Help to de-sex cat by four months law

CAT owners now have to get their cats de-sexed by the age of four months under new State Government legislation.
City of Canterbury-Bankstown, which has more than 141,000 registered cats and dogs, is leading the charge on letting pet owners know about the new laws and Mayor Khal Asfour says he expects an increase in the number of animal lovers taking up the council’s subsidised de-sexing program for their furry friends.
“In the last two years, we had something like 520 cats in our de-sexing program. With the new law that number is going to skyrocket,” he said.
“Cat de-sexing is going to be a huge issue, not only in our city but across NSW.”
The council is letterbox dropping problem areas to let them know of the new legislation and offering a subsidy to pensioners and health card holders.
“We have one elderly woman we have assisted with her 10 cats where we picked them up and the RSPCA dropped them off,” Mayor Asfour said.
“What we don’t want is more strays.”
The subsidised de-sexing program also includes microchipping and vaccination for $35 for male cats and $50 for female cats.
The Mayor also called on the State Government to re-introduce grants to assist councils to get the de-sexing message out.
Pet owners could face a fine if they do not hold a permit that exempts their pet from being de-sexed. Exemptions are available for cat breeders or if the cat has a medical condition.