The short answer
The main Perth cat rescues are Cat Haven (WA's largest cat shelter, at Shenton Park), RSPCA WA (its Animal Care Centre at Malaga), Perth Rescue Angels (a cats-only foster rescue across metro Perth) and SAFE Perth (a no-kill foster rescue). The shelters let you meet cats in person; the foster-based rescues tell you more about how a cat actually lives. Applying at more than one for different cats at once is normal and recommended. Fees always include desexing, vaccination, microchipping and a vet check. One Perth essential: under the WA Cat Act 2011 a pet cat must be desexed, microchipped and registered, and a rescue cat already has the first two done for you.
How to use this guide
We cover the main Perth cat rescues in detail below. For each one we note where it is, how it is run, how adoption works, what the fee covers, and who it suits best. The differences are practical: a first-time adopter who wants to meet a cat in person today suits a different rescue than someone who wants a foster carer's full read on a shy or senior cat before committing.
Reading each profile and matching it to your situation makes the application process work faster. For what is actually available right now, use the browse link partway down this page.
1. Cat Haven
Location: 23 Lemnos Street, Shenton Park (inner Perth).
Type: Cats only; Western Australia's largest cat shelter; open-admission (never turns a cat away).
Adoption fees: Set by the cat's age; all cats desexed, microchipped and vaccinated, with seniors often heavily reduced or free.
Cat Haven is the flagship cat-welfare organisation in Western Australia and the single biggest cat adoption site in Perth. Because it is open-admission and cat-only, it takes in a huge range of cats, from tiny kittens through to seniors, and has the staff and experience to match a cat to your home and to advise on cat care. You can visit in person during adoption hours. See their current cats at cathaven.com.au.
Best fit for: Adopters who want the widest choice in one place, first-timers who want experienced cat advice, and anyone who wants to meet several cats in a single visit.
Friction points: A busy shelter shows less of a cat's true personality than a foster home does, so a shy cat can take longer to settle than a first meeting suggests.
2. RSPCA WA
Location: Animal Care Centre, 108 Malaga Drive, Malaga (northern Perth).
Type: State welfare body (since 1892); shelter-based, multi-species.
Adoption fees: Set per cat; all animals health- and behaviour-checked, desexed, microchipped and vaccinated. Adoptions by appointment.
RSPCA WA is the state's best-known welfare organisation, and its Malaga centre rehomes cats alongside dogs and other animals, with a structured process and adopter support before and after adoption. Adoptions run by appointment rather than drop-in, so check the site and book ahead. See their current cats at rspcawa.org.au.
Best fit for: Adopters in Perth's north who want an established welfare body with institutional support.
Friction points: Appointment-only adoptions take a little planning, and a busy centre tells you less about a cat than a foster home does.
3. Perth Rescue Angels
Location: Metro Perth; foster-based (no central shelter).
Type: Cats only; volunteer, foster-based rescue.
Adoption fees: A guide by age band; all cats come desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and parasite-treated after a vet check.
Perth Rescue Angels is a cats-only foster network, so every cat has been living in a volunteer's home before adoption and its listing describes how it really behaves indoors. Some of its cats also wait in pet-store adoption corners around the metro area. Because it is foster-based there is no shelter to drop into: you enquire about a cat and arrange a meet. See their current cats at perthrescueangels.org.
Best fit for: Adopters who want a cat specialist's honest notes, and households where fit with children or another cat matters most.
Friction points: No shelter to visit, so meeting a cat takes a little more coordination, and foster matching is slower than walking into a shelter.
4. SAFE Perth
Location: Perth metro; foster-based (no central shelter).
Type: No-kill, volunteer, foster-based rescue; dogs and cats.
Adoption fees: Set per cat; all cats desexed, microchipped and vaccinated. Enquire to arrange a meet with the foster carer.
SAFE Perth (Saving Perth Animals from Euthanasia) is a no-kill foster rescue that pulls cats and dogs due for euthanasia from pounds and vets across the south-west. Like Perth Rescue Angels it is foster-based, so each cat comes with a carer's account of its day-to-day behaviour. See their current cats at safeperth.com.au.
Best fit for: Adopters who want to back a no-kill rescue and value a foster carer's behaviour notes.
Friction points: No shelter to visit, and foster matching is slower than a shelter. There are two WA rescues under the SAFE banner, so confirm which one a given cat is with.
Browse adoptable cats across Perth rescues
See the cats these rescues have available right now, in one place.
All adoptable cats in Perth →Other Perth cat rescues worth knowing about
- SAFE (Saving Animals From Euthanasia): WA's largest foster-based rescue, with a statewide branch and foster network that also covers regional WA; dogs and cats.
- Council pounds and rangers: Perth's many local governments take in stray and surrendered cats that become available for adoption, usually with less behavioural information than a rescue provides.
- PetRescue.com.au: a national aggregator listing many smaller rescues; useful for finding a breed-specific or suburb-specific cat rescue not covered here.
What does not make a rescue a good or bad choice
- Adoption fee size. Fees reflect how each rescue covers desexing, microchipping, vaccination and vet costs, not the quality of the cat. Every rescue cat here has had all of that done.
- Whether it is a shelter or a foster network. Neither is better; they are different. A shelter lets you meet a cat today; a foster home tells you how the cat actually lives, which matters more for a shy or senior cat.
- Brand recognition. Cat Haven and RSPCA WA are the most familiar names, but a smaller foster rescue's notes may suit you better. Compare the rescues, not the names.
- Breed or coat. The best cat for you is very often a domestic shorthair with no breed label at all, which is what most Perth rescue cats are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best cat rescue in Perth?
There is no single best rescue; the right choice depends on what you want. Cat Haven in Shenton Park is Western Australia’s largest cat shelter and takes in cats of every kind, so it is the obvious first stop and the place with the widest choice. RSPCA WA at Malaga rehomes cats by appointment. Perth Rescue Angels is a cats-only, foster-based rescue across metro Perth, so its cats come with a carer’s real-home notes. SAFE Perth is a no-kill foster rescue that pulls cats from pounds. Most adopters check more than one, which is normal and sensible.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat in Perth?
Fees vary by rescue and the cat’s age, and every fee includes desexing, vaccination, microchipping and a vet check, which would cost far more than the fee if you arranged it yourself. A kitten usually costs more than an adult cat, and senior cats are often heavily reduced or free. Because Western Australian law already requires a pet cat to be desexed, microchipped and registered, a rescue cat, which arrives already desexed and microchipped, saves you those costs as well as the fee. Each rescue sets its own fees, so check the individual cat or the rescue’s site.
What is the difference between a shelter and a foster-based rescue?
A shelter holds cats at a single site you can visit (Cat Haven at Shenton Park, RSPCA WA at Malaga). A foster-based rescue such as Perth Rescue Angels or SAFE Perth places each cat in a volunteer’s home until adoption. Shelter cats can be met quickly in person, but a cattery shows less of a cat’s real personality; foster cats come with detailed notes on how they behave in a normal household, which takes a little longer to arrange but tells you more, especially for a shy or senior cat.
Does my cat have to be desexed, microchipped and registered in Perth?
Yes, all three. Under the Western Australian Cat Act 2011 a pet cat must be microchipped and sterilised by six months of age and registered with your local council. Desexing a pet cat is the law in WA, not a choice, which is the opposite of some other states. A rescue cat comes to you already desexed and microchipped, so you simply register it in your name with your council and update the microchip record. Sterilised cats pay a reduced registration fee, and the fee is set per council, so there is no single Perth figure.
Do I need to worry about paralysis ticks for a cat in Perth?
No. The Australian paralysis tick is an eastern-seaboard species and is not established in Perth or Western Australia, so local paralysis-tick risk is low, unlike in Queensland or coastal New South Wales. The main time to think about it is before travelling east with your cat. Ask your vet about parasite prevention suited to WA, and keeping a cat indoors, which WA containment rules encourage anyway, keeps it safest.
Can I adopt a kitten in Perth, or only adult cats?
Both come through. Kitten season peaks over the warmer months, so kittens are plentiful then, and they are spoken for quickly, so setting an alert beats refreshing the page. An adult cat, though, arrives with a settled temperament a shelter or foster carer has already observed, which many first-time adopters find reassuring, and adult cats and bonded pairs are often the calmest additions to a home.
Western Australian cat law (Cat Act 2011)
Western Australia has the strictest cat rules of the mainland states. Under the Cat Act 2011 a pet cat must be microchipped and sterilised by six months of age and registered with your local council. Desexing a pet cat is the law in WA, not a choice. A rescue cat arrives already desexed and microchipped, so you simply register it in your name; sterilised cats pay a reduced council fee, which is set per council.
On parasites, Perth is unlike the eastern states: the paralysis tick is not established here, so local paralysis-tick risk is low and the main time to think about it is before travelling east. Some WA councils also set local cat-containment rules, so check your local government. See the RSPCA Knowledgebase for background.
Keep reading
All Adoptable Cats in Perth
Live listings from the rescues in this guide. Filter by age, coat and shelter.
Cat Adoption in Perth: A Complete Guide
Where to adopt, what it costs, what the fee includes, the WA Cat Act 2011, and choosing the right rescue cat.
What Cat Adoption Costs in Perth
Adoption fees, and why a rescue cat is cheaper than a free kitten when WA law already requires desexing.
Indoor vs Outdoor Cats in Perth
WA council cat-containment laws, protecting native wildlife, summer heat, and keeping an indoor cat happy.