Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Sphynx
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
When your circumstances change and your Sphynx needs a new home, there are breed club welfare contacts who can help. The Sphynx Cat Association calls itself "a non judgemental association" that realises "sometimes circumstances in life change". A Sphynx needs regular bathing, protection from sun and cold, and regular vet checks, so tell adopters exactly what your cat's routine and health are.
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Why Sphynx cats end up needing a new home
A Sphynx is more work than people expect. The GCCF (the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, which registers pedigree cats in the UK) rates the breed "high maintenance, including regular bathing", says Sphynx are indoor cats because they burn easily in the sun, and says they hate being alone. International Cat Care lists heart disease, skin disease and ear infections among the problems seen in the breed.
The Sphynx Cat Club says its welfare scheme exists for cats in need "for what ever reason whether the cat is just unhappy or the owner/s can no longer cope" (its wording). No source we have read gives figures on why Sphynx are given up.
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 Sphynx
Skin, bathing and warmth. Describe your cat's bathing and ear-cleaning routine and any shampoo your vet has prescribed. The GCCF says oils build up on the bare skin, and Cats Protection says in its bathing advice that hairless cats are more prone to skin conditions and that overbathing can dry the skin.
Heart and other health. The GCCF says HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), a heart condition, has been reported in young to middle-aged Sphynx, and International Cat Care says it is strongly suspected to be inherited in the breed. Pass on any heart scan, the vet records and details of skin or ear treatment.
Company and other cats. The GCCF says a Sphynx should have feline company, but the Sphynx Cat Club says some need a quiet household or to be an only cat: "Every case is different". Say how your cat gets on with other cats and how they cope when left.
Children and the rest of the household. The Sphynx Cat Association asks owners to tell it about diet, health, other animals, location, grooming and children, and says it tends not to rehome with families with very young children. Those are the same details any adopter needs from you.
Sphynx 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". The two Sphynx clubs below are welfare contacts rather than rescue centres, so contact them, a pedigree rescue and list your cat with us at the same time.
Sphynx Cat Associationcats · UK only
A breed association whose welfare contact helps owners find the most suitable home they can for a Sphynx. It prefers an email (the address is on its rehome page) and asks about diet, health, other animals, location, grooming and children, and whether you could help with transport.
The Sphynx Cat Clubcats · England, with a separate Scotland contact
A breed club, founded in 1991, whose welfare officers help owners who can no longer cope. Contact a committee member through its welfare page; a cat it takes on is cared for and vet checked by its officers, and the microchip goes into the club's name.
Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescuecats · Fosterers across England and Wales
A volunteer rescue for pedigree and pedigree-looking cats that lists Sphynx 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 Sphynx 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 Sphynx appears next to rescue cats on the Sphynx 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.
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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 Sphynx: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a Sphynx breed club help me rehome my cat?
Yes, both Sphynx clubs listed here have a welfare contact. The Sphynx Cat Association helps owners in the UK by email, and the Sphynx Cat Club says it can help find a new home for your Sphynx. You can list your cat with us at the same time.
Will my two Sphynx be split up?
Not if they get on. The Sphynx Cat Association says pairs would not be split up unless they don't get on. If you list them yourself, say they are bonded, and note that the GCCF says a Sphynx should have feline company.
Can I rehome my Sphynx to a family with young children?
It may not be the best fit. The Sphynx Cat Association says it tends not to rehome with families with very young children, because they need a lot of care themselves and its priority is the cat. Describe how your cat is with children so adopters can judge.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other cat breeds
Sources: Sphynx Cat Association: Rehome · The Sphynx Cat Club: 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): Sphynx · International Cat Care: Sphynx · Cats Protection: "Should I bathe my cat?" (blog post on cats.org.uk)