As a reputable, ADCH registered cat shelter, committed to cat welfare, we go much further than many cat sellers to make sure our cats are healthy, happy, and suitable for your home, as well as providing support post adoption.

All cats adopted from us have had all the necessary veterinary care to get them ready for their new homes.

• All of our cats have been health checked by a vet, and are fit and healthy to the best of our knowledge. If you are adopting a cat with any known health issues this will be discussed with you in detail and support can be offered.
• All of our cats and kittens have been microchipped, and we will register your new cat’s microchip with your details when they are adopted.
• All of our cats have been vaccinated, and you will be given their vaccination record card so you can keep track of their yearly booster vaccinations through their lives.
• All cats adopted from us have 4 weeks FREE PetPlan Charity pet insurance starting as soon as you adopt, to give you peace of mind that any illness* and injury that occurs after adoption can be quickly resolved, and to give you time to get a full policy in place. (*excluding pre-existing conditions)
• All cats and kittens adopted from us are also up to date with flea and worming treatments.

The cost of these services are included in our adoption fee, making adoption cheaper and more responsible than buying in many cases.

We collect information about each cats’ behaviour, temperament and personality, both from our experience with the cat and the information provided to us by the cat’s previous owners, to match adopters with the most suitable companion. This results in happy cats and owners. We are always available to provide advice and support if any issues arise after adoption.

Step 1: Read our adoption and cat care information to make sure that adopting a cat is right for you.

We think a cat is the perfect companion for many homes, however there are a few things to consider before adopting a cat.

We recommend doing some research into cat care and what it entails, as well as looking into the costs associated with taking care of a cat such as food, litter, flea and worm treatment, insurance/vet bills, if you can find a sitter/cattery for holidays, and how much time the cat would be spending alone.

Step 2: Fill in our Adoption Application Form online

Please apply after you have read the information linked above, and ensure you are ready to adopt at (or soon after) the date you apply.

We ask for details about your home and family, what you are looking for in a cat, and your previous experience with cats. You can also let us know if you have seen an available cat on the website that you are interested in meeting. If none of the cats on the website catch your eye, please still fill in an application, as it means you will be on our waiting list and we will be on the look out for a perfect match for you as new cats become ready for adoption.

If you require assistance with the online form, simply phone us on 0114 272 4441. Alternatively we can send you a paper application in the post.

Please be honest and give us as much information about your household as you can. This helps us to fnd the perfect cat for you, and greatly reduces the chance of the cat being returned to the rescue, which can be very stressful for cat and is of course upsetting for you if the adoption doesn’t work out.

Step 3: Send any neccesary supporting information to us

If you are in rented accomodation, or a home you do not own, you will need to provide us with a written permission statement from your landlord/housing authority/property owner  to support the progress of your application.

If you own other cats, we will need proof of neuter and vaccine status in order to progress the application. We will only contact you to progress the application after these have been provided.

If you did not attach up to date photos of your house to your application, please send these as soon as possible. This is so we can assess how the home will be set up for the cat and how much space they will have. We can also provide advice on most suitable placement for cat essentials such as litter trays, feeding area, scratching apparatus, etc. 

Step 4: Look out for a confirmation email from us – This means we have your application and are reviewing it.

Please be aware that we work on a small team of staff, so although we try to respond to every application within 48hrs, there may be a delay in processing your application.

We will let you know if we have any more questions about your application, and will start the process of finding the perfect cat for you.

Step 5: Receive an invitation to meet potential matches

Potential adoption visits are subject to availability. Please do not visit until you have received a booking confirmation from The Sheffield Cats Shelter. If there are currently no cats available that suit your specifications, we will keep your application on file for future consideration. (We may get in touch if we feel a cat would be suitable for you, even if it isn’t necessarily what you were looking for – stay openminded, it might be just the cat you were looking for!)  

Depending on the cats we have available and what you are looking for, we may be in touch very soon (within hours or days) to arrange an appointment to meet a suitable cat or cats. Alternatively, it may be several weeks before a good match becomes available.  These cats or kittens may be in the shelter or at a foster home.

Please note, naming a cat on your application does not reserve that cat.

Please don’t be disheartened or disappointed if you aren’t chosen for a particular cat. There will most likely be an area of incompatibility when comparing the cats needs to your application, or it could be that someone was matched up before you. Don’t worry, we’ll still do our best to find your ideal companion!

Step 6: Visit the cats

Please be aware that cats can be stressed or nervous in the shelter environment generally, or by meeting new people, so you may not get to see their full personality during your visit. However staff and fosterers will be able to tell you how they behave when they are settled and how they behaved in their previous homes.

If the meet and greet with the cat goes well, the cat you visit is ready to adopt and you are happy to go ahead with the adoption, then you may be able to take the cat home on the day. Some cats may need to stay with us a little while longer if they are recuperating from an operation or finishing a course of medicine, in which case the adoption paperwork and payment will take place on the day you visit, and you can arrange to collect the cat at a later date when they are ready.

You are also able to arrange a second viewing of a cat on another day, but please be aware that the cat cannot be reserved and may be adopted by another applicant before your second viewing.

There is no pressure to adopt on the day. If none of the cats feel like a good match, or if after the visit you are unsure if you are ready to adopt, then we can retain your appliaction and contact you again in the future to arrange another visit to meet different cats.

If you have any questions about the adoption process, please view our adoption FAQs, or email info@sheffieldcats.org.uk

All applicants in accomodation not owned by them, must provide a permission statement from the owner of the property.

All current cats must be neutered and up to date with their vaccinations.

We will check your application and perform a road check to make sure the roads surrounding your house are safe for a cat. If your address does not pass the road check we will consider adopting an indoor only cat. These cats are usually either elderly or have health issues preventing them from going outside, or in instances where a cat has always lived happily indoors.

We require up to date photos of the home to peform a home check, to ensure there is suitable space for the cat and the cat related resources including litter trays, feeding area, scratching apparatus etc. We may perform a physical homecheck if we aren’t able to ascertain this information from the photos provided by you.