Best Cat Rescues in Lloydminster

The short answer

Adopt a cat from Border Paws Animal Shelter (the former Lloydminster SPCA). Cat fees run $300 kitten, $200 adult, $100 senior, all spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Pets Purpose, the other local rescue, focuses on dogs, so Border Paws is your cat option. Apply, get approved, meet the cat in person. Seniors at $100 are the easiest, most overlooked adoption in town.

Lloydminster is a small border city of about 31,000 people, so the cat rescue picture is simple. Border Paws is the local shelter, and it is a legitimate, reachable place to meet adoptable cats in person rather than gambling on an online listing.

The strongest reason to adopt here is the same as anywhere: a rescue cat arrives with its early veterinary care already done. That is where most of the cost and risk of a new cat actually sits, and the shelter absorbs it before the cat comes home with you. If you want to see who is available right now, our Lloydminster cat listings pull current cats into one place.

Border Paws Cat Adoption Fees

Cat	Fee	Included
Kitten (under 1 year)	$300	Spay/neuter, vaccines, microchip
Adult (over 1 year)	$200	Spay/neuter, vaccines, microchip
Senior (8+ years)	$100	Spay/neuter, vaccines, microchip

Source: Border Paws Animal Shelter, July 2026. Confirm current fees before you apply.

How Border Paws Works

A physical shelter you can visit. Border Paws adopts out both cats and dogs, so you can meet several cats in one visit and see which one connects with you. Their adoptables and application live at borderpaws.ca.

Every cat is vetted first. Spay or neuter, at least one set of vaccines, and a microchip are done before the cat goes home. That is the pricey early care handled for you.

The process is quick. Apply, be 18 or older, visit in person, bring photo ID with your current address, and expect a review within about 48 hours.

Browse adoptable Lloydminster cats

See current cats from Lloydminster-area rescue in one place, each already spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Refreshed regularly.

See Available Lloydminster Cats →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I adopt a cat in Lloydminster?

Border Paws Animal Shelter, the former Lloydminster SPCA, is the main place to adopt a cat in the border city. It is a physical shelter that adopts out both cats and dogs, so you can visit and meet several cats in person on one trip. The other well-known local rescue, Pets Purpose Animal Shelter Society, focuses on dogs, so for a cat, start with Border Paws. If you are open to a longer drive, the larger rescues in Edmonton and Saskatoon carry cats too, but for most Lloydminster adopters Border Paws covers it.

How much does it cost to adopt a cat from Border Paws?

Border Paws sets cat fees by age. A kitten under one year is $300, an adult over one year is $200, and a senior aged eight and up is $100. Every cat goes home spayed or neutered, with at least one set of vaccines and a microchip. Against the cost of arranging that surgery, the vaccine series and the chip separately at a Lloydminster clinic, the adoption fee is a bargain. A senior cat at $100 is an especially good deal, and older cats are calmer, litter-trained and often overlooked.

What is included in a Border Paws cat adoption fee?

The fee covers the spay or neuter, at least one set of vaccines, and a microchip. That is the expensive early veterinary work done before the cat ever comes home. For a kitten, arranging all of that privately at a clinic adds up quickly once you total the surgery, the vaccine series and the chip. So the adoption fee is not just an entry ticket, it is a package of care. The cat you take home is already fixed, vaccinated and identifiable, which removes the biggest first-year bills.

How do I apply to adopt a cat from Border Paws?

Complete an adoption application and get approved before you take a cat home. You need to be at least 18, visit the shelter in person to meet the animals, and bring one piece of photo identification showing your current address. Applications are reviewed within about 48 hours. Meeting the cat matters, because personality varies enormously and a calm lap cat and a busy young hunter are very different commitments. Go in with a sense of your household, whether you have other pets, and how much activity you want.

Should I adopt a kitten or an adult cat?

Both are good, they just suit different homes. Kittens are playful and adaptable but need more supervision, kitten-proofing and energy through their first year. Adult and senior cats arrive with a known personality, are already litter-trained, and tend to settle faster into a quiet home. At Border Paws a senior cat is only $100 and often the easiest possible adoption, yet seniors get passed over for kittens. If you want a low-drama companion, an adult or senior cat is frequently the smarter pick.

Can I adopt a cat in Lloydminster if I live on the Alberta side?

Yes. Lloydminster is one city under a joint charter, and Border Paws adopts to families across the whole border area regardless of which province you live in. The shelter sits on the Alberta side, but your address on either side of Meridian Avenue does not change your access to a rescue cat. The place the border genuinely matters is tax, where Lloydminster gets a Saskatchewan exemption that keeps cat food and supplies cheaper. We cover that in the cat cost guide.

Is there a bonded pair or two-cat option?

Ask Border Paws directly, because shelters often have cats that came in together or do better in pairs, and adopting two can be easier than one. Two cats keep each other company while you are out, which matters for an indoor cat in a border-city winter when nobody is spending much time outside. Some shelters offer a reduced fee or a package for a bonded pair, so raise it when you apply. Even if there is no formal discount, two cats settling together is often smoother than introducing a second cat later.

Should I adopt or buy a cat in Lloydminster?

For nearly everyone, adoption is the better call. A Border Paws cat arrives spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, which removes the biggest early bills and the guesswork. The border area also has a steady flow of free kittens on local buy-and-sell pages, and those come with real risk: no vaccines, no spay or neuter, and sometimes health problems that surface after you are attached. A vetted rescue cat is the lower-risk, lower-cost path, and it opens up space at the shelter for the next cat in need.

What if I found a free kitten online?

Be cautious. A free kitten is not really free once you pay for the first vet visit, the vaccine series, the deworming and eventually the spay or neuter, which together can cost more than a shelter adoption fee that already includes all of it. Free kittens also sometimes carry parasites or infections that need treatment. If you take one on, get it to a Lloydminster vet promptly, keep it separate from other cats until it is checked, and budget for the full workup. A Border Paws cat spares you all of that.