The RSPCA has called for an overhaul of NSW's animal shelter system as an expert says killing one-tenth of the cats currently euthanised is possible with a few changes.
About 23,000 dogs and 21,000 cats enter NSW pounds each year with many thousands more handed to animal welfare organisations such as the RSPCA, the charity says.
But a patchwork of laws, a large variation in pound infrastructure, widespread capacity issues and a reliance on a mostly part-time or volunteer workforce leaves significant room for improvement, representatives told a state parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday.
Many councils say the return to work after the pandemic has sparked an overwhelming surge in animals being surrendered to pounds this year.
Illustrating the uptick, Dubbo City Council's self-described "sub-standard, ageing" pound has a waiting list of 103 dogs and 76 cats.
Meanwhile, Blacktown City Council's $36 million state-of-the-art shelter has been at capacity since it opened in June.
"We believe that the high incidence of animals in pounds and shelters is a direct result of animals not being desexed .... due to owners not being able to afford it," council chief executive Kerry Robinson said.
Mr Robinson was among several representatives of councils and rescue groups who called on MPs to mandate the desexing of cats at the state's cost.
The inquiry was told one in three impounded cats was put down across the state, often due to an inability to find owners or rehome the animal.
The worst one-fifth of pounds killed between 67 and 100 per cent of cats received, Australian Pet Welfare Foundation executive director Jacquie Rand said.
"Desexing is absolutely critical to the whole thing - we know how cats can multiply if they're not desexed," Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
"That's the only way we'll resolve out issues," Tamworth Regional Council's Gina Vereker said.
Dr Rand said dropping euthanasia rates to about 2.5 per cent of impounded dogs and cats was possible with a co-ordinated approach.
She wanted free desexing programs, targeted to greatest need, as well as the suspension of registration for un-desexed cats and improvements to microchipping programs.
But mandated containment would not work as such measures were an impost on low-income families.
"The problem is mostly in low socio-economic areas where people simply can't afford desexing costs, which for a female cat can be anywhere between $300 and $500," she said.
Describing the NSW pound system as "broken", welfare group Animal Liberation backed the RSPCA's call for an overhaul of welfare regulations, pointing out the code of practice for pounds was more than 25 years old.
"Historically, only piecemeal improvements have been achieved," campaigns manager Lisa Ryan said.
"It's now well past time for government to play the lead role in a holistic approach to pound and shelter reform."
The inquiry continues.
