These programs are excellent but they'll never solve the issue of kittens in pounds unless they are targeted towards unowned cats as well (i.e, a well resourced trap/neuter/return program). A good percentage of the kittens in pounds come from unowned or semi owned mums.
Targeting owned cats with desexing programs will do very little to change that situation. The evidence out there shows that the vast majority (95%+) of owned cats are desexed. The issue there is that they aren't desexed early enough. Most vets are still touting 6 months old as the ideal time for desexing however they can already be pregnant by that age. That means a lot of cats are having litters prior to being desexed. Changing the attitude of the vets and the narrative in the cat-owning public of desex age needs to be a priority.
ETA: I wouldn't be surprised if even the vets performing these very surgeries for this desex program would be recommending the cats come in 'from six months old'. You see it constantly - low cost/free surgeries but still with vets who can't/won't educate themselves on the importance desexing cats prior to 4 months old (unlike dogs, studies have not found any negative effects of this for cats). People trust their vets and do what they're told and voila - cat has a litter or two before it is eventually done.
Hi all
Thanks for taking an interest in my program - apologies for coming in a few days late, I was only just alerted to this discussion.
In Canberra, desexing averages out at around $350 and a lot of people can't afford this. A lot of people also don't realise how high the cost is here, because in places like Sydney and other parts of NSW it can be significantly cheaper. Even on a personal level, when I got my first cat a few years ago I had her desexed at the RSPCA vet clinic and it was $275. The area I lived in before Canberra had desexing priced at around $130. I was lucky because I had a well paying job and I could afford it, however there are so many people in our community that just don't have that kind of money. I was volunteering with some local rescue groups prior to starting Canberra Cat Fix and the majority of the kittens they took in were from people who didn't desex their pets, and even a lot of 'free' kittens from online giveaway pages end up at rescue group. Our pound in Canberra doesn't accept kittens, but nearby Queanbeyan Pound does and they have a pretty low kill rate. We do have a big problem with stray cats here, however TNR is pretty well illegal. I am trying to lobby the local government to allow a trial (basically so we can legally prove that TNR works) but until then we can't do a lot. There is also only one vet in the ACT that will work with feral cats (presumably because of the law) so that also makes things a bit tricky.
All the vets that participate in Canberra Cat Fix will perform early age desexing. It's actually law in the ACT that all cats are desexed by 12 weeks of age, however there are still a couple of vets that won't do it until 6 months (and we don't work with them). This is hugely frustrating for us, because as you said, people do trust their vet but before you know it the cat is already pregnant before 6 months of age. I also personally think given that desexing is mandatory by 12 weeks the onus of that should fall on vet clinics too - why should they be allowed to blatantly disobey the law and thus cause who knows how many cats to have unneccessary litters.
Thanks again for taking an interest - hopefully my response has clarified a few things :)
Alex
