If you’re on the hunt for a furry friend to join you or your family, you might be looking for the best place to find your perfect feline or canine buddy. More and more people nowadays are choosing to adopt a rescue pet, over purchasing one from a breeder. Rescuing a cat or dog allows you to offer your home, love and care to an animal in need of warmth, affection and a safe environment, and give them the second chance they so deserve. With so many excellent animal shelters and rehoming centres in Brighton ready to help you adopt a pet, it can be difficult to choose just one. Read ahead to be guided through a selection of Brighton’s best places to adopt a rescue dog or cat.
RSPCA Brighton
As a registered animal protection charity, the RSPCA is one of the most nationally-recognised places from which to adopt a new animal friend. The RSPCA rescues, rehomes and rehabilitates a range of unwanted, abandoned or neglected animals, including dogs and cats as well as rabbits, reptiles, birds and other small animals.
Staff and volunteers will help to match you to the perfect pet for you based on a perfect-match adoption form, the make-up of your home and the animal’s needs. Once the experts have matched you with a well-matched animal buddy, a home visit will be arranged to check the compatibility between you, your home, and your potential pet. If you choose to adopt a pet through the RSPCA, you will benefit from a range of advice regarding animal care, behaviour and training.
The adoption fees range from £20 for a ferret to £275 for a puppy and include neutering, microchipping, vaccination, a vet check, and four weeks’ insurance coverage, as well as flea treatment and worming for dogs and cats. With a fantastic range of animals in need of your love and care, brilliant adoption procedures and adoption care, the RSPCA may be the ideal place for you to adopt a wonderful animal companion.
Website: https://rspca-brighton.org.uk
Email: info@rspcabrighton.org.uk
Telephone: 01273554218
City Cat Shelter
As the name suggests, City Cat Shelter cares for and rehomes a range of lovable cats. Based in Coldean, Brighton, they are an entirely voluntary organisation, run by a team of passionate cat-loving volunteers, and funded exclusively by donations. The shelter is operated by Michael and Jane out of their own home, after Michael decided to dedicate his retirement to rehoming and caring for as many cats as he can.
City Cat Shelter rescues cats from a range of backgrounds, at all stages of life and in all conditions, and provides them with a warm, healthy and stimulating environment in which to recover and await their forever homes. If you can provide a perfect forever home for a feline, you can book a visit to the Brighton cat sanctuary and meet all the cats which are awaiting rehoming.
You will be introduced to the cats and talked through their background and needs by the team, and given the opportunity to see how you and the cats respond to each other. If you find a compatible cat you feel you can offer a loving home, a home visit can be arranged to check the suitability of your home for the cat and to give you advice on cat-proofing your home. If not already spayed and vaccinated, the team will provide you with vouchers to arrange this for your kitty at a local vet.
Once the adoption is confirmed, your cat will be brought to your home, or you can collect them. There is a voluntary £100 donation requested to allow the team to feed and care for the cats in their care. However, the support doesn’t stop after your cat joins your home; the team are always at the other end of the phone for advice. If you’d like to find your perfect fit for a feline companion and support a wonderful team of volunteers to provide care to their rescue cats, then City Cat Shelter could be the perfect cat sanctuary for you to find your feline friend.
Website: https://citycatshelter.co.uk/
Email: info@citycatshelter.co.uk
Telephone: 01273 606 843
Dogs Trust
Dogs Trust has been caring for dogs and their human loved ones since 1891, and has been helping dogs find a loving home since 1891. With 22 rehoming centres in the UK and Ireland, all of which create positive, warm and safe experiences for their rescue pooches, Dogs Trust is a well-established and passionate company from which to adopt a dog.
If you’re ready to rehome a canine friend, you can explore the range of doggies in need of a home, either online or in person at a rehoming centre. Once you’ve found a dog that is right for you, and vice versa, you can fill out an application form for the team to review. If it’s looking promising, the team will arrange for a meet at the centre, or perhaps a walk for you to get to know the dog further.
Some of the dogs in the care of the Dogs Trust may need a few meet-ups to get to feel confident with you and to build a bond before you commit to offering them a home. If you, the dog and the team are all happy after a meet-up and possibly a home visit, then the adoption can go ahead, and you will be provided with lots of advice and support to ease the transition.
The fees for adopting a dog through the Dogs Trust are £225 for an adult dog, or £280 for a puppy, which includes a Dog School fee. With a thorough adoption process to ensure you and the pooch are perfect for each other, and great post-adoption support, adopting through the Dogs Trust is a great way to ensure you find the perfect match and have a seamless transition to pooch life.
Website: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/our-centres/shoreham
Email: info@dogstrust.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 003 0000
Paws for the Cause Rescue
Paws for the Cause Rescue is a Non-Profit Association which has been rescuing and rehoming dogs and cats in Spain and the UK since 2017. After you’ve explored the website to see the range of lovely animals available, you can apply directly on the website to adopt your chosen canine companion or feline friend. An expert volunteer will then liaise with you to discuss your home and lifestyle and the animal’s needs, before arranging a home check.
All animals rescued by Paws for the Cause Rescue are health-checked, microchipped, vaccinated, and spayed/neutered if old enough. To support the animals to transition into their forever home, all animals are fostered in homes by foster carers, meaning whichever gorgeous animal you choose will have an easier transition into your home.
Website: https://pawsforthecauserescue.co.uk
Email: info@pawsforthecauserescue.co.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)7950 991 560
Cats Protection
Rescuing cats since 1927, Cats Protection is the UK’s leading cat charity, helping over 210,000 cats and kittens a year. Run by a team of volunteers, the cat lovers ensure each cat is health-checked vaccinated, neutered and micro-chipped, before being fostered in a home environment while awaiting their forever home – which could be you!
Adopting a cat through Cats Protection is virtual, though if you’re keen on an in-person moggy meeting, it may be possible to arrange. To adopt a cat, you can explore the cats available for adoption on their website. Once one of their beautiful cats catches your eye (which won’t take long!) you can enquire about adopting them online or by phone.
If the care you can offer aligns with the needs and characteristics of the kitten in question, a home visit may be arranged, where you will be given advice and information on cat care and the specific cat’s needs. If adoption is arranged, your adoption fee of £90 contributes to the cost of cat care and grants you 4 weeks of cat insurance. If you’re searching for well-cared-for, health-checked cats from an expert foster home, then Cats Protection may be the perfect place to find your perfect cat or kitten.
Website: https://www.cats.org.uk/brighton
Email: enquires@brighton.cats.org.uk
Telephone: 01273 610 306
Whether you’re looking for a canine or feline addition to your home, there is a wealth of animals in Brighton just waiting for their forever home. By choosing to rehome an animal in need, you are giving them a second chance at life and the love they so desperately need. The wonderful charities and companies above are waiting to match you with your perfect pup, pooch, cat or kitten, so get in touch with them today to find a gorgeous animal to welcome into your life.
