Cat management fund | Hamilton City Council

Fund snapshot

Why do we have this fund?

Hamilton, like many cities, has a problem with stray, abandoned and feral cats. They are prone to rowdy fighting or mating at night, they prey on native birds and wildlife, and can spread disease.

Unfortunately, these types of cats continue to grow in numbers because they aren't desexed. As a Council, we want to do what we can to help curb the city’s unclaimed cats and the effects these cats can have on people, property, and other animals.

What does this fund look like?

The focus of this fund is the costs related to the actual desexing of stray, abandoned and feral cats within the Hamilton city boundaries that are to be rehomed (i.e. not for desexing these cats and then releasing them back into the community).

The grant is allocated annually to organisations to support their activities in achieving this outcome.

Find out more about animal control in relation to keeping cats in Hamilton.

For other local cat and/or animal-related support, visit the:

There are many other animal support organisations, which you can find online through a Google search or on social media such as Facebook and Instagram.

Application criteria

Who can apply

Any individual, group or organisation that has a proven track record of delivering an organised cat desexing and rehoming programme (of at least 100 stray, abandoned and/or feral cats) in Hamilton.

Organisations from outside Hamilton can apply, but they must carry out the desexing and rehoming of the cats within the city’s boundaries. See also our criteria guide.

What will be funded?

The cost of the actual desexing of stray, abandoned and feral cats found within Hamilton's city boundaries and the rehoming of those cats.

The following will not be funded:

The desexing costs of stray, abandoned and feral cats found outside Hamilton’s city boundaries.
Desexing and release programmes for stray, abandoned and feral cats (as above, this fund is only for desexing those animals that will be rehomed).
The desexing costs of any cats who already have a home or are privately owned (for assistance with this, see the Humane Society website).
An individual, group or organisation’s other operating costs, separate to the actual cost of desexing carried out before stray, abandoned and/or feral cats are rehomed.
Any euthanasia costs in relation to any kind of stray, abandoned and feral cat programme.

The application

1. Application process, guidelines and help.

Please get in touch with our fund administrator before using this application form – see contact information below.

Once you’re ready to apply, you’ll need to register on Smartygrants, then follow the guidelines to complete your application. This will set out what you need before you apply.

There are many help options available through online guides and video tutorials when you are logged into the Smartygrants platform.

Also, here’s how we can help you with the online application process:

You can ask for assistance from one of our funding administrators if you need it.
You can attend an information session (held in February each year).
You can attend one of our regular funding workshops held throughout the year.

For more information contact our Customer Services Team on 07 838 6699 during office hours, email us at info@hcc.govt.nz.

2. When and how you can expect to hear back from us.

Our team will review your application, and you may get a visit from us as part of the assessment process. We’ll let you know whether your application has been successful or not in early November of the year you’ve applied.