Cat owners are being encouraged to take their pets in for a 'snip 'n' chip'.
The SPCA initiative offers the service free to residents in 12 Auckland suburbs between March 9 and 27.
"Desexing is a key part of being a responsible animal owner and it's our number-one priority at the SPCA to desex as many animals as we possibly can," SPCA chief scientific officer Arnja Dale told The AM Show on Monday.
Last year the organisation desexed 30,000 cats, and 1000 have already been booked in for the current campaign, Dale said.
She said desexing was the "most significant issue" facing pet owners across the country, and although the SPCA offers similar initiatives aimed at dogs, "cats are the number-one issue that we face in New Zealand".
Eighty percent of all animals coming into the 40 SPCA centres across the country are cats, Dale said.
"So we need to do what we can to make life better for the cats - desexing results in a huge number of behavioural and physical improvements for them. We need to look after our communities."
The service is available for free in the following suburbs:
Clover Park, Flat Bush, Glen Eden, Henderson, Mangere, Manurewa, Mt Roskill, Mt Wellington, Otahuhu, Otara, Papakura, and Papatoetoe.
Watch the video to see the interview with Arnja Dale.
