The short answer
Rehoming a cat for free means finding the new home yourself, owner-to-owner, with your cat staying in your care until the handover. Gather the cat's desexing, vaccination and microchip records. Write an honest listing with clear photos. List it free on LocalPetFinder, where your email stays private and the listing is reviewed. Screen the people who apply, meet in person, hand over the records, and update the microchip to the new owner. There is no listing fee and no kennel. A modest fee is safer than a free ad, and cat rescues run long waitlists, so owner-to-owner is often the faster, gentler path.
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It is free. Your cat stays at home, your email stays private, and you choose the family.
List your cat free →What rehoming a cat for free actually means
Rehoming owner-to-owner means you find the new family yourself and your cat stays in your home the entire time. You list the cat, review the people who apply, choose the family you trust, and hand the cat over directly with its records and history. There is no surrender fee and no shelter kennel, which is what makes it free.
It is a different route from surrendering to a shelter or a cat rescue, where the organisation takes custody and runs its own adoption process. Both are legitimate. Owner-to-owner asks more of your time, but your cat waits in familiar surroundings, you keep control of who it goes to, and you help the rescues near you, which across Australia are consistently full.
The step-by-step process
Here is the whole process, in order. None of it costs anything except your time and care.
- Decide rehoming is the right call. Be honest about why. If it is a fixable behaviour or money problem, our self-assessment helps you check before you commit.
- Gather the records. Desexing certificate, vaccination and vet records, the microchip number, and FIV or FeLV status if known. Add the litter and food your cat uses, and write a short temperament note: indoor-only or not, and how the cat does with children, other cats and dogs.
- Write an honest, warm listing. Clear, well-lit photos, the cat's real personality, and the genuine reason for rehoming. Honesty attracts the right family and prevents a returned cat later.
- Set a modest fee, or zero. A small fee is usually safer than free. See our guide on free-to-good-home risks for why.
- List it free on LocalPetFinder. Your email is verified and kept private, and the listing is reviewed before it appears beside rescue cats, which is safer than a raw Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace ad.
- Screen the people who apply. Ask whether the cat will live indoors, whether they have other pets, and what their plan is if the cat needs vet care. Our guide to screening adopters covers the questions and the red flags.
- Meet in person. Meet the adopter, ideally where they can see the cat, before you agree to anything. Trust your read of the situation.
- Hand over the records and update the microchip. Give the new owner the full record pack, then update the microchip registration to them through the NSW Pet Registry, as required under the Companion Animals Act 1998.
- Help the cat settle. Advise the new owner to introduce the cat slowly, one quiet room at a time. Our transition guide covers a calm first week.
Indoors, catios, and native wildlife
One honest point to raise with the new owner is where the cat will live. Many Sydney councils and the RSPCA encourage keeping cats indoors, or in a contained outdoor run such as a catio, for the cat's own safety around traffic and to protect native wildlife. A contained cat lives longer on average and does no harm to local birds and small animals.
If your cat is already indoor-only, say so in the listing and look for an adopter who will keep it that way. If your cat is used to outdoor access, mention that, because a sudden switch takes patience. Matching the cat's lifestyle to the home avoids a stressed cat and a placement that falls apart.
A fee is safer than free, especially for kittens
“Free to good home” sounds kind, but it attracts the small number of people who collect free animals for the wrong reasons. A modest fee discourages them and signals to genuine adopters that the cat is valued. For reference, shelter cat adoption fees in Australia run roughly $100 to $250 for an adult and $150 to $300 for a kitten, so a fee in that range reads as normal.
This matters most with an accidental litter. Kittens attract more of the wrong interest than adult cats, so a small fee plus screening filters bad actors. Have kittens vet-checked and, where they are old enough, desexed before they leave, or make desexing a written condition of the handover. If you are rehoming a litter, our kitten rehoming guide walks through it.
Rehoming safely
The reason to list on a reviewed platform rather than an open classifieds ad is safety. A raw Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace post puts your cat, and your contact details, in front of everyone with no filter. On LocalPetFinder your email stays private and the listing is reviewed before it goes live beside rescue cats.
Watch for scams. Never share your home address before you trust someone, and be alert to overpayment or courier requests, which are common in pet ads. Scamwatch tracks these patterns. A modest fee plus real screening protects both you and the cat.
Why owner-to-owner beats a rescue waitlist
Cat rescues such as the Cat Protection Society of NSW, Brighter Future Cat Rescue, RSPCA NSW and Animal Welfare League NSW do excellent work, but they run waitlists because they are consistently at capacity. Surrendering to a shelter such as Sydney Dogs and Cats Home is a valid choice, yet it can mean waiting for an intake slot and a kennel stay for your cat.
Owner-to-owner rehoming has no capacity limit, because your cat stays with you. It is often the faster route precisely when rescues are full, and every cat rehomed this way is one fewer surrender for a system already stretched thin. If you are browsing local cats or want to see the format, our Sydney cats for rehoming page shows how listings appear.
Keep your cat at home until it is adopted
Listing your cat on LocalPetFinder is free. Your cat stays with you, your email stays private, you screen the people who apply, and you choose the family. No fee, no kennel.
List your cat for free →Related guides
A no-judgment framework so you decide with evidence, not panic, before you commit to rehoming.
Choosing a family you trust, the questions to ask, and the red flags to watch for.
The same owner-to-owner process for dogs: gather records, list free, screen, and hand over safely.
List on LocalPetFinder, keep your pet at home until adopted, and choose the new family yourself.
Frequently asked questions
How do I rehome my cat for free in Australia?+
List your cat owner-to-owner on LocalPetFinder, which is free and keeps your cat at home the whole time. The short version: gather your cat's desexing, vaccination and microchip records; write an honest listing with clear photos and the real reason; set a modest fee or zero; screen the people who apply by asking whether the cat will be indoors and whether they have other pets; meet in person; hand over records; and update the microchip registration to the new owner. There is no listing fee and no shelter kennel. It asks more of your time than a shelter surrender, but you choose the family and your cat never leaves home until the handover.
Is it safer to charge a small fee or give my cat away free?+
A modest fee is generally safer than a free listing. A small amount discourages the few people who collect free animals for the wrong reasons, and it signals to genuine adopters that the cat is valued. It does not need to be large. Shelter cat adoption fees in Australia run roughly $100 to $250 for an adult and $150 to $300 for a kitten, so a fee in that range reads as normal, and many rehomers put it toward the cat's final vet check. The screening you do matters more than the fee, but a fee plus real screening is the responsible combination. See our guide to free-to-good-home risks for the full reasoning.
Do I have to update the microchip when I rehome my cat?+
Yes. Under the Companion Animals Act 1998 in New South Wales, a cat's microchip and registration details must be kept current, and when ownership changes the record must be updated to the new owner. You do this through the NSW Pet Registry at petregistry.nsw.gov.au. Do not skip it: if the record still points to you, you remain the registered owner on paper, which causes problems if the cat is ever found straying or scanned at a vet. Update the microchip as part of the handover, and give the new owner the microchip number so they can confirm the change went through.
Should my cat go to an indoor-only home?+
It is worth discussing honestly with the new owner. Many Sydney councils and the RSPCA encourage keeping cats indoors, or in a contained outdoor run such as a catio, for the cat's own safety around traffic and to protect native wildlife. If your cat is already indoor-only, say so in the listing and look for an adopter who will keep it that way. If your cat is used to outdoor access, mention that too, because a sudden switch to fully indoor takes patience. Matching the cat's lifestyle to the new home avoids a stressed cat and a failed placement.
What if I am rehoming kittens from an accidental litter?+
Rehome them the same careful way, and use a modest fee rather than free listings. Kittens attract more of the wrong kind of interest than adult cats, so a small fee plus screening filters bad actors. Have the kittens vet-checked and, where they are old enough, desexed before they leave, or make desexing a written condition of the handover. Be honest in each listing about age, litter and food. A responsible litter rehoming is slower than you might hope, so start early and list each kitten clearly.
Why not just use Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace?+
A raw classifieds ad puts your cat, and your contact details, in front of everyone with no filter. LocalPetFinder verifies the lister's email, keeps your email private, and reviews the listing before it appears beside rescue cats, which is safer than an open ad. If you do also post elsewhere, screen every applicant the same way, never share your home address before you trust someone, and be alert to overpayment or courier scams. Scamwatch tracks these patterns. Owner-to-owner on a reviewed platform is the safer default.
How long does rehoming a cat take?+
It varies with the cat and the honesty of the listing. A friendly, desexed, indoor adult with clear photos and a warm description can find a home in a couple of weeks. A shy cat, a bonded pair, or a cat with a medical condition takes longer, and that is normal. The advantage of owner-to-owner rehoming is that your cat waits at home in familiar surroundings rather than in a kennel, so there is no pressure to rush a poor match. Take the time to find a family you trust.
Is rehoming through LocalPetFinder actually free?+
Yes. Listing your cat owner-to-owner on LocalPetFinder has no fee. Your cat stays in your home, your email stays private, the listing is reviewed before it goes live, and you choose the adopter. Cat rescues such as the Cat Protection Society of NSW, Brighter Future Cat Rescue, RSPCA NSW and AWL NSW run waitlists because they are consistently at capacity, so owner-to-owner rehoming is often faster and keeps your cat out of the shelter system entirely.
What records should I hand over with the cat?+
Everything you would want if you were the one taking the cat on. The desexing certificate, vaccination and vet records, the microchip number, and FIV or FeLV status if it is known. Add the litter and food brand the cat is used to, and a short written temperament note: is the cat indoor-only, how is it with children, other cats, or dogs, and what does it love or fear. Write it down rather than relying on a chat. A clear handover pack is the single most useful thing you can give the cat's next home.
Should I try anything before rehoming my cat?+
It depends why you are considering it. If the issue is behaviour, such as litter-box trouble or spraying, a vet visit to rule out a urinary or medical cause resolves many problems. If it is money, ask your local vet or the RSPCA about low-cost desexing and assistance. If it is a short-term crisis, a friend or a temporary foster may bridge the gap so you can keep your cat. If none of those fit and the situation is genuine, owner-to-owner rehoming is a reasonable and caring next step. Our honest self-assessment walks through the decision.
Sources
- NSW Pet Registry: microchip registration and change-of-owner under the Companion Animals Act 1998
- Cat Protection Society of NSW: responsible cat care, desexing and rehoming guidance
- RSPCA Knowledgebase: keeping cats safe at home and rehoming advice
- Scamwatch: avoiding overpayment and courier scams in online pet ads