Selling an adult cat is different from offering kittens. The cat has a character, habits and a history, and that is exactly what the new owner is taking on. Being honest about it finds a home that lasts, faster. This article covers the practical side: price, choosing the buyer and the handover. The emotional part, and avoiding a rushed decision, is covered in rehoming your cat carefully.
May you sell your cat?
Yes. Private owners may sell or rehome their own cat; there is no licence or registration duty. Unlike dogs, cats have no chip obligation in the Netherlands (yet), although the NVWA and LICG recommend it. If your cat is chipped, transfer the registration to the new owner at the database where the chip is registered. One restriction: since 1 January 2026 a keeping ban applies to hairless and fold-eared cats on top of the breeding ban. Cats demonstrably born and chipped before that date fall under transitional rules and may stay with their current owner, but selling or rehoming them is no longer allowed.
Selling or rehoming?
For a domestic cat a symbolic amount or adoption fee is usual. It keeps impulsive replies away and covers part of what you spent on neutering, vaccinations and chip. A pedigree cat normally sells for more. If you do not want money, choose a rehoming advert; it also appears on the cats-for-adoption page, where people look for an adult cat to give a second chance.
What the buyer needs to know
- Age, sex and whether the cat is neutered.
- Whether the cat is used to living indoors or outdoors; read indoor or outdoor cat to describe that well.
- How the cat gets on with other cats, dogs and children.
- Health: vaccinations, deworming, flea treatment and known conditions. Test a cat with an unknown background for FIV and FeLV before it goes to a home with other cats.
- The reason for selling, in your own words.
Choosing the new owner
Ask in the chat about the living situation, other animals, children and experience with cats. Let the candidate meet the cat at your home, in surroundings the cat knows. Someone who asks no questions is rarely the right person. Never hand over the cat to someone you have not met, even if the amount is right.
The handover
Send along the passport or vaccination booklet, basket, scratching post and a supply of familiar food; a familiar smell helps in the first days. Transfer the chip registration together and agree what happens if it does not work out, for example a two-week trial period. Offering a litter rather than an adult cat? Different rules apply; see selling kittens: age, price and advert.
Common mistakes
- Too fast. A cat that "has to go this week" attracts traders and impulse buyers. Count on two to four weeks for a good placement.
- Too pretty a story. A cat that sprays, scratches or cannot cope with children comes back within a month if you hide it. Honesty filters out the wrong buyers in advance.
- No meeting. Handing a cat to someone you only know from the chat is the biggest risk. Always plan a visit at home.
- No follow-up. Ask after a week how it is going. Many cats need a few weeks to settle, and a short tip from you can prevent a return.
Posting an advert
The selling a cat page summarises the rules and lets you post an advert for free, as a sale or as a rehoming.
Sources
- NVWA – Chip, passport and registration for dogs and cats (accessed September 2026)
- LICG – Microchipping and registration (accessed September 2026)
- Rijksoverheid – Ban on keeping fold-eared and hairless cats from 1 January 2026 (accessed September 2026)
- LICG – Acquiring a cat (accessed September 2026)
