Struggling to get your cat desexed?

If you live in many parts of the Waikato we can help!

We know it’s tough out there so New Lives have partnered with CareVets Hamilton South and CareVets Horsham Downs in Hamilton, as well as 3 Stone Vets in Te Awamutu to offer subsidised cat desexing.

You purchase a voucher from our website, and we'll cover the bill at one of our participating veterinary clinics to have your cat desexed, microchipped and registered on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register!

How it works

To be eligible, you need to live in one of the following district council boundaries:
Waikato (e.g. Huntly and Ngāruawāhia), Waipa (e.g. Te Awamutu, Cambridge, Kihikihi, Pirongia, Ōhaupō), Ōtorohanga, and Hamilton.

We're unable to provide subsidies for cats from outside of these areas.

Your cat can be desexed at any of our participating veterinary clinics (CareVets Hamilton South, CareVets Horsham Downs, or 3 Stone Vets )

You'll need purchase a voucher from our website, and we'll cover the bill at one of our participating veterinary clinics to have your cat desexed, microchipped and registered on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register.

There is a limit of four (4) cats per household and vouchers can be purchased individually as you can afford them, or a single voucher can cover them all.

This is a high trust model with no requirement to show a community services card but we do expect people to only purchase vouchers if they truly need them. Funding is limited so if you are able to afford to have your cat desexed without a hand up, please leave the vouchers for those who are genuinely struggling.

If you are having issues purchasing a voucher, please email email us for help. We generally won't reply to emails where the answer is already available on the website, so please ensure that you have read all available information on this website before emailing.

What you need to know

Before you grab yourself a voucher, here's the basic need-to-knows:

The sex of your cat. If you’re not sure, there’s a handy guide to your left (click to zoom in).
They’ve got to be healthy and over 1kg (that's generally 10 - 12 weeks old).

If they’ve got a bit of cat flu, ringworm (click here for examples of what you’re looking for), or they’ve got a bit of diarrhoea you will have to wait a little bit until they’re healthy enough for an operation.
You’ll need a safe carrier to transport your cat(s) to the vet clinic in. If you don’t have one they can be gotten very cheaply from Kmart or second hand, or a friend may have one you can borrow.
Your cat can’t eat before surgery. Keep them inside the night before their appointment to stop them disappearing and take their food away before 9pm.
You’ll need to be able to drop them at the vet clinic between 8.30am and 9am, and pick them up that afternoon.

Terms and conditions

To be eligible, you need to live in one of the following district council boundaries:
Waikato (e.g. Huntly and Ngāruawāhia), Waipa (e.g. Te Awamutu, Cambridge, Kihikihi, Pirongia, Ōhaupō), Ōtorohanga, and Hamilton.
Vouchers can only be used by the person named on the voucher and are not transferable to another person or party.
Vouchers expire 180 days from the date of purchase. Unredeemed vouchers will not be refunded.
This subsidy can only be used at participating veterinary clinics.
This subsidy is only available for cats that you own, and do not intend to rehome.
The scheme is limited to four cats per household. Any cats over this limit will require an additional payment of $120 including GST per cat.
Cats must be healthy and over 1kg (that's generally 10 - 12 weeks old).
All cats will have a microchip implanted and be registered to you on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register (NZCAR).
Where you have an existing NZCAR account and the contact details are incorrect (e.g. you have moved and not updated your address), you give New Lives Animal Rescue permission to update these details.
The cat(s) must be transported to the veterinary clinic in a safe carry cage.
This subsidy isn’t available to people who can afford to pay retail veterinary prices, for unfriendly cats, cats that you do not own, cats that you will be rehoming, to breeders, for purebred (or part-bred) 'fancy' cats, to people who have purchased a cat from a breeder (backyard or registered) or another party, rescuers or other shelters, or for TNR (Trap – Neuter – Release) projects.
Vouchers will be cancelled at the sole discretion of New Lives Animal Rescue where they have been obtained by deception or where the purchaser fails to attend their veterinary clinic booking. When a voucher has been cancelled no refund will be given.
Where a voucher has been obtained by deception and successfully redeemed, the purchaser will be invoiced for the full veterinary costs incurred on their behalf by New Lives Animal Rescue. In the event of non-payment, this debt will referred for debt collection inclusive of reasonable collection costs.

Please note: If your cat or kitten has been adopted from an organisation or rescuer, they are not eligible for this subsidy. Desexing will need to be organised by that organisation or rescuer.

Am I eligible?

Cat Desexing Qualifier

Name

First Name

Surname

What area do you live in?

Is the cat friendly?

'Friendly' means that you can pick them up and put them in a carrier

Do you own the cat(s)?

Did you purchase the cat, or are they a 'fancy' breed?

Example: You have bought the cat off Trademe or the cat is a purebred/derivative Ragdoll, Birman, Tonkinese, or other specific breed.

Will you be rehoming the cat(s)?

Are you able to afford to desex the cat(s) without a charity subsidising the cost?

Do you accept the terms and conditions above?

If you are human, leave this field blank.

If a 'Buy A Voucher' button appears after answering the questions, click it to be redirected to the purchase page. If it doesn't, you are unfortunately not eligible.

Please note, where it is determined that a voucher has been obtained by deception, it will be cancelled and no refund will be given.