Desexing of Cats

Every year animal shelters in Victoria are forced to euthanase 38,000 healthy cats for whom we are unable to find homes.

In spite of numerous responsible pet ownership education programs, desexing voucher schemes and differential registration charges, the number of cats euthanased increases every year.

Why compulsory cat desexing is critical to cat welfare

Cat over-population is not just an issue for animal shelters - it is a community responsibility. The financial cost to society for managing excess cats (running shelters, euthanasia, stress on shelter workers, cat trapping exercises and answering complaint calls) far exceeds the cost of compulsory desexing. This is not even considering the ethical duty of the community to manage animals responsibly and humanely.

As an organisation focused on the welfare and protection of animals, the need to unnecessarily euthanase thousands of healthy cats is a practice that the RSPCA and our staff and volunteers find extremely distressing. The RSPCA has campaigned for years for the mandatory desexing of cats, but unfortunately the Victorian Government is currently unwilling to take a firm stand on this issue.

A recent study on cats admitted to Melbourne shelters and supported by the Bureau of Animal Welfare, found that only 41 per cent of cats were registered (of which 82-90 per cent were desexed). Of the 59 per cent that
were not registered, only 7.6 per cent were desexed. These figures prove that there are many owned cats in the community that are still not desexed.

A vital component of compulsory desexing is early age desexing (EAD), as cats can become pregnant as young as five months old. For over 15 years, animal shelters and other leading veterinarians have safely performed EAD on thousands of kittens. There is no scientific evidence to indicate that there are any welfare problems associated with this practice.  In fact, the Australian Veterinary Association supports the Early Age
Desexing Seminars run throughout the State in conjunction with the Bureau of Animal Welfare.

Desexing your pet can be done as young as eight weeks old. The operation can only be carried out by a vet and is a reasonably straightforward procedure, causing minimal discomfort to the animal.

What needs to change?

Local governments currently have the ability to call for compulsory desexing of cats within their municipalities.  As a member of the Cat Crisis Coalition (a consortium of six of Victoria's largest animal shelters) the RSPCA has contributed to a pledge of $30,000 that will be shared amongst the first 12 local governments that implement mandatory desexing. This means that the Cat Crisis Coalition will heavily subsidise residents desexing their cats in municipalities that practice compulsory desexing.

Is your local council committed to animal welfare?

Some local governments have already shown strong leadership on this issue, and RSPCA Victoria commends the following councils who have approved compulsory de-sexing within their municipalities:
■ Wangaratta;
■ Greater Shepparton;
■ Mornington Peninsula
■ Cardinia; and
■ Latrobe.

Councils that are considering implementing mandatory desexing are Banyule, Benalla, Brimbank, Casey, East Gippsland, Frankston, Glen Eira, Greater Dandenong, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Kingston, Knox, Mitchell, Monash, Moorabool, Nillumbik, Port Phillip, Wangaratta, Wellington and Whitehorse.

Why you should desex your cat?

Animal shelters across Victoria have cared for more than 48,000 cats and kittens in the past year. Unfortunately only 1 in 4 of these animals found a new home.

To address this serious issue of cat overpopulation, RSPCA Victoria has joined other animal welfare groups in a campaign to introduce compulsory desexing. This proposed amendment to legislation would ensure all cats offered for sale (aged over 12 weeks) are desexed unless the animal is purchased from a licensed breeder.

The RSPCA received more than a quarter of a million unwanted or abandoned cats and kittens over the past five years and the problem is multiplying. Desexing your cat will help to stop this unacceptable problem and avoid adding to this shocking statistic.

The benefits of desexing:

Your cat benefits from being desexed because:
� They live longer, healthier lives.
� They are more affectionate better companions.
� They are less likely to suffer from anti-social behaviour.
� It eliminates "heat" cycles in female cats and their endless efforts to get
        outside and find a mate.
� It means male cats are less likely to spray and mark their territory.

They are less inclined to wander, run away or get into fights, thereby reducing injuries such as:
� Abscesses.
� Accidental injury or death from cars, dogs etc.
� Feline AIDS.

It reduces or eliminates the incidence of some health problems that can be difficult to treat, such as:
� Uterine, ovarian and breast cancer in females.
� Prostate cancer/disorders and testicular cancer in males (less common).

Please refer to 'How you can Help' section above. Top, right hand side