Adopt a cat in the Basque Country
Here is where to start if you are looking for a cat in the Basque Country: first the shelters, province by province, then the cat associations and the rescues we have checked one by one, and finally the search sites for cats up for adoption.
Province by province
Each province has its own page on Michipedia, with the shelters we have located and their contact details. In the Basque Country there are 2 listed.
Cat associations in the Basque Country
They work only with cats, almost always through foster homes: their cats are socialised in a home, and they can tell you what each one is really like.
Felinos BilbaoA rescue that specialises in cats, with a partnership agreement with the Bilbao municipal centre.
BilbaoCats only
KatubihotzCat rescue and adoptions in Trintxerpe (Pasaia).
PasaiaCats only
Esperanza FelinaA Vitoria association whose motto is “no cat without a home”: adoption and colonies.
Vitoria-GasteizCats onlyChecked rescues in the Basque Country
Cat and dog rescues whose cat section we have checked and found to work.
Search sites: start here
They bring together the listings of hundreds of rescues. Each link takes you straight to the cat section, where you can filter by province, age and sex. The sites are in Spanish, but your browser’s translate option copes well with the listings.
MiwukiThe longest-running adoption search site in Spain, with cats listed by province and town.
Bambú DifundeCats for adoption from rescues all over the country, with a page for each province.
Save One AnimalA national platform that brings together the listings of over a thousand organisations, with a filter for cats.
Dejan HuellaDetailed profiles of cats and dogs, with a section for each region.
Kiwoko AdoptaSearch across nearly five hundred partner rescues, many of them cat-only associations.
MundimascotaAdoption listings for cats and kittens, by province.
WallamascotasA noticeboard of cats for adoption from private owners and associations.Before you adopt: what the law requires in the Basque Country
Spain’s animal welfare law, Law 7/2023, sets the common minimum for the whole country; each region also has its own law and register, and each town council its own bylaws.
The national law requires every cat to be identified with a microchip and neutered before six months of age, except those registered as breeding animals with a registered breeder (art. 26). It bans the sale of cats in pet shops: only registered breeders may sell them (art. 27), and it does not allow a pet to be left unsupervised for more than three days in a row. Public centres must hand animals over for adoption identified, with a contract, and neutered or with a commitment to have it done (art. 23). In the Basque Country, Law 9/2022 on the protection of domestic animals also applies, and the microchip is recorded in the Basque Country Companion Animal Identification Register (REGIA). Its law requires pet cats to be identified within two months. Neutered when given away. Dogs and cats are handed over neutered (art. 4). Cat colonies. The TNR method, a mark showing the cat is neutered, and a ban on feeding street cats without authorisation (art. 28). If the cat you adopt comes from a rescue, they or your vet will usually take care of transferring the microchip registration into your name. What each Spanish region requires (Spanish) →
Other sources
Third-party directories, in case you want to compare (in Spanish). These do take you away from Michipedia.