Rescue guide
Cat rescues in Worcester: the best ones compared
Five rescues within about 24 miles of Worcester list cats with us, from the shelter at Newland on the Malvern road to a cattery in a Welford-on-Avon garden and Cheltenham's century-old shelter. Here they are side by side, with fees, kittens and rules, plus Cats Protection and the RSPCA, which rehome cats through their own sites.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 3 November 2026
The short answer
The nearest cat rescue to Worcester is Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter at Newland, about 5 miles out, which asks £115 for a cat and £125 for a kitten under 6 months, after at least two meets. Cheltenham Animal Shelter, about 21 miles south, asks £125, or £225 for a pair. For a cat in Worcester itself, Cats Protection's volunteer Worcester & District 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.
- Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter
- £115 for a cat, £125 for a kitten under 6 months, with a Pet Remedy kit and 4 weeks' Petplan cover.
- Cheltenham Animal Shelter
- £125 for a cat or kitten, £225 for a pair, with four weeks' free Petplan cover.
- Other cat rescues
- Avon Cat Rescue and Redditch Cat Rescue don't publish a fee: ask when you enquire. Avon Cat Rescue gives five weeks' free pet insurance.
- 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.
Worcester cat rescues compared
Every rescue below has cats listed with us within about 24 miles of Worcester. Click a name to see its cats with us today. Each runs its own application, checks and fee: we don't rehome cats ourselves.
| Rescue | Where | Cats | How you adopt | Cat fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter | Newland, off the Malvern road (about 5 miles) | Cats and kittens; a maternity unit | Form for one cat; at least two meets; a safe room at home | £115; £125 for a kitten |
| Redditch Cat Rescue | Redditch, foster homes (about 14 miles) | Strays and abandoned cats | Form on its home page | Not published |
| Avon Cat Rescue | Welford-on-Avon (about 19 miles) | Cats and kittens; outdoor cats too | Email to meet a cat | Not published |
| Wythall Animal Sanctuary | Wythall (about 19 miles) | Cats, kittens, dogs and rabbits | Enquiry form; road and home checks before a meet | Ask the sanctuary |
| Cheltenham Animal Shelter | Gardners Lane, Cheltenham (about 21 miles) | Cats from across Gloucestershire | Email its cats team; meet the Rehomer; deposit | £125; £225 a pair |
How each cat rescue near Worcester works
The rescues work quite differently, so check the one whose cat you like before you set off.
Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter, Newland
Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter has a 12-pen cattery and a maternity unit for nursing mothers and their kittens on Hawthorn Lane, Newland. It is a non-view shelter: read a cat's profile, send an interested parties form, and expect at least two meets at the shelter, the second of which can be adoption day, within 7 days of the first (its adoption process). After the first meet it asks you to set up a safe room at home. Cats leave vaccinated, neutered and microchipped. Its cats are on our Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter page.
Cheltenham Animal Shelter
Cheltenham Animal Shelter, about 21 miles south, rehomes cats from across Gloucestershire. Email its cats team, not by phone, and it sends an application; if you are a good match it aims to reply within 7 days. After you meet the cat, a non-refundable deposit reserves it. The fee is £125, or £225 for a pair, and covers neutering, vaccinations, a microchip, flea and worm treatment and four weeks' Petplan cover. Its cats are on our Cheltenham Animal Shelter page.
Avon Cat Rescue, Welford-on-Avon
Founded in the 1960s in a Welford-on-Avon garden, Avon Cat Rescue, about 19 miles east in South Warwickshire, now has heated pens for over ninety cats. You email it to meet a cat; it prefers to home kittens in pairs, and also looks for homes for ex-feral and stray cats that can't live indoors. Every cat comes with five weeks' free pet insurance. Its cats are on our Avon Cat Rescue page.
Wythall Animal Sanctuary
Wythall Animal Sanctuary, about 19 miles north-east, checks your road before a cat meet: it won't rehome a cat to a home on or near a busy road or railway line. It homes young kittens only in pairs or to a home with a young cat, never with an elderly cat, and will rehome suitable cats to indoor homes. Most home checks for cats are a video tour or photos. Its cats are on our Wythall page.
Redditch Cat Rescue
A small volunteer charity, Redditch Cat Rescue rescues, neuters and rehomes abandoned and stray cats in Redditch and around it, about 14 miles from Worcester, from foster homes. Every cat is neutered, vaccinated and microchipped before it goes home, and you enquire through the form on its site. Its cats are on our Redditch Cat Rescue page.
How to choose between them
Start with the cat: our Worcester cats page lists every cat at the rescues above. Then weigh these:
- Kittens. Avon Cat Rescue prefers to home kittens in pairs, and Wythall homes young kittens only in pairs or with a young cat. Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter says demand for kittens outweighs supply, so consider an adult cat too.
- Your road. Wythall won't rehome a cat near a busy road or railway; ask the others about an indoor cat if you live on one.
- Visits. Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter wants at least two meets within a week; Cheltenham Animal Shelter asks for a deposit after the first.
- The fee. £115 for a cat at Newland and £125 at Cheltenham. Avon Cat Rescue and Redditch Cat Rescue tell you theirs when you enquire.
Cats Protection and the RSPCA in Worcester
Cats Protection has a volunteer branch, Worcester & District, covering Worcester's WR postcodes, Malvern and Kidderminster's DY10 to DY13; you enquire through each cat's own listing. We don't list its cats, so search its own site.
The RSPCA Worcester & Mid-Worcestershire Branch, a separately registered charity affiliated to the RSPCA, rehomes cats from its centre just outside Kempsey, to adopters over 18. We don't list RSPCA animals: look on its site and apply to it directly.
Found a stray cat around Worcester?
In England a pet cat must now be microchipped, so a vet's scan is the quickest way to find the owner. Cheltenham Animal Shelter says many "stray" cats turn out to belong to a neighbour, so don't feed or invite in a cat that may have a home; it doesn't collect stray cats, but will scan one brought in for a microchip.
If you have been searching "kittens for sale Worcester"
A rescue kitten is adopted, not sold: you pay the rescue's fee, £125 at Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter or Cheltenham Animal Shelter, which covers vaccinations, a microchip and neutering or a plan for it. Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter advertises its kittens and asks you to fill in an interested parties form. Report a pet advert that asks for money before you have met the kitten to Report Fraud.
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 Worcester?
Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter at Newland, about 5 miles out, is the nearest rescue whose cats we list. Redditch Cat Rescue, Avon Cat Rescue, Wythall Animal Sanctuary and Cheltenham Animal Shelter list cats with us too. Cats Protection's Worcester & District branch rehomes cats through its own site.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat in Worcester?
Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter asks £115 for a cat and £125 for a kitten under 6 months. Cheltenham Animal Shelter asks £125, or £225 for a pair. Both include neutering, vaccinations and a microchip.
Can I walk round the cattery at Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter?
No. It is a non-view shelter: you read a cat's profile online, send an interested parties form, and meet the cat at least twice if you are a match. You can visit between 11am and 3pm, Thursday to Tuesday, to talk it through.
Where can I adopt a kitten near Worcester?
Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter advertises its kittens, and Avon Cat Rescue had kittens on 3 November 2026, preferably homed in pairs. Cats Protection Worcester & District rehomes kittens through its own site. Our Worcester kittens page lists every kitten with us live.
Is there a Cats Protection in Worcester?
Yes, a volunteer branch, Cats Protection Worcester & District, covering Worcester, Malvern and Kidderminster postcodes. We don't list its cats, so enquire through each cat's listing on its own site.
What should I do if I find a stray cat in Worcester?
Don't feed it or invite it in, as it may belong to a neighbour, and ask a vet to scan it for a microchip: pet cats in England must now be chipped. The council's warden service is for dogs.
Can I adopt a cat near Cheltenham?
Yes. Cheltenham Animal Shelter on Gardners Lane asks £125 for a cat or kitten, or £225 for a pair, and lists its cats with us. Email its cats team: it doesn't take applications by phone.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Worcester? 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: Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter: adoption process (cat fees, meets) · Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter: FAQs (kittens) · Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter: about (cattery) · Cheltenham Animal Shelter: adoption process and fees · Cheltenham Animal Shelter: rehoming (email, no phone applications) · Cheltenham Animal Shelter: stray pets · Wythall Animal Sanctuary: animal adoption (cat policies) · Avon Cat Rescue: about us · Avon Cat Rescue: cats in need of a home (insurance, kittens) · Redditch Cat Rescue: home page · Cats Protection Worcester & District (homepage linked; its terms ask that deep links be approved) · RSPCA Worcester & Mid-Worcestershire 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