SPCA to fund desexing of 600 Northland animals as part of a joint desexing campaign

New Zealand’s oldest and largest animal welfare charity will be funding the desexing, microchipping and vaccination of 300 dogs and 300 cats at Bay of Islands Veterinary Services. By desexing these 600 animals, it is estimated that the births of over 18,900 unwanted offspring will be prevented over the course of their lifetimes.

The initiative will take place over the next eight months.

The idea for the initiative started when Director of Bay of Islands Veterinary Services, Jorrit Verver, contacted SPCA to see if it could assist with more desexing in the area.

“We are already helping with Snip ‘n’ Chip, but there is such a need up here and we wanted to be able to do more to help the community to address this issue,” says Mr Verver. That is why we reached out to the SPCA to see what could be done. Owners will be able to bring in their pet and take advantage of this campaign.”

Bay of Islands Veterinary Services is carrying out the procedures at their many clinics throughout Northland, and will be organising the bookings for the cats and dogs with the help of local rescue groups who will transport animals if required.

Coast to Coast Cat Rescue is a newly formed charity helping to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome cats in the Northland area, and will also be organising the bookings for the cats to be desexed. They will also assist with transportation to and from the clinics where needed.

Chairperson Coast to Coast Cat Rescue, Samantha Stewart, says they had been inundated with unwanted kittens and cats and hopes, that by desexing 300 cats, it will reduce the numbers they are dealing with.

“It has been so busy, and we have been rushed off our feet,” says Ms Stewart. “We have had a lot of kittens come into our care in the last few weeks. That is why we are so excited to be a part of this initiative. If we can slow down the number of unwanted kittens being born, it would be amazing.”

Coast to Coast is also offering transport for those who are unable to bring their felines to the clinic, with a koha donation accepted for the service.

SPCA National Desexing Programme Manager Rebecca Dobson says that without Veterinary Clinics supporting initiatives like this, SPCA could not offer campaigns like Snip ‘n’ Chip, or local desexing initiatives such as this.

“We rely on Veterinary Clinics to perform these surgeries. We know that with the Veterinary shortage, the Vet’s time and capacity for desexing can be limited,” says Ms Dobson. “This is why we are so grateful for Clinics such as Bay of Islands Veterinary Services for reaching out to us wanting to do more desexing. The issue of overpopulation is a societal one that requires collaboration from many parties to tackle – so this is a really valuable way for our national charity to engage local agencies with the touchpoints in community to have a long-term impact.”

Ms Dobson says support from local rescue groups is also a major factor in the success of these types of initiatives, as they are often well-suited to be able to identify local animals that need to be desexed.

SPCA is already working alongside Kerikeri Highway Vets, funding a desexing programme for cat and dog owners in the North Hokianga region. Starting August 2022, SPCA covered the costs of all desexing and microchipping, and Kerikeri Highway Vets is also offering free vaccinations for these animals. The funding was made available for the desexing and microchipping of up to 300 cats and 200 dogs, and so far they have desexed 398 animals.

Those wishing to bring in their pet for desexing should contact either Bay of Island Veterinary Services at any of their clinics or Coast to Coast Cat Rescue through their Facebook page.