Adoptable rescue cats in Melbourne and the surrounding VIC area, refreshed regularly.
Updated regularly from Melbourne and Victoria rescues. Compare, match, and adopt easier.
Answer quick questions about your home, lifestyle and pets, and get personalised cat recommendations
Planning resources and guides to prepare for adoption
Be first to know when new cats matching your preferences become available
Answer quick questions about your home, lifestyle and pets, and get personalised cat recommendations
Planning resources and guides to prepare for adoption
Be first to know when new cats matching your preferences become available
Showing all 442 cats
10 weeks • Domestic Short Hair
Be the first to know when new rescue cats become available in your area.
See cats being rehomed directly by their owners in Melbourne, or list your own cat for free.
Looking to adopt a cat in Melbourne? Every cat on this page is listed by a rescue serving the Melbourne area, so you can see what is genuinely available locally without checking each rescue's site one by one. Each profile links straight back to the rescue that has them.
New to adopting? Our Victoria adoption guides cover what adoption costs, council registration and desexing rules that apply right across Victoria, including Melbourne.
In Victoria cats aged three months and over must be registered with the local council, renewing each year by 10 April, and must be microchipped before their first registration. Desexed cats pay a much lower fee, set by each council.
Councils also make their own cat rules, including curfews in some areas, so check your local council before you bring a cat home. Anyone advertising a cat for sale or to give away must show its microchip number and a Pet Exchange Register source number.
Paralysis ticks are not established around Melbourne, so local tick risk is low. Fleas and worms are the year-round parasites to stay on top of, and indoor cats still need protection from summer heatwaves.
Source: Agriculture Victoria (pets)
Browse adoptable cats by breed. Each breed page shows what is available in Melbourne now, plus what the breed costs to adopt, the health to plan for and the local law.
Adoptable cats for towns served by Melbourne rescues, with any pets based in that town listed first.
There are 442 adoptable rescue cats listed in Melbourne right now. Rescue numbers move quickly as animals are adopted, so the count changes between visits.
Every cat on this page comes from Animal Aid, Australian Animal Protection Society, Blue Cross Animals Society of Victoria, Cat Protection Society of Victoria, Forever Friends Animal Rescue, Geelong Animal Welfare Society, Lort Smith, Melton City Council Animal Pound, Mornington Peninsula Shire Community Animal Shelter, RSPCA Victoria, Save-A-Dog Scheme, The Lost Dogs' Home, wat djerring Animal Facility (City of Whittlesea). Each listing links straight to that rescue's own page, where the application is handled.
No. LocalPetFinder is a discovery platform, not a rescue. We bring listings together in one place so you do not have to check each rescue's website separately. Applications, approvals and adoption decisions are handled entirely by the rescue.
No. LocalPetFinder is free. Adoption fees are set by the rescue and are paid to them directly, not to us.
That is up to the rescue. Some rehome only within their local area, others will consider adopters further afield. The rescue's own listing page states their policy — check it before applying.
No. PetRescue.com.au is one of Australia's largest national adoption sites, listing animals from rescues right across the country. LocalPetFinder brings together rescue cats for Melbourne and the surrounding area, alongside the local rules on council registration, desexing and microchipping in Victoria. The two are separate platforms.
LocalPetFinder lists adoptable rescue cats from rescues serving Melbourne, refreshed regularly. Adopt A Pet (adoptapet.com) is US-based with limited Australian coverage, and PetRescue lists nationally. Every listing here links straight to the rescue that has the animal, so you apply with them directly.
Yes. Cats aged three months and over must be registered with your local council, renewing by 10 April each year, and microchipped before their first registration. Desexed cats pay a reduced fee, and your council can tell you the exact amount.
Some councils have them and others do not. Cat containment rules are set council by council, so check your own council's rules before deciding whether your cat will go outdoors.