8月份了. 你家的猫猫de-sex了吗? --------Must-do month for desexing

CAT owners have been urged to get their pets desexed this month, with August deemed national desexing month.

Hobart Cat Centre general manager Gretchen Meares said yesterday many pet owners did not realise the negative impact non-desexed animals had on the state.

"Tasmania is suffering a pet over-population problem, there are too many animals and not enough homes for them," she said.

"When you add the estimated 150,000 feral cats in the state, desexing becomes an absolute imperative."

She said both males and females needed to be desexed.

"While one female cat can produce say 16 kittens a year, one undesexed male cat can easily father that in one night given the right conditions," she said.

"Even if only half of these kittens are male, by the time they reach sexual maturity, those eight cats will each be able to father 16 kittens a night.

"When you add this up over a month, then a year, the numbers become staggering."

Ms Meares said many misconceptions surrounded desexing including that only females should be desexed, that all females should be allowed to have one litter and that desexing was harmful.

Desexing can in fact help address a range of behavioural and health issues.

It helped reduce aggression and spraying in males and curbs roaming and mating behaviour, and could help reduce the incidence of mammary cancer and uterine infections in female cats and prostate problems in males.

Cats should be desexed by 16 weeks of age though there is a trend towards early desexing if animals are fit, healthy and an appropriate size.

An vet should determine the suitability of each animal.

Ms Meares said all vets were able to desex cats but prices varied, so it was best to compare prices.

Adoption from the Cat Centre costs $130 to $150 for male cats and kittens and $160 to $180 for females.

All are microchipped, desexed (a vet voucher is provided with kittens), vaccinated, wormed and checked.

everywhere is suffering pet over-population problem.