Desexing your cat & dog in Australia

Desexing costs can be as much as $500, but there's lots of health benefits, plus pet insurance can help pay for it. 

Policies that cover desexing Compare your options

Key takeaways

  • Desexing dogs and cats prevents unplanned litters and can improve health and behaviour.
  • You should not have to pay more than $500 to have your cat desexed, while dog desexing costs can be as high as $690.
  • Pet insurance can cover desexing if your policy includes routine care.

How much does it cost to desex a cat or dog?

Bulldog

How much does it cost to desex a dog?

Dog desexing typically costs between $200 and $500 – but you should typically pay under $300. It's also usually slightly cheaper to get a male dog desexed than a female but costs differ depending on the vet you go to:

  • NSW: RSPCA NSW - $200-$500 (male or female)
  • SA: Dr Ken's Vet Clinic - $120 - $350 (male or female)
  • WA: Hanly Vet - $250 - $510 (male or female)
  • ACT: Melba Vet - $460 - $690 (male or female)

Persian Cat

How much does it cost to desex a cat?

Cat desexing costs around $115 to $300. The exact costs will depend on the vet you go to.

Your local council might subsidise some desexing costs. This is often in conjunction with the National Desexing Network which can help reduce the costs if you can't afford to desex your cat.

  • NSW: RSPCA NSW - $115 - $300 (male or female)
  • SA: C.A.T.S - from $110 (female) $80 (male)
  • WA: Hanly Vet - $120 - $150 (male or female)
  • ACT: Belconnen Animal Hospital - $285 (male) - $495 (female)

Check out pet insurers that cover desexing

Do pet insurance policies cover desexing?

Yes. It's usually available through routine care or with a comprehensive policy. Considering that a pet insurance policy costs around $127 a month on average and desexing can be as much as $500, so it's worth considering, especially if you consider the cost of health checkups down the line.

These pet insurance policies can all cover desexing your dog or cat.

Pet insurersHow to get coverWhat it coversApply
Medibank logo
As an add on (routine care)
Receive a $115 annual benefit. This includes $50 for desexing or another service/treatment available.
Everyday Insurance
As an add on (routine care)
Receive a $50 annual benefit to go towards desexing or another service/treatment available.
Pet insurance australia logo
As an add on (routine care)
Receive up to $95 in annual benefits. This includes $50 to go towards desexing or another service/treatment available.
Kogan Pet Insurance logo
As an add on (routine expenses)
Receive a $120 annual benefit. This includes $80 to go towards desexing or another service/treatment available.
RSPCA pet insurance
As an add on (routine care)
Receive a $50 annual benefit to go towards desexing or one other service/treatment available.
Guardian Pet Insurance Logo
As an add on (routine care)
Receive a $80 annual benefit to go towards desexing or other services/treatments available.
Australian seniors logo
As an add on (routine care)
Receive a $80 annual benefit to go towards desexing or other services/treatments available.
Bow Wow Meow logo
As an add on (routine care)
Receive a $50 annual benefit to go towards desexing or other treatments available. Plus, another $95 for other treatments.
Guide dogs logo
As an add on (routine care)
Receive up to $80 annually to go towards desexing or other services/treatments available.
Prime pet insurance logo
As an add on (routine care)
Receive a $80 annual benefit to go towards desexing or other services/treatments available.

Why compare pet insurance with Finder?

  • You pay the same price as buying directly from the pet insurer.

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  • We've reviewed over 35 policies on the market, so you don't have to.

What if I can't afford to desex my pet?

If you can't afford to pay for desexing, you can get financial help through the National Desexing Network (NDN). It's an Australia-wide referral system made available to pet owners in financial need, like concession card holders. They have a really helpful directory that lets you find a vet near you and a breakdown of costs — just remember it's not open to everyone.

Should I desex dog or cat

Even if it's not mandatory everywhere in Australia, desexing can be an important step for responsible pet ownership. If you're unsure, consider these pros and cons:

Female dog

Benefits of Female Desexing

  • Reduces the risk of mammary tumours
  • Eliminates the risk of ovarian tumours
  • Eliminates the risk of pyometra (an infection of the uterus)
  • Won't attract male dogs or cats to your home while on heat
  • Won't suffer the physical injuries, exhaustion and possible infection from having litters
Male dog

Benefits of Male Desexing

  • Eliminates testicular cancer risk
  • Reduces perianal tumours risk
  • Reduces prostatic diseases risk
  • Less likely to spray urine to mark its territory and attract mates
The vet

Other benefits

  • They're less likely to wander or get hit by a car while trying to find a mate
  • It's usually cheaper to register a desexed cat or dog with the council
  • Less aggressive and anti-social behaviour
  • Can be more affectionate and calm

Is desexing mandatory for cats and dogs?

Depending on where you live desexing your pet may or may not be compulsory. Each state and territory in Australia has different rules around desexing, here's what they look like:

State/TerritoryMandatory Desexing Legislation
ACT
Yes. It's an offence to own an undesexed dog over 6 months old or an undesexed cat over 3 months old, unless you have a permit.
NSW
No
NT
No
QLD
No
SA
Yes. It's an offence to own an undesexed dog or cat over 6 months old, with limited exemptions.
TAS
Yes for cats (over 6 months)

No for dogs

VIC
No
WA
Yes for cats (over 6 months)

No for dogs

Is pet insurance right for me?

Questions you've asked on desexing, answered ✅

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Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

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4 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    ChelsDecember 30, 2023

    I have a 12 month old female dog I need desexed asap but I’m a single parent on a pension is there anywhere in adelaide that does discounted desexing

      AvatarFinder
      SarahJanuary 10, 2024Finder

      Hi Chels, Try the National Desexing Network (NDN) – they are an Australia-wide referral system giving pet owners in financial need access to low-cost desexing.

    Default Gravatar
    KrystelMay 21, 2019

    I would like to find out an estimated cost of how much it would cost me to get my 1 year old kitten desexed and micro chipped please?

      Default Gravatar
      NikkiMay 22, 2019

      Hey Krystel,

      Thanks for your inquiry! According to our page, it costs around $115 to have a male cat desexed and around $300 to have a female cat desexed, according to the RSPCA. Note that many councils will charge more to register an undesexed cat. The registration costs could be as much as four times the cost of registering a desexed cat.

      In July every year, vet clinics in Australia reduce their desexing fees to encourage more pet owners to do this procedure. The National Desexing Network (NDN) is a charity that aims to end pet overpopulation by making it more affordable for pet owners in financial need to have their animals desexed. You can visit the NBN website to see where the nearest vet clinic is that offers this service. Please note that year-round fee reduction is only available to pet owners who genuinely need it.

      Regarding microchipping, we don’t have information on this yet but one way to prevent paying for microchipping your cat is to get pet insurance. Insurers like Australian Pet Insurance covers desexing and microchipping.

      Hope this was helpful. Don’t hesitate to message us back if you have more questions.

      With care,
      Nikki

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