How do I adopt a cat in India?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Adopt through an animal welfare organisation recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India, or a rescuer you can visit. Meet the cat, ask about its vaccines, deworming, tests and sterilisation, and get the papers in writing. Then cat-proof your windows and balcony, see a vet in the first week, and start the cat in one quiet room.
A domestic kitten is usually ready for a new home at around 8 weeks, and adult cats are often the calmer choice for a first-time owner, because their temperament is already known. Most Indian adoptions are Indian cats from the street or a rescue, and they need the same core vaccines as any other cat.
What are the steps to adopt a cat?
The same route works for a kitten, an adult or a community cat you already feed.
1. Find a recognised shelter or rescuer
The Animal Welfare Board of India publishes a list of the organisations it recognises, state by state, with each one's address and district. Many rescuers foster kittens at home: visit, and see where the cats live. Animal Welfare Board of India
2. Meet the cat, and the litter if you can
International Cat Care advises seeing the other kittens and the mother to make sure they are healthy too. A relaxed, friendly mother is a good sign, because friendliness can be inherited. International Cat Care
3. Look for health
The kitten should have bright eyes, a good coat and move easily. Runny eyes or nose, dirty ears, or soreness under the tail are reasons to ask more questions before you agree. International Cat Care
4. Get the papers
Ask for the vaccination card, deworming and flea treatment dates with the product names, any test results, and the food and litter the cat uses now. International Cat Care
5. Prepare the flat
Net windows and balconies before the cat arrives. The ASPCA says cats can slip through child safety guards, and the same is true of the wide gaps in many balcony grills. ASPCA
6. See a vet in the first week
Take every paper. WSAVA lists the vaccine against feline panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus as core for every cat; Indian cards often call it Tricat. Your vet decides what is still due. WSAVA
What should I ask before adopting a cat?
Write the answers down. They become the first page of your cat's care sheet.
- How old is the kitten? International Cat Care says domestic kittens may be rehomed at around 8 weeks, and pedigree kittens are usually over 12 weeks. International Cat Care
- What has the kitten experienced in its first weeks: people, handling, household noises, other animals? International Cat Care
- Which vaccines, on what dates, and is there a card? AWBI notes that civic bodies do not routinely give rabies vaccine to stray cats, so the card is the only record. Animal Welfare Board of India
- Has the cat been tested for FeLV, and should it be? Cornell advises vaccinating and, where advised, testing a newcomer, and keeping it apart from other cats until your vet says it is safe. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Is the cat spayed or neutered? If not, who arranges it, and when? American Association of Feline Practitioners (now the Feline Veterinary Medical Association)
- Any ongoing health problem, and for a pedigree cat, tests for inherited disease? International Cat Care
- Will the rescue take the cat back if serious problems arise? International Cat Care says a good rescue should, and should offer advice afterwards. International Cat Care
Should I adopt a kitten or an adult cat?
Both can work. An adult's personality is already known, which helps in a busy flat.
Kittens learn to be comfortable with people early. International Cat Care puts that window at roughly 3 to 8 weeks of age; Cats Protection puts it at 2 to 7 weeks. The sources differ slightly, but agree on the point: a kitten handled gently by different people in those weeks is more likely to grow into a confident cat. Ask the rescuer how the kitten was raised.
A kitten needs vaccines, several meals a day, play and supervision, and spaying or neutering soon. The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends sterilising by five months, mainly to prevent unplanned litters, because a female can be reproductively active before you see any signs. International Cat Care adds that the first heat usually comes at around six months. An adult cat from a shelter is often already sterilised and vaccinated, and calmer.
International Cat Care also warns against adopting out of pity alone. A kitten with health or behaviour problems can be a joy, but it needs preparation and a vet you trust.
What happens in the first weeks at home?
Go slowly. Most problems in the first month come from too much, too soon.
Day one
Start the cat in one room with its bed, toys, litter tray, food and water. RSPCA Australia suggests about two days in one room before opening up more of the home over the next few days. RSPCA Australia
The first days
A kitten should not roam the flat unsupervised until it uses the litter tray every time, VCA advises. Stay close through naps, when kittens often need to go. VCA Animal Hospitals
Within the first week
The vet visit: a check, the vaccination plan, deworming and flea treatment, a FeLV test if advised, and a date for spaying or neutering. WSAVA
Weeks one to four
Keep the food and litter the cat knows, and change either gradually if you must. Battersea advises one tray per cat plus one extra, in quiet spots away from food and water. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
If you have another cat
Keep the newcomer apart, with separate food, water and trays, and introduce them gradually. RSPCA Australia
What helps a newly adopted cat settle?
Do
- Give it somewhere to hide and climb, and let it come to you. RSPCA Australia
- Scatter a little dry food to tempt it to explore once it is ready. RSPCA Australia
- Use soft, unscented litter at least 3 to 4 cm deep, in a tray big enough to turn around in. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
- Keep windows and the balcony netted from the first day, even on a low floor. ASPCA
Don’t
- Punish an accident. VCA warns punishment can permanently damage a cat's trust in you. VCA Animal Hospitals
- Mix a new cat with your other cats before your vet has checked it. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Use bleach or strong-smelling cleaners on the tray: Battersea says they can put a cat off it. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
- Rely on child guards or grill gaps to keep a cat in. ASPCA
Can I adopt a community cat I already feed?
Often, yes, especially a friendly cat or a young kitten. AWBI's 2021 guidelines ask local bodies and recognised animal welfare organisations to sterilise and immunise stray cats, so ask your municipal corporation or a local group whether the cat has already been through a programme. Then follow the same steps: a vet check, vaccines, tests and a slow start indoors.
Once you take a cat in, you are its owner. Section 11(1)(i) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 makes it cruelty for an owner to abandon an animal without reasonable cause where it is likely to suffer from starvation or thirst. If it does not work out, contact the rescue or rehome the cat properly.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
What age can a kitten be adopted in India?
- International Cat Care says domestic kittens may be rehomed at around 8 weeks, and pedigree kittens are usually over 12 weeks old. A kitten taken much younger has missed time with its mother and litter. If you find a very young kitten alone, read Petym's answer on found kittens and call a vet or rescuer.
Is cat adoption free in India?
- It depends on the shelter or rescuer, and Petym has not surveyed fees. Some ask for a contribution towards vaccines or sterilisation already done. Ask exactly what any amount covers, and get the vaccination card and treatment records in writing either way.
Do indoor cats in flats need vaccines?
- Yes. WSAVA lists the vaccine against panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus as core for every pet cat, indoor or not, and these viruses can come in on shoes and clothes. Rabies vaccination is also advised in India. Your vet decides the schedule and any other vaccines.
How long does a new cat take to settle?
- It varies from days to weeks. RSPCA Australia suggests starting with about two days in one room with everything the cat needs, then opening up more of the home over the next few days. Shy or older cats can take longer. Let the cat set the pace and avoid forcing contact.
Can I adopt a cat if I live in a rented flat?
- Often yes, but read your rental agreement and your society's bylaws first, and talk to your landlord. AWBI's advisory says residents' associations cannot ban pets through bylaws. Petym's pages on pets in rented homes and housing societies explain what applies.
Keep reading
- Kittens: care and first months
- Indian catIndia's own cat, from the street to the sofa.
- Cat vaccination schedule
- Found a kitten on the street?
- Cat-proofing a balcony
- When to spay a cat
- Pets in housing societies
Free tools for this
- Cat age calculatorCat years to human years from International Cat Care's chart, with the life stage.
- Cat food calculatorDaily calories from weight and life stage, as grams of dry or wet food from the pack's kcal.
- Pet care sheetA printable instructions sheet for your sitter: meals, walks, vet and house notes.
Words on this page, explained
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Animal Welfare Board of India: List of Animal Welfare Organisations recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India (as on 31 May 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Choosing a kitten (opens in a new tab)
- Cats Protection: The importance of socialising your kitten (blog, 13 December 2016) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Circular No. 3-3/2021-2022/PCA (3 June 2021): guidelines for birth control and immunization of stray cats (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: Core and non-core vaccines for pet cats (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Feline leukemia virus (Cornell Feline Health Center) (opens in a new tab)
Show all 14 sourcesShow fewer
- American Association of Feline Practitioners (now the Feline Veterinary Medical Association): Pediatric sterilization in cats: position statement (2020) (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Neutering your cat (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA Australia: How can I help my cat adjust to a new home? (opens in a new tab)
- VCA Animal Hospitals: House training for kittens and cats (opens in a new tab)
- Battersea Dogs and Cats Home: Cat litter trays (opens in a new tab)
- ASPCA: High-rise syndrome: lifesaving tips for cat parents (6 July 2023) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as amended in 1982 (AWBI's copy) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Guidelines on pet and street dogs, their care-givers, and residents' welfare and apartment owners' associations (26 February 2015) (opens in a new tab)