Tina Clifton from Gunnedah Saleyards Veterinary Clinic said desexing cats and dogs was all part of responsible pet ownership and now is the “perfect time” ahead of breeding season.

“We regularly push for desexing,” she said.

“I would like to see more desexed.

"Obviously, the first reason is unwanted pregnancies, which then leads to unwanted puppies and kittens, which we then euthanese.”

Ms Clifton said cats were prolific breeders and would remain on heat until they mated.

“The average law is that dogs will only cycle twice a year… whereas cats will come on pretty much as soon as they’ve had kittens,” she said.

“Dogs are on for three weeks – a week coming on, a week where they are receptive, and a week coming off.

“A male dog can smell a female dog on heat from kilometres away.”

The vet said there were health benefits for animals that were desexed.

“It greatly reduces the chances of females getting mammery tumours and males getting testicular cancer,” she said.

“If the animal is desexed before first heat, the risk of a mammery tumour is reduced to basically zero.”

Ms Clifton said pets could be desexed from around six months of age, but this could be reviewed for large breed dogs, such as Great Danes.

Local vet nurse and RSPCA member, Maddison Lawback, said the number of unwanted, surrendered and dumped animals was a huge burden for rescue organisations.

“We have an influx of animals during the ‘on’ season, so rescues become overfull, and so many animals are being euthanesed,” she said.

“We want to reduce those numbers.

“There are too many animals to rehome.”

Ms Lawback said desexing would also help to reduce the spread of diseases, such as cat flu, parvovirus and Feline Infectious Peritonitis.

“We encourage the desexing because it reduces the population and by reducing the population, we will have less diseases that affect the domestic cat population,” she said.

The RSPCA branch is preparing for the launch of Target 150 in September, which will see 150 pets desexed, micro-chipped, and vaccinated over a three-month period. The cost per animal will be $50.

Ms Lawback said micro-chipping in particular could make a huge difference, citing the recent return of a cat to its owners two months after it went missing.

The cat disappeared from its family home near the Gunnedah Rural Museum and was found on Quia Road in June. Thanks to the cat’s micro-chip, Ms Lawback said the owners were contacted and there was a joyous reunion.

Pet owners interested in taking part in Target 150 can contact Gunnedah RSPCA on 0419 474 689 to register their interest. Application forms will be sent out in August, with payment to be made in advance of the day event.