Born in the wilds of South Purrumbete, Snowpo now has a home with retired farmer Shirley Rethus.
After rounding up a feral cat and 13 kittens, Mrs Rethus did the responsible thing and got her little mate desexed thanks to a voucher pilot program in Corangamite Shire.
"About this time last year there was a stray mother cat having babies. I started feeding her and they all came over following her," she said.
"About January the mother had another lot of kittens.
"I caught the kittens and put them in a cage Then I got the ranger out to take them away. I kept the one I've got.
"I went into the vet in Cobden and asked if I could get him desexed and vaccinated and they said 'No worries'.
"People don't realise how stray cats are a nuisance. They leave them outside and they go wandering. If you can't look after them you may as well not have them."
Council is offering concession card holders discounts for cat desexing at participating vet clinics.
The program aims to support responsible cat ownership by:
- increasing cat registrations;
- reducing impoundment of cats;
- reducing unwanted litters in priority locations; and
- reducing reports of nuisance cats.
The program was due to end in September but will continue until fully subscribed or June 2025, whichever occurs first. It now also covers the cost of microchipping and the first year of registration.
Any additional veterinary costs outside the desexing/microchipping services (such as vaccinations) are not covered by the voucher and must be paid by the voucher holder.
Council Local Laws Officer Jasmine Pugh said a female cat can give birth up to 100 kittens in its lifetime.
"Desexing your cat avoids any unwanted litters and help to reduce the impact of feral cats across the Shire.
"It's great that the program now covers microchipping because that really helps us reunite lost cats with their owners.
"Microchipped and registered pets are less likely to be impounded, saving you impound fees or fines.
"Your registration costs help us care for found animals until we can get them back to their homes."
To be eligible, householders must have a concession card, be a Corangamite resident and their cat must be microchipped and registered, or be willing become microchipped and registered at the time of desexing.
Four vet clinics in Corangamite Shire are participating in this desexing program:
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Terang Veterinary Clinic
20 Estcourt St, Terang
5592 2111
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Hampden Veterinary Clinic
22 Curdie St Cobden
5595 1100
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Camperdown Veterinary Centre
1 Leura St, Camperdown
5593 1077
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The Vet Group 99 Bailey St, Timboon
5558 6666
To apply, click here, call the Local Laws team on 5593 7100 or drop into the Civic Centre at 181 Manifold Street, Camperdown.
