Book your cat into our Community Cat Desexing & Microchipping Program
HOW TO BOOK
Select an available clinic date in the calendar below to start the booking process.
You will need to be able bring your cat to our Lonsdale shelter during this timeslot, and available to collect them before 4PM the same day.
NEXT CLINIC DATES
Currently all our bookings are full. In the meantime, please sign up to join our waitlist below to be notified of our next clinic dates.
If you are unable to complete the form and require assistance with your booking, please call 0427 525 796 between 9AM and 5PM.
Can’t find a suitable appointment? Join our waitlist to be notified when new appointments are added
As excited as we are that you’re keen to join this program, we do need to remind you of a few important details.
You will only be eligible for the program if:
Only the following cats are eligible for the program:
- Above the age of three months
- Above the weight of 1kg
- Below the age of 12 years
- Vaccinated at least 2 weeks prior to the appointment if under 6 months old (for unvaccinated cats 6 months or older an additional waiver applies)
- Determined by our vets as healthy enough to undergo desexing surgery
- Determined by our vets as not being a health risk to humans or other cats
Where do I go?
All appointments take place at RSPCA South Australia’s Lonsdale shelter (25 Meyer Rd Lonsdale 5160). Please refer to your appointment for the drop off time you have booked.
What to expect on the day
Please arrive at the designated time. If you’re late we will do our best to accommodate you, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to fit you in on the same day.
Please make sure you bring your cat in a secure pet carrier.
This is a desexing and microchipping program for cats only. We are unable to provide any other medical services or treatments for your animal.
This program is a mass desexing model, where our vets may see up to 60 or 70 animals per day. Our aim is to provide this service to as many people as possible. For this reason, you will not be able to have a consultation with our veterinary team, but our friendly admissions team will talk you through the process when you arrive.
Your cat will have a general anaesthetic to be desexed. There are inherent risks with this procedure. Our veterinary team will assess your pet’s suitability for anaesthesia on the day of surgery. If we determine the risk is unreasonably high, we will recommend delaying or cancelling the procedure. Our skilled team desex over 3000 animals per year, and will take every precaution to ensure the safety of each animal being desexed.
Our admissions team will take you through documents and waivers on the day that will require your signature. You can find examples of these documents below.
NON-ATTENDANCE FEE
When you book your appointment you will be required to enter credit/debit card details as part of the booking process. Your card will NOT be charged when you make your booking.
There is a $30 fee charged on the day for cat owners who make a booking to have their cat desexed, but do not either;
- bring their cat in for the surgery on the day of the booking, or
- cancel their appointment (either online or by phoning RSPCA) by 3pm on the day prior to the surgery.
If you bring your cat to RSPCA on your booking date, nothing will be charged and your cat will be desexed completely free.
WHY IS THE NON-ATTENDANCE FEE NECESSARY?
The free community cat desexing programme is only possible through the generosity of a single donor who is paying for the labour and material costs of the programme. Each desexing day RSPCA has staff and materials in place to desex a fixed number of cats. If we do not have all of these cats arrive, we have “wasted slots” where we have paid for the vets and vet nurses to be in attendance, without sufficient cats to desex.
Unfortunately, since we started this programme in September 2020, more than one third of appointments have been non-attendances.
Therefore, to ensure that we can achieve the 2,000 cat target of this programme, we have had to introduce a non-attendance fee. The $30 fee does not cover the full cost of the surgery, but at least contributes to reducing the amount of programme funding that is wasted.
Have questions?
We’ve created a detailed ‘frequently asked questions’ document to help you understand more about the program.
Read our Cat Plan
This program is a monumental step in achieving the objectives in our Cat Management Plan for South Australia.
Contact your council
Live outside Onkaparinga? Would you like your council to be involved in a similar initiative? Let them know.
Learn about desexing
What is desexing, and how can it solve overpopulation problems? Is it safe? Read our guide to find out.