Rescue guide
Cat rescues in Stoke-on-Trent: the best ones compared
Cats are where Stoke-on-Trent is strongest: two volunteer cat rescues within about 10 miles list their cats with us, with larger rescues at Ashbourne and Macclesfield further out. Here they are side by side, with fees, kittens and rules, plus Cats Protection and what happened to the RSPCA branch.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 3 November 2026
The short answer
The two nearest cat rescues whose cats we list are Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society, a volunteer charity that fosters and boards its cats around Cheadle, about 7 miles east, and Betley Cat Rescue at Betley, about 10 miles west, which takes in mostly stray and feral cats. Neither publishes a fee, and both see adopters by appointment. Ashbourne Animal Welfare asks £100 for an adult cat and Windyway Animal Rescue £80, and Cats Protection's Stoke & Newcastle branch rehomes cats through its own site.
- Rescue adoption fees
- Each rescue sets its own adoption fee. Cats Protection says you can expect to pay £80 to £120 on average for an adult cat and £100 to £120 for a kitten, varying between its branches, and Blue Cross fees start from £150 for cats aged 4 months to 7 years. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.
- Cat rescues near Stoke-on-Trent
- Ashbourne Animal Welfare: £100 an adult cat, £110 a kitten, £180 two adults, £190 two kittens. Windyway Animal Rescue: £80 a cat or vaccinated kitten, £150 a bonded pair. Cats Protection Stoke & Newcastle: £85 a cat, £105 a kitten. Cheadle and Betley publish no fee.
- Owning a cat
- PDSA estimates that a cat costs at least £11,400 to £13,600 over its lifetime, with set-up costs of about £366 and a minimum of £79 a month, not counting the cost of getting the cat.
Stoke-on-Trent cat rescues compared
The first four rescues below list their cats with us; Cats Protection rehomes through its own site. Each runs its own checks and fee: we don't rehome cats ourselves.
| Rescue | Where | How you adopt | Cat fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society | Foster homes and private catteries around Cheadle (about 7 miles) | Email or the cat phone line; home check and vet references; visits by appointment | A donation (no amount published) |
| Betley Cat Rescue | Betley (about 10 miles) | Contact form on its site; visits by appointment only | Not published |
| Windyway Animal Rescue | Macclesfield (about 16 miles) | Viewing by appointment | £80; £150 a bonded pair |
| Ashbourne Animal Welfare | The Ark, Ashbourne (about 17 miles) | Cat enquiry form, then an appointment | £100 adult; £110 kitten |
| Cats Protection Stoke & Newcastle | Volunteer branch covering ST postcodes and CW12 | Enquire on each cat's listing on its own site | £85 cat; £105 kitten |
How each cat rescue near Stoke-on-Trent works
The two closest rescues are small and run by volunteers, so contact them before you set off.
Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society
Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society was set up in 1968 to take responsibility for the stray and abandoned dogs and cats of Cheadle and the Staffordshire Moorlands, and pledges that no healthy animal is destroyed. It has no premises of its own: its cats live with volunteer fosterers or in private catteries until they find homes. Its cats are on our Cheadle page.
It generally rehomes within the Staffordshire Moorlands and the surrounding area, and may go further for the right home. Every cat is vet checked, vaccinated, flea and worm treated, microchipped and neutered wherever possible, and every home needs a home check and vet references. Appointments must always be made, and some animals need more than one visit before they go home. It asks for a donation but publishes no amount.
Betley Cat Rescue
Betley Cat Rescue is a small charity at Betley, about 10 miles west, that cares mostly for stray and feral cats: it neuters and heals them, then traps, neuters and releases some and rehomes others. Visits are by appointment only, and you get in touch through the form on its website. Its cats are on our Betley page.
Many of its cats come off the streets, including mother cats from the alleyways, so ask how each cat copes with handling, children and other pets. When a cat has a home offer, its post says so, and adopted cats come off the site.
Ashbourne and Windyway
Ashbourne Animal Welfare runs The Ark at Ashbourne, about 17 miles east. You send a cat enquiry form and it arranges an appointment. Every cat is health checked, microchipped, vaccinated and flea and worm treated, comes with 4 weeks' Petplan cover if eligible, and is neutered if old enough; a kitten too young to neuter comes with a voucher towards it.
Windyway Animal Rescue at Macclesfield, about 16 miles north, vet checks, neuters, vaccinates and microchips every animal, and shows them by appointment only. Smaller cat rescues near Crewe and Northwich list cats with us too: our Stoke cats page shows them all.
How to choose between them
Start with the cat: our Stoke-on-Trent cats page lists every cat from the rescues we list. Then weigh these:
- Distance. Cheadle's cats are fostered around the Staffordshire Moorlands, about 7 miles east, and Betley is about 10 miles west; Ashbourne and Macclesfield are a longer drive.
- Where you live. Cheadle generally rehomes within the Staffordshire Moorlands and around, and asks for a home check and vet references, so say where you live when you first get in touch.
- Shy or street cats. Betley Cat Rescue cares mostly for strays and ferals. A cat that is still nervous of people needs a calm home and patience.
- Kittens. Cheadle had four kitten posts when we checked on 3 November 2026; our rescue kittens guide covers where kittens turn up.
- The fee. £80 at Windyway and £100 for an adult at Ashbourne; ask Cheadle and Betley.
If you searched "kittens for sale Stoke-on-Trent"
Rescue kittens are adopted, not sold: you pay the rescue its fee, and the kitten comes vaccinated, microchipped and neutered or with neutering arranged. Ashbourne Animal Welfare asks £110 for a kitten under 6 months and gives a voucher towards neutering one too young to have it done.
If you buy a kitten instead, in England it must be microchipped before it is 20 weeks old. Meet the kitten with its mother at home, never pay a deposit for one you haven't seen, and report a suspected scam advert to Report Fraud.
Cats Protection and the RSPCA in Stoke
Cats Protection's Stoke & Newcastle branch is run by a small team of volunteers and covers the city's ST postcodes and Congleton's CW12. Every cat is vet checked, neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and flea and worm treated, and you enquire about a cat through its own listing. We don't list its cats, so search its own site.
The RSPCA Staffordshire North Branch says it has had no rehoming facility since 10 April 2025. It now offers subsidised vet treatment, neutering and microchipping to owners on low incomes, which can help if you are struggling with a cat's vet bills.
The law in England
Microchipping cats
In England, cats must be microchipped before they are 20 weeks old and registered on a database, a rule in force since 10 June 2024. An owner found without one has 21 days to comply or may be fined up to £500. Free-living cats (farm, feral and community cats) are exempt.
Lucy's Law: buying a kitten
In England, Lucy's Law has meant since 6 April 2020 that kittens under six months can't be sold by a third party such as a pet shop or dealer: you buy direct from the breeder or adopt from a rehoming centre.
Questions
Tap a question to expand
Where can I adopt a rescue cat in Stoke-on-Trent?
Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society, which fosters its cats around Cheadle, about 7 miles east, and Betley Cat Rescue, about 10 miles west, both list their cats with us, as do Ashbourne Animal Welfare and Windyway Animal Rescue further out. Cats Protection's Stoke & Newcastle branch rehomes cats through its own site.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat in Stoke-on-Trent?
Ashbourne Animal Welfare asks £100 for an adult cat and £110 for a kitten, Windyway Animal Rescue £80 and Cats Protection Stoke & Newcastle £85. Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society asks for a donation and Betley Cat Rescue publishes no fee, so ask them.
Where is Betley Cat Rescue?
At Betley, about 10 miles west of Stoke-on-Trent. Visits are by appointment only, so contact it through its website first.
Does the Cheadle animal welfare society have a cattery I can visit?
No. Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society has no premises of its own: its cats live with fosterers or in private catteries, so every visit is by appointment.
Can I adopt a kitten in Stoke-on-Trent?
Yes. Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society had kittens in foster on 3 November 2026, and Ashbourne Animal Welfare asks £110 for one under 6 months. Our Stoke kittens page lists every kitten listed with us near the city.
Is Cats Protection in Stoke-on-Trent?
Yes. Cats Protection Stoke & Newcastle is a volunteer branch covering the city's ST postcodes. It asks £85 for a cat and £105 for a kitten. We don't list its cats, so enquire through its own site.
Does the RSPCA rehome cats in Stoke-on-Trent?
No. The RSPCA Staffordshire North Branch says it has had no rehoming facility since 10 April 2025; it now helps owners on low incomes with vet treatment and neutering.
Can I give up my cat to a Stoke rescue?
Phone Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society's cat line; it asks you to come back to it first if you can no longer keep a cat it rehomed. Our Stoke-on-Trent rehoming page lists the other routes.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Stoke-on-Trent? Get your animals listed free.
Every animal links back to your own adoption page, and you can ask to be removed at any time.
Sources: Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society: home page · Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society: about · Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society: rehoming · Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society: points to consider · Cheadle & District Animal Welfare Society: cats for adoption · Betley Cat Rescue: home page · Betley Cat Rescue: cats · Ashbourne Animal Welfare: adopting a cat · Windyway Animal Rescue: adoption fees · Cats Protection: Stoke & Newcastle branch page (cats.org.uk/stoke; homepage linked per its terms) · RSPCA Staffordshire North Branch: home page · GOV.UK: microchipping for cats becomes compulsory · PDSA: the cost of owning a cat · Report Fraud · gov.uk: Get your dog microchipped · gov.uk: Banned dogs · gov.uk: Lucy's Law in England · legislation.gov.uk: Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023