No British Shorthairs in Perth right now
Rescue availability changes constantly. Browse every adoptable cat in Perth, or look at British Shorthairs elsewhere in Western Australia.
Browse all cats in Perth →There are no British Shorthairs listed in Perth rescue at the moment. British Shorthairs come up periodically, so it is worth setting an alert — and British Shorthair crosses are worth considering too.
Rescue availability changes constantly. Browse every adoptable cat in Perth, or look at British Shorthairs elsewhere in Western Australia.
Browse all cats in Perth →The British Shorthair is a sturdy, round-faced cat with a dense plush coat, calm and undemanding by nature, and its popularity keeps demand high. A purebred British Shorthair is uncommon in WA rescue and places quickly, while crosses and older cats come up more often, so set an alert and be ready to apply if this is the cat you want.
A rescue British Shorthair has usually been assessed in foster care, so the rescue can tell you how a given cat is with children, other pets and handling. A rescue cat also arrives desexed and microchipped, which meets two of the three things WA law requires of a pet cat before it even comes home.
The British Shorthair is prized for its temperament: calm, steady and independent rather than a demanding lap cat, happy to be near its people without needing to be on them. It is an easygoing choice for a quieter household, and it tolerates being left to its own devices better than the clingier breeds. The flip side of that placid nature is a strong tendency to put on weight, so the single most useful everyday habit is portion control and play, because an overweight British Shorthair is a common and avoidable problem.
On health the breed is prone to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the main inherited heart condition in cats, and to polycystic kidney disease (PKD), both of which reputable breeders screen for, so ask the rescue whether anything was flagged at the vet check. The dense double coat sheds seasonally and needs regular brushing, more so during a moult, though it does not mat the way a longhaired coat does. Take out pet insurance while the cat is young so these known issues are not later excluded.
Western Australia is stricter on cats than most states, so start with the law. Under the Cat Act 2011 a pet cat must be desexed, microchipped and registered with your local council by six months of age, which makes desexing a legal requirement here rather than a personal choice. A rescue British Shorthair arrives already desexed and microchipped, meeting two of those three, leaving council registration for you to arrange, and sterilised cats pay a reduced fee, so check the amount with your local council.
Some WA councils make local laws under the Cat Act to contain cats or keep them out of certain areas, and this varies by council, so check yours. A calm indoor cat like the British Shorthair is well suited to an indoor-only life or a secure catio, which is the safer choice for the cat and better for local wildlife regardless of what your council requires.
Perth summers are hot and dry, with long stretches past 35 and 40 degrees, and the dense plush double coat holds heat, so give a British Shorthair shade, cool surfaces and water in more than one place through summer. The coat is not shaved to cool the cat without veterinary advice, because it insulates against heat as well as cold. Paralysis ticks are not established in WA, so year-round tick prevention is not the concern it is on the east coast.
Breed and regulatory information cross-checked against WA Cat Act 2011 (legislation.wa.gov.au).
As of September 2026 there are no British Shorthairs listed in Perth rescue on LocalPetFinder. British Shorthairs are among the rarer cats in Australian rescue, and availability turns over quickly, so setting an alert is the most reliable way to catch one when it arrives. British Shorthair crosses are worth considering too.
LocalPetFinder lists British Shorthairs available for adoption from rescues across Perth and Western Australia. A dedicated single-breed rescue is not always active near Perth, so the fastest route is to watch the general rescues and set an alert. Every listing links straight to the rescue that has the cat, and the application is handled by them, not by us.
Not for sale, for adoption, which is usually the better deal. Every British Shorthair here comes from a Perth-area rescue rather than a breeder or a classified seller, and the adoption fee already covers desexing, vaccination and microchipping. That fee is typically a few hundred dollars, against often several thousand from a breeder with none of the vet work done. If you searched "british shorthair for sale perth", adopting gets you a vetted cat for a fraction of the price.
Yes, they are one of the easier cats to live with. The British Shorthair is calm, steady and independent, content to be near its people rather than constantly on them, and it copes with being left alone during the day better than clingier breeds, which suits a working household or a quieter home. The main thing to watch is weight, because the breed's placid nature makes it easy to over-feed, so keep meals measured and make time for play. Indoors or a secure catio suits this cat well.
The two to know are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most common inherited heart condition in cats, and polycystic kidney disease, both of which reputable breeders screen for, so ask the rescue whether anything was flagged at the vet check. Beyond that the breed is generally robust, though its placid nature and healthy appetite make obesity a real and avoidable problem, so keep it lean. Take out pet insurance while the cat is young and healthy so these known issues are not later excluded as pre-existing.
Less than a longhaired cat, but more than you might expect from a shorthair. The coat is dense and plush rather than long, so it does not mat, but it sheds and needs regular brushing to keep on top of the loose hair, especially during a seasonal moult when it drops heavily. That is the extent of the grooming for the breed. Through the Perth summer manage the heat with shade, cool surfaces and water rather than by clipping the coat, which insulates against heat as well as cold.