Mandatory Desexing

Desexing your companion animal is not just good for their health and reduces behavioural problems, but prevents bringing more animals into a world where there are simply not enough homes. For these reasons CatRescue is a strong advocate of mandatory (and subsidised) desexing.

Homeless cats and kittens.In NSW a conservative estimate of 60 000 animals are euthanased annually in council pounds. This disturbing figure and unspeakable suffering is a direct result of irresponsible pet ownership and the greed of the Pet Industry. Every day healthy and affectionate animals are being destroyed, and despite public misconception most of the animals killed are kittens and puppies.

Mandatory desexing, introduced as a grandfather clause into the Companion Animals Act 1998, would reduce the number of animals entering pounds, simply because owners do not understand the reality of allowing their pets to breed – the expense of caring for a litter and the incredible difficulty in finding them homes, let alone responsible homes.

Companion animals tend to breed just before and during the warmer months of the year, giving birth at roughly the same time as each other. This results in a ‘kitten’ or ‘puppy’ season and the many thousands of ensuing litters must compete for homes. Most of these animals will end their short lives in pounds, others will be abandoned and left to fend for themselves, either dying of starvation or exposure, or reaching sexual maturity and breeding with other strays.

Mandatory desexing already exists in the ACT where they have an extraordinarily low euthanasia rate of animals. It has also reduced the number of cat colonies and stray cats breeding which not only prevents their suffering, but protects native animals from predation. In fact, it was environmental groups that successfully lobbyed to make desexing a legal requirement of pet ownership.

CatRescue recongises that breeding companion animals cannot cease entirely. We fully support the implementation of a licencing system which would allow registered breeders to continue their business. This already exists in the ACT with great success.

The health and behavioural benefits of desexing companion animals has been thoroughly researched and documented. It lengthens the life span of animals, prevents certain cancers and increases their overall health. Undesexed cats spray, have excessive vocalisation, fight and wander, similarly undesexed dogs are more escape prone, spray, have aggressive tendencies, and will attempt to mate with anything and everything. All of this could be avoided by desexing our pets.

CatRescue acknowledges that it can be very expensive to desex an animal – especially females – and that not everyone is able to meet these costs. We strongly believe that the cost of desexing must be a consideration before adopting, however if this fails to occur, subsidised desexing should be made available. If someone cannot afford to desex their pet, how could they possibly afford to care for their pet’s litters? A cat can breed an average of three times a year – resulting in anything from twelve to eighteen extra mouths to feed, not including the fact that those kittens will breed with each other from four months of age.

Councils and animal welfare agencies should proactively help animals by offering free or subsidised desexing. CatRescue, the Cat Protection Society, Animal Welfare League and the RSPCA have existing programs, but when desexing become mandatory these programs need to be more widespread and accessible.