28 rescue Domestic Shorthairs are available for adoption in Wellington right now. Every listing links straight to the rescue.
4 years • Domestic Short Hair
We will email you the moment a Domestic Shorthair cat becomes available in Wellington, from a rescue or an owner rehoming.
The Domestic Shorthair is a medium cat breed. Adult cats typically weigh 3.6 to 5.4 kg and live 12 to 18 years. Typical traits: varies-widely, adaptable, genetically-diverse, common.
Any household, DSH is the everyday cat, by far the most common feline genome. Temperament varies widely with the individual. There isn't a real one; DSH cats fit almost any household when matched to the individual cat.
Adult Domestic Shorthairs need about 20 minutes of daily exercise; adolescent cats typically need 30 minutes. The coat is short-coated with moderate shedding, and brushing every 4 weeks keeps the coat manageable.
Use the city links to narrow to your area, or browse the full list below.
Breed-associated conditions worth asking any rescue about before you adopt. A good rescue will already know whether a cat has been assessed for these.
Periodontal disease is the most common feline health issue; annual cleanings recommended.
Source: VCA →Common in older cats regardless of breed; routine bloodwork after age 7.
Source: VCA →Editorial summary for adopters, not medical advice. Ask the rescue about a specific cat's health, and consult your vet for individual guidance.
Domestic Shorthairs in Wellington are listed by a range of local rescues and shelters. Applications, home checks and adoption decisions are handled by the rescue directly. LocalPetFinder brings the listings together so you do not have to check each rescue separately, and does not take a fee.
Rescues rehome across the country, and many will consider adopters outside their immediate area. It is worth checking the nearby cities too.
As of October 2026, 28 Domestic Shorthairs are available for adoption in Wellington across 2 rescues on LocalPetFinder. Listings are refreshed regularly as cats are adopted and new ones arrive, browse the current Domestic Shorthairs above and apply directly through the rescue.
LocalPetFinder lists Domestic Shorthairs available for adoption from rescues across Wellington and New Zealand. Every listing links straight to the rescue that has the cat, and the application is handled by them, not by us.
Domestic Shorthairs typically live 12 to 18 years.
Adult Domestic Shorthairs need about 20 minutes of daily exercise. Adolescent cats (under 2 years) typically need 30 minutes, more than mature adults.
Breed-associated conditions to ask the rescue about include Dental disease, Chronic kidney disease. See the citations in the health section above for authoritative information on each. This is an editorial summary, not medical advice, so check with your vet for individual guidance.
Not for sale, for adoption, which is usually the better deal. Every Domestic Shorthair here comes from a New Zealand rescue or shelter, not a breeder, pet shop, or classified seller. If you searched "domestic shorthair for sale wellington" or "domestic shorthair kittens for sale", adopting gets you a healthy, vetted cat for a fraction of the price.
You can buy from a registered breeder, but it is worth weighing against adoption first. If you do buy, insist on seeing where the kittens were raised and getting vet records, and check the breeder against your local pet-sale rules. For most families in Wellington, adopting a rescue Domestic Shorthair is cheaper, faster, and gives a cat in need a home.
Both, but adults far outnumber kittens, and it is worth knowing that before you start looking. Most Domestic Shorthairs arriving in Wellington rescue are adolescents and adults, because that is the age at which first homes tend to give up. Kittens do come through, usually as accidental litters or with a surrendered mother, and they are typically spoken for quickly. Setting an alert beats refreshing the page. It is also worth asking whether you actually want one: an adult arrives with a temperament a foster has already observed and described, where a Domestic Shorthair kitten is a prediction, and for this breed in particular knowing what you are getting is the more useful thing.
Start with the listings on this page, which pull from Wellington rescues and shelters and are refreshed regularly, so what you see is what is genuinely available rather than a stale directory. If nothing suits today, that is normal for this breed: rescue intake is intermittent rather than steady, and a breed with none listed this week often has several next month. Setting an alert beats checking back, and it is worth widening to nearby suburbs and towns, since most rescues serving Wellington will adopt out across a reasonable driving distance rather than only inside one council area.
If you are on the other side of this page and need to find your domestic shorthair a new home, we have a breed-specific guide: the rescues worth contacting first, realistic timelines, and how to screen adopters. Listing on LocalPetFinder is free.
How to rehome a Domestic Shorthair responsibly →