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:
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.
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 insurers | How to get cover | What it covers | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
 Medibank | As an add on (routine care) | Receive a $115 annual benefit. This includes $50 for desexing or another service/treatment available. | Get quote |
 Everyday | As an add on (routine care) | Receive a $50 annual benefit to go towards desexing or another service/treatment available. | More info |
 PIA | As an add on (routine care) | Receive a $200 annual benefit to go towards desexing or another service/treatment available. | Get quote |
 Guardian | As an add on (routine care) | Receive a $80 annual benefit to go towards desexing or other services/treatments available. | Get quote |
 Australian Seniors | As an add on (routine care) | Receive a $80 annual benefit to go towards desexing or other services/treatments available. | Get quote |
 Bow Wow Meow | 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. | Get quote |
 Guide Dogs | As an add on (routine care) | Receive up to $80 annually to go towards desexing or other services/treatments available. | More info |
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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.
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:
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/territory | Mandatory 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 |
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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
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.
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?
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