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 four vet clinics across the Waikato to offer subsidised cat desexing.

You contribute $60 towards having your cat desexed, microchipped and registered on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register, and we’ll take care of the rest of the bill!

How it works

To be eligible, you need to live in one of the following district council boundaries:
Hauraki (e.g. Paeroa, Ngatea, and Te Aroha), Waikato (e.g. Huntly and Ngāruawāhia), Matamata-Piako (e.g. Matamata and Morrinsville), Waipa (e.g. Cambridge and Te Awamutu), Ōtorohanga, and Hamilton.
Your cat can be desexed at any of our four participating veterinary clinics (CareVets Horsham Downs, CareVets Hamilton South, Kaimai Vets Matamata, and Kaimai Vets Te Aroha.
You'll need to contribute $60 per cat, and payment is up front when you grab yourself a voucher. The voucher covers desexing, microchip implantation, and registration on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register.

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 desexing@newlivesrescue.co.nz for help.

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 using CareVets Hamilton South or CareVets Horsham Downs, or over 1.8kg if using Kaimai Vets Matamata or Kaimai Vets Te Aroha.

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 8am and 9am, and pick them up that afternoon.

Terms and conditions

This subsidy can only be used at participating veterinary clinics.
This subsidy is only available for cats that you own.
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) if using CareVets Hamilton South or CareVets Horsham Downs, or over 1.8kg if using Kaimai Vets Matamata or Kaimai Vets Te Aroha.
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?

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.