With the cost of living being what it is this could potentially be useful to someone.

Unfortunately not every state currently has a participating clinic but there are different locations around Australia.

I’m also going to piggyback on this to say that even if you’re not homeless but just in financial hardship some pet shops will give you the expired but still usable parasite treatments for your pet if you ask. For free. And possibly also pet food. At least Petstock in Melbourne does.

Please avoid buying flea products for cats from the supermarket as they may be contaminated with or contain pyrethrins which are toxic to cats. Aristopet flea and worm spot ons are the much cheaper generic version of another brand and are recommended if you can’t afford the premium brands. (I’m aware Aristopet is stocked in supermarkets too but due to that I checked with a pet shop manager that this product was okay.) Purina I’m told is not so good.

Edit: Please don’t buy a higher dosage of parasite treatment (or other meds) and split it between pets to save money. This may be alright with very safe OTC supplements like Zylkene and you may open a capsule or break a tablet to give half if your vet says to. But the reason it isn’t really safe to split up a larger dose of medication between animals or multiple administrations is that the drug isn’t always equally distributed through the whole of it, so one part may have way too much of the drug and another not enough. Flea products intended for dogs can also kill cats.

It’s possible to get pet meds cheaper online if you get the prescription from the vet and submit it to the website. There will be a delay due to mailing it out but this is legit.

Also check if there are local pet food pantries. Some human food pantries may also give pet food.

In Melbourne Lort Smith gives concession discounts and offers payment plans. Open Pay is available at other practices.

Pets Of The Homeless is another great resource. (Their aim is to offer enough help for you to keep your pet through tough times so they will NOT take your pet away. In fact they don’t even accept surrenders.) They also offer emergency boarding, low cost desexing, a pet food bank, covers the costs of vet care and euthanasia and a one-off cover of a medical procedure in your pet’s lifetime.

Edit: There’s also Best Mates run by Dr Jason Rapke in Glen Iris or Pet Medical Crisis.

Low cost desexing may also be offered by The Cat Protection Society, RSPCA or through your local council.

Hope this helps someone 🤞