The SA Greens motion calling on the the South Australian Government to expand free desexing programs for cats passed the State Upper House yesterday evening. Such programs assist in reducing shelter intake, overpopulation and strain on shelter and rescue workers.
Under the current system, councils manage unowned cats by sending them to shelters which results in large intakes and poor welfare outcomes for cats. Last year, the RSPCA branch at Lonsdale was forced to close its doors to new intakes as the shelter exceeded maximum capacity.
Free desexing services have proven successful in other parts of Australia, such as in Banyule Council in Victoria which saw a 60% reduction in intake to its pound after implementing such a program.
Quotes Attributable to Tammy Franks MLC, SA Greens Spokesperson for Animal Welfare:
“Uncontrolled breeding of cats threatens native wildlife and causing and leads to unwanted litters being abandoned. Free community desexing programs are an effective and lasting solution that will significantly reduce the number of homeless and unwanted cats in South Australia.”
“The current cost of desexing may run up to hundreds of dollars, which can be prohibitively expensive for many cat owners, especially in the current cost of living crisis. Removing the cost barrier to desexing a pet cat will mean that more owners prepared to take on responsibility for their cats and lead to better outcomes for the community.