Home > RSPCA Campaigns > Cat Welfare

Cat Welfare

Last year, animal shelters across Victoria were unable to find new homes for 38,000 healthy cats due to a cat over-population crisis.  Compulsory cat desexing is the only solution to improve animal welfare outcomes for cats in Victoria.

There are currently about half a million unowned stray and feral cats in Victoria.  One female cat and her offspring can produce an alarming 420,000 cats in just seven years.

The RSPCA has campaigned for many years for the compulsory desexing of cats for sale over the age of 12 weeks (unless purchased from a licensed breeder).  Unfortunately the State Government and many local Councils are unwilling to support the RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations in this decision. Cat over-population is not just an issue for animal shelters, it is a community responsibility. Please take action and join our campaign for compulsory cat desexing today.

What causes cat over-population?

Cat over-population results when:

• Fewer people are looking to adopt relative to cats needing homes,

• Cats breed extremely quickly,

• People feed unowned cats but do not take full ownership or responsibility for them.

A recent survey by Monash University found that 22% of people fed a cat that didn’t belong to them. People feed these cats because they genuinely care about them. This gesture however, causes a bigger problem as feeding unowned cats helps keep them alive and strong enough to reproduce. These cats then keep breeding more and more kittens into a life of disease and neglect.

Compulsory cat desexing
– why is it so critical?

• Compulsory cat desexing would significantly decrease the number of cats in our community and also reduce the euthanasia of healthy cats and kittens unable to find new homes.

• Unowned cats are a significant source of nuisance. They prey on wildlife, spray strong-smelling urine around houses and cars, fight with owned cats, spread disease, yowl at night and defecate in gardens and sandpits.

• Unowned cats often suffer from very poor health, and live in a state of starvation and disease. The average life expectancy of an unowned cat is 3 years, compared to 12-15 years for an owned desexed cat. Unowned cats entering shelters and pounds can be underweight, sick with the cat flu or suffering heavy flea and worm infestations. They may have injuries from fights or from being hit by cars. They may also have developed skin cancers, or contracted fatal diseases such as Feline Aids.

• The financial cost to our community for managing cat over-population is estimated at a staggering $5 million per annum.

Early Age Desexing

Did you know that cats can become pregnant as young as five months?

To stop the cycle of unwanted kittens, compulsory early age desexing is critical. For over 15 years, animal shelters and leading veterinarians have safely desexed kittens as young as eight weeks old. This operation is conducted by a vet. and is a straightforward procedure, causing minimal discomfort to the animal. Young kittens often recover quicker from desexing operations than older kittens and cats.

The benefits of desexing a cat:

Desexed cats:

• Live longer, healthier lives and are less inclined to wander, run away or get into fights,

• Are more affectionate and better companions,

• Are less likely to suffer from anti-social behaviour,

• Do not experience heat cycles and abandon efforts to find a mate (female cats),

• Do not spray and mark their territory (male cats).

Is your local Council committed to animal welfare?

Selected local Councils have already shown strong leadership on this issue.  Within these councils, desexing is compulsory upon first time registration of an animal over three months.  There are some exemptions - check with the respective council for more information.  The RSPCA commends the following Councils which have approved compulsory desexing within their regions:

• Wangaratta

• Greater Shepparton

• Mornington Peninsula

• Cardinia

• Latrobe

• Frankston

• Wodonga

• Brimbank

• Queenscliff

• Strathbogie

• Pyrenees

Councils that are considering introducing compulsory desexing include Banyule, Benalla, Casey, East Gippsland, Glen Eira, Greater Dandenong, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Knox, Mitchell, Monash, Moorabool, Nillumbik, Port Phillip, Wellington and Whitehorse.

Local governments currently have the ability to call for compulsory desexing of cats within their Councils.