says it does not always have spaces for cats to come into its care.
RaggiePaws Ragdoll Rescue & Rehomecats
A Ragdoll rescue and rehoming charity (charity number 1211132, from its own site) that describes its aim as "a responsible, caring, and ethical rehoming service for families and their Ragdoll cats". Its site does not set out a surrender process, so contact it through its contact form or email.
Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescuecats · Fosterers across England and Wales
A volunteer rescue for pedigree and pedigree-looking cats that lists Ragdolls among the breeds it helps, and your cat does not need papers. You fill in a surrender form and send photos, and your cat goes to one of its fosterers.
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 Ragdoll 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 Ragdoll appears next to rescue cats on the Ragdolls 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.
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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 Ragdoll: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a Ragdoll rescue take my cat?
It may, but not always straight away. The British Ragdoll Cat Club asks you to email for a form and says it does not always have spaces for cats to come into its care. Contact more than one rescue, and list your cat with us while you wait.
My Ragdoll isn't coping with my children. Is that unusual?
No. TBRCC says it gets large numbers of Ragdolls that have had to leave homes with children or other pets because they could not cope. Say so in your listing, and look for an adult-only, quieter home.
Does my Ragdoll need to go to an indoor home?
Both Ragdoll rescues here favour one. TBRCC says Ragdolls, like most pedigree cats, are indoor cats, and RaggiePaws only rehomes to people who will keep the cat indoors or provide a secure catio. If you rehome privately, ask adopters how they plan to keep your cat safe.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other cat breeds
Sources: The British Ragdoll Cat Club: Rescue and rehome · The British Ragdoll Cat Club: About us · RaggiePaws: Rehoming policy (November 2025) · RaggiePaws Ragdoll Rescue & Rehome · Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescue: Giving up your cat · Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescue: Home · GCCF: Rescue and rehoming · GCCF (The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy): Ragdoll · PDSA: Ragdoll · International Cat Care: Cardiomyopathy (heart disease) in cats