Under new State Government legislation which has come into effect, cat owners will have to get their cats de-sexed by the age of four months.

City of Canterbury-Bankstown, which has more than 141,000 registered cats and dogs, is leading the charge on letting pet-owners know about the new laws.

Mayor Khal Asfour said he expects an increase in the number of animal lovers taking up Council’s subsidised de-sexing program for their furry friends.

“In the last two years we had something like 520 cats in our de-sexing program. With the new law that number is going to skyrocket,” he said.

“Cat de-sexing is going to be a huge issue, not only in our city but across NSW.”

Council is letterboxing problem areas to let them know of the new legislation and offering a subsidy to pensioners and health card holders.

“We have one elderly woman we have assisted with her ten cats and we pick them up and the RSPCA dropped them off,” Mayor Khal Asfour said.

“What we don’t want is more strays.”

The subsidised de-sexing program also includes microchipping and vaccination for $35 for male cats and $50 for female cats.

Mayor Khal Asfour called on the State Government to re-introduce grants to assist Councils to get the de-sexing message out.

Pet owners can face a fine if they do not hold a permit that exempts their pet from being de-sexed. Exemptions are available for cat breeders or if the cat has a medical condition.