Rescue guide
Cat rescue in Cornwall: the rescues around Truro, compared
Rescue kittens around Truro go fast. Here are the three places around Truro that rehome cats, side by side: the one whose cats we list, and the two that list their cats on their own sites, with fees, opening days and the rules that catch people out.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 2 November 2026
The short answer
The cat rescue near Truro whose cats we list is NAWT Cornwall, on the outskirts of Hayle about 17 miles away, which charges £120 for a cat. Cats Protection's Cornwall Cat Centre at Carnon Downs, near Truro, rehomes cats through its own listings, and the RSPCA Cornwall Branch near St Columb rehomes cats through its own site. Supply is thin: when we checked on 2 November 2026, nearly all of NAWT Cornwall's cats were young kittens that were already reserved.
- 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 Truro
- NAWT Cornwall charges £120 for a cat, with 4 weeks' free Petplan insurance. The Cornwall Cat Centre puts no fee on its page, so expect Cats Protection's national guide above and ask the centre. The RSPCA Cornwall Branch sets its own fees: ask the branch.
- 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.
Cat rescues in Cornwall compared
The first rescue below lists its cats with us; the other two rehome cats through their own sites, and we don't list their animals. Each runs its own application and fee: we don't rehome cats ourselves.
| Rescue | Where | How you adopt | Cat fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAWT Cornwall | Wheal Alfred Road, on the outskirts of Hayle (about 17 miles from Truro) | Register interest on the cat's page; matched applicants contacted in date order; visit to meet the cat | £120 |
| Cats Protection Cornwall Cat Centre | Carnon Downs, near Truro | Enquire through the cat's listing on Cats Protection's site; proof of address; renters need written permission first | Not on its page; ask the centre |
| RSPCA Cornwall Branch | Venton Animal Centre, Quoit, near St Columb | Through its own site | Ask the branch |
How each cat rescue near Truro works
All three ask you to apply or enquire before you visit, but they decide who adopts in different ways.
NAWT Cornwall, Hayle
NAWT Cornwall is the National Animal Welfare Trust's centre at Wheal Alfred Road, just on the outskirts of Hayle. It carries on the rescue work of Molly Wyatt, who died in July 1996, rehomes cats, dogs and small animals, and is open from 11am to 4pm every day except Tuesday. Its cats are on our NAWT Cornwall page, and it is the cat rescue people mean when they search for one in Hayle.
Its process starts online. You register your interest on the page of the cat you like, and it says it contacts potential owners "in chronological order once they have been matched to an animal". Then you visit to meet the cat, perhaps more than once, sign the homing agreement and pay. A cat costs £120 and goes home with 4 weeks' free Petplan insurance.
Because matched applicants are contacted in date order, timing matters more here than at a rescue that lets you call in. If a cat on its list suits you, register straight away rather than waiting until you can get to Hayle.
Cats Protection Cornwall Cat Centre, Carnon Downs
This is the centre people mean when they search for Cats Protection in Cornwall. Its page on the Cats Protection site says it is based in Carnon Downs, near Truro, and open from 11am to 4pm every day except Tuesday. Its cats are listed on Cats Protection's own site, and you enquire through the listing of the cat you like.
Two of its rules are worth knowing before you enquire. If you rent, you need written permission from your landlord before it will arrange a meeting with a cat, and every adopter needs proof of address. Its page gives no adoption fee, so ask the centre; across its branches, Cats Protection says that on average an adult cat costs £80 to £120 to adopt and a kitten £100 to £120.
We don't list Cats Protection cats, so you won't see the centre's cats on our pages. Search for the Cornwall Cat Centre on Cats Protection's site instead.
RSPCA Cornwall Branch, near St Columb
The RSPCA Cornwall Branch runs the Venton Animal Centre at Quoit, near St Columb, and rehomes cats and dogs. It describes itself as an independent, self-funded charity, registered separately from the national RSPCA. It rehomes its own animals through its own site. We don't list RSPCA animals, so look on its site and apply to it directly.
Why so few rescue cats are listed with us near Truro
The cats we list near Truro all come from one centre. When we checked on 2 November 2026, every cat listed with us within about 25 miles of Truro was at NAWT Cornwall, and 11 of them were kittens aged 1 to 2 months, all already reserved. Reserved means another adopter is going ahead with that cat, so it is no longer open to new applications. That left only its adult cats open to new applications.
The list changes as cats come in and are matched, so check our Truro cats page often, register interest with NAWT Cornwall as soon as a cat suits you, and look at the Cornwall Cat Centre's listings on Cats Protection's site as well. If you are happy with an adult or an older cat, our older cats page filters the list for you.
How to choose a cat rescue in Cornwall
Start with the cat: our Truro cats page shows every cat listed with us near Truro today. Then check:
- Kitten or adult. On 2 November 2026 every kitten at NAWT Cornwall was already reserved while its adult cats were still available, so being open to an adult widens your choice.
- Renting. The Cornwall Cat Centre needs your landlord's written permission before you meet a cat. Ask NAWT Cornwall what it needs from renters when you register.
- Paperwork. The Cornwall Cat Centre asks every adopter for proof of address, so have it ready before you enquire.
- Speed. NAWT Cornwall contacts matched applicants in date order, so register early. The Cornwall Cat Centre works through each cat's listing.
- The fee. NAWT Cornwall charges £120 for a cat. The Cornwall Cat Centre gives no fee on its page, so ask it, and ask the RSPCA Cornwall Branch for its own.
Rescue kittens in Cornwall
Kittens are reserved fastest. NAWT Cornwall's autumn kittens were all reserved by 2 November 2026, so watch our Truro kittens page and register interest the day a kitten appears. Our guide to rescue kittens in Cornwall covers kitten season, pairs, fees against buying, and keeping a kitten in while it settles.
If you are offered a kitten for sale instead, remember that rescue kittens are adopted, not sold: the rescue charges a fee, which usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations. Cats Protection advises seeing a kitten with its mother at home rather than buying from a video or social media advert.
Cat rescue near Hayle, Falmouth and Newquay
Our Truro pages cover three nearby towns, each with its own page listing the same cats measured from the town. For Hayle, about 17 miles from Truro, NAWT Cornwall is on the edge of the town: see our Hayle cats page. Falmouth, about 8 miles from Truro, and Newquay, about 10 miles, have no cat rescue of their own that lists with us, so our Falmouth cats page and Newquay cats page show NAWT Cornwall's cats by distance.
Microchipping your adopted cat in England
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 put it right or may be fined up to £500. Rescues usually microchip a cat before it goes; when you adopt, make sure the database shows you as the new keeper.
If you need to rehome your own cat in Cornwall
The National Animal Welfare Trust says some of its centres run waiting lists depending on space, so always call first, and it asks questions about your cat before it can take it in. Our rehoming page for Truro sets out the routes in Cornwall and what to have ready.
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 Cornwall?
Near Truro, NAWT Cornwall on the outskirts of Hayle lists its cats with us. Cats Protection's Cornwall Cat Centre at Carnon Downs and the RSPCA Cornwall Branch near St Columb rehome cats through their own sites, so search those as well.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat in Cornwall?
NAWT Cornwall charges £120 for a cat, with 4 weeks' free Petplan insurance. The Cornwall Cat Centre gives no fee on its page; across its branches, Cats Protection says that on average an adult cat costs £80 to £120 to adopt and a kitten £100 to £120.
Is there a Cats Protection centre in Cornwall?
Yes. Cats Protection's Cornwall Cat Centre is at Carnon Downs, near Truro, and is open from 11am to 4pm every day except Tuesday. You enquire through each cat's listing on Cats Protection's site; we don't list its cats.
Why are so few rescue cats listed near Truro?
Because only NAWT Cornwall lists its cats with us, and its kittens are reserved quickly. When we checked on 2 November 2026, most of NAWT Cornwall's cats were young kittens that were already reserved, and only its adult cats were still available. Check our Truro cats page often and register interest early.
Is there a cat rescue in Hayle?
Yes. NAWT Cornwall, the National Animal Welfare Trust's centre, is on Wheal Alfred Road on the outskirts of Hayle and rehomes cats as well as dogs. It is open from 11am to 4pm every day except Tuesday.
Can I adopt a cat in Cornwall if I rent?
Usually, with your landlord's agreement. The Cornwall Cat Centre needs written permission from your landlord before it will arrange a meeting with a cat, so get that first. Ask NAWT Cornwall what it needs from renters when you register interest.
Does the RSPCA rehome cats in Cornwall?
Yes. The RSPCA Cornwall Branch at the Venton Animal Centre, near St Columb, rehomes its own cats through its own site. We don't list RSPCA animals, so apply to it directly.
Does an adopted cat in Cornwall need a microchip?
Yes. Cornwall is in England, where cats must be microchipped before 20 weeks old and registered on a database. When you adopt, update the database so it shows you as the cat's keeper.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Truro? 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: National Animal Welfare Trust: NAWT Cornwall centre page (address, opening times) · National Animal Welfare Trust: the process (fees) · National Animal Welfare Trust: giving up my pet · Cats Protection: Cornwall Cat Centre page (cats.org.uk/cornwall; homepage linked per its terms) · RSPCA Cornwall Branch: home page (read through Exa) · GOV.UK: microchipping for cats becomes compulsory · PDSA: the cost of owning a cat · 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