In Stonnington, all cats are required by law to be desexed. Exemptions will only be made for cats for registered breeding purposes or due to veterinary advice.
Desexing dogs is not compulsory, but is highly recommended if they are not intended for breeding purposes.
Benefits of desexing cats and dogs include:
- health benefits (reduced risk of your pet getting cancer or other diseases)
- discounted pet registration fees
- behavioural improvements (less aggressive, easier to control, less likely to wander or fight, less antisocial or territorial)
- helping to reduce overpopulation and unwanted litters.
Desexing Voucher Scheme
The Desexing Voucher Scheme offers reduced cost of desexing cats and dogs for residents with any of the following concession cards:
- Pension Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Low Income Health Care Card
- Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
Desexing vouchers are available from our service centres at Prahran Town Hall and Malvern Town Hall. Proof of concession is required. If your pet is more than three months old, evidence of pet registration is also required.
Find more information on the Desexing Voucher Scheme on the Australian Veterinary Association website.
Partial refunds for registrations of desexed pets will be provided prior to 10 October each year or within six months of initial registration (proof required). To request a partial refund, please submit a pet registration refund form(PDF, 239KB).
A microchip is a chip the size of a grain of rice, inserted between the shoulder blades of your dog or cat to provide permanent identification of your pet.
Once your cat or dog turns 3 months old, microchipping becomes compulsory for your pet registration with Council.
To microchip your pet, you will need to visit your local vet clinic. All cats and dogs must wear a Council tag when outside their premises.
Keeping Council registration and microchip registry details up-to-date will help ensure that your pet is quickly and safely returned if it becomes lost.
Find out if your pet's microchip details are up-to-date
- Visit the Pet Address website.
- Enter your pet's microchip number.
- Contact the microchip registry your pet is listed with.
- Check that your contact details are correct.
If you are unsure of your pet's microchip number
Please check your animal registration renewal form or contact your local veterinary clinic or shelter to arrange a time to have your pet scanned.
Find more information about microchipping on the Animal Welfare Victoria website.
You can download our Pet Microchipping brochure(PDF, 49KB) to read or print out.