Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Russian Blue
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
If you can no longer care for your Russian Blue, which route fits depends on your cat's papers. The Russian Blue Breeders Association welfare scheme only helps cats registered with the GCCF (the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, which registers pedigree cats in the UK). If your cat isn't registered, a pedigree rescue that doesn't ask for papers, or a listing with us, is the better route.
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Why Russian Blues end up needing a new home
The Russian Blue Breeders Association (RBBA) says its welfare scheme helps Russians whose owners can no longer look after them "due to death, illness or in other hardship circumstances". It adds: "We appreciate this is not an easy decision that has been made". No source we have read gives figures on why Russians are given up.
The RBBA also says many cats people think are Russian Blues are not: "just because a cat is blue does not mean it is a Russian Blue or has Russian Blue ancestry." The GCCF recognises the breed in blue, black and white, with a dense double coat and green eyes.
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 Russian Blue
Papers and registration. Say whether your cat is GCCF-registered and have the papers ready. The RBBA only helps registered cats, and an adopter looking for a Russian Blue will want to know what they are getting. If you aren't sure, describe your cat as a blue or grey cat rather than a Russian.
Indoor life. The RBBA says most pedigree Russians are indoor cats used to an enclosed garden or catio (an enclosed outdoor run), "not used to roaming freely". The GCCF says Russians are home-loving and do well indoors with plenty of play, and that windows need screening. Tell adopters how your cat lives, because Cats Protection says in its indoor cats advice that a cat used to going outside can find indoor life stressful.
Shy with new people. The GCCF says Russians are reserved with strangers until they have sized them up, and very affectionate once they trust you. Say how long your cat takes to warm up, so adopters give them time to settle.
Health and records. The GCCF calls the Russian "generally a very healthy breed", and says White Russians used for breeding need a BAER hearing test. The RBBA asks that cats it rehomes are neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, so hand over your vet records and say what has been done.
Russian Blue 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". The breed scheme below is for GCCF-registered cats only; the pedigree rescue after it does not ask for papers.
Russian Blue Breeders Associationcats · UK only
Its welfare scheme helps rehome Russian Blue, Black and White cats registered with the GCCF whose owners can no longer look after them; an unregistered cat is outside it. Email or phone the welfare co-ordinator through its welfare page. It asks that cats are neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and says it may help with the cost in extreme circumstances.
Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescuecats · Fosterers across England and Wales
A volunteer rescue for pedigree and pedigree-looking cats that lists Russian Blues among the breeds it helps. It says a cat does not need pedigree papers to get its help. 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 Russian Blue 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 Russian Blue appears next to rescue cats on the Russian Blues 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 Russian Blue: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will the Russian Blue breed club take my cat?
Only if your cat is registered with the GCCF. The Russian Blue Breeders Association says its welfare scheme is for Russian cats "registered with the GCCF" whose owners can no longer look after them. Contact its welfare co-ordinator through the page if your cat qualifies.
My grey cat has no papers. Where can I turn?
Try a pedigree rescue that doesn't need papers, or list your cat yourself. Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescue answers "Does my cat need to have pedigree papers to get your help? No." The RBBA also points out that a blue cat is not necessarily a Russian Blue, so describe your cat honestly.
Can my Russian Blue go to a home where they can go outside?
It depends on how they have lived. The RBBA says most pedigree Russians are indoor cats that would be in danger roaming freely, and that this is a consideration when it rehomes them. Cats Protection also says a cat used to going outside can find indoor life stressful, so look for a home that matches what your cat knows.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other cat breeds
Sources: Russian Blue Breeders Association: Russian breed welfare · 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): Russian · Cats Protection: "Indoor cats" (advice page on cats.org.uk)