Gemma Ma | Senior Manager Keeping Cats Safe at Home and Veterinary Policy Officer
RSPCA NSW

Dr Gemma Ma BVSc (Hons I), PhD is a general practice and shelter medicine veterinarian with over a decade of experience in companion animal welfare, policy, and interdisciplinary research. She is currently the Veterinary Policy and Project Officer at RSPCA NSW and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Animal Welfare at the University of Sydney School of Veterinary Science. Dr Ma leads impactful projects addressing cat and dog population management, shelter medicine, and human–animal relationships. Her work is underpinned by a commitment to evidence-based practice, community collaboration, and improving outcomes for animals and their caregivers.

Appearances:

Day 1 @ 14:30

How to stop killing cats: By desexing them instead

For decades, the primary response to unwanted and free-roaming cats in Australia has been impoundment and euthanasia. Yet despite the destruction of hundreds of thousands of cats, population-level outcomes have remained stubbornly poor. The RSPCA NSW Keeping Cats Safe at Home (KCSAH) program demonstrates that a different approach is possible. By focusing on accessible desexing, particularly for unowned cats, including unsocialised cats and pre-pubertal kittens, communities can achieve measurable reductions in cat numbers, shelter and pound intake, euthanasia, nuisance complaints, and roaming behaviour.

General practice veterinarians are uniquely positioned to drive this change. Early-age desexing before puberty prevents unplanned litters, while desexing unsocialised and community cats reduces ongoing reproduction and population growth.

Veterinarians also have an important advocacy role. Where council contracts require the routine euthanasia of healthy stray cats, vets can promote evidence-based alternatives that prioritise desexing and population management. Holistic cat management benefits not only cats, but also their caregivers, local communities, wildlife, and veterinary teams who otherwise bear the moral burden of preventable euthanasia. If we are serious about reducing cat deaths, the solution is clear: stop killing cats, desex them instead.

Gemma Ma, Senior Manager Keeping Cats Safe at Home and Veterinary Policy Officer, RSPCA NSW

last published: 16/Jul/26 02:05 GMT

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