Pet Help in the Bakersfield Area
In Bakersfield and need help now? For an emergency, go to a 24-hour hospital below and tell them if cost is a barrier. To lower costs, start with the spay/neuter programs and low-cost clinics. For a bill you can’t cover, get a free funding plan.
Want what’s closest to you? Search by ZIP code or your location. Nearby: Santa Barbara and Ventura. the Inland Empire.
Spay, neuter and vouchers
- Critters Without Litters - Spay/Neuter Clinic
4300 Stine Road, Suite 720, Bakersfield, CA 93313 · (661) 831-6000
Nonprofit high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinic for cats and dogs, open since 2012. Surgery is by appointment, booked online (English and Spanish). The clinic accepts spay/neuter vouchers from Kern Humane Society, Kern County Animal Services and The Cat People, and applies the City of Bakersfield subsidy for city residents' dogs and cats with proof of address at check-in. - Critters Without Litters - TNR Program
4300 Stine Road, Suite 720, Bakersfield, CA 93313 · (661) 831-6000
Trap-neuter-return surgery for feral and free-roaming cats, by appointment only. This is also the TNR program used by Kern County Animal Services. Appointments open up to two weeks ahead and are posted each Friday morning; trappers are limited to two cats per day per household, one cat per trap. Cats are checked in at 7 a.m. in traps and picked up the next morning at 7 a.m. - Kern County Animal Services - Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics (SNIP)
3951 Fruitvale Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93308 · (661) 868-7100
Low-cost and free spay/neuter mobile clinics (SNIP bus) for dogs and cats run by Kern County Animal Services. Free for unincorporated Kern County residents in zip codes 93305, 93306, 93307 and 93308. Pets must be 2 months to 7 years old, 2 to 100 lbs and in good health. Up to 4 animals per household, per lifetime (clinic appointments and vouchers combined).
Low-cost clinics and vaccines
- City of Bakersfield Animal Control - Drive-Thru Vaccination and Licensing Clinics
City of Bakersfield · (661) 326-3436
Monthly low-cost clinics held at parks within the city, offering rabies vaccinations, core and annual boosters for dogs and puppies (DHPP and Bordetella), dog licensing and microchipping. A license must be purchased at the same time as the rabies vaccination. The schedule is posted as a PDF on the city website. - Critters Without Litters - Walk-In Vaccine Clinic
4300 Stine Road, Suite 720, Bakersfield, CA 93313 · (661) 831-6000
Walk-in low-cost vaccine clinic for cats and dogs at the Critters Without Litters spay/neuter clinic; no appointment necessary. On days forecast over 100 degrees the vaccine clinic may be shortened or canceled. - Kern County Animal Services - Low-Cost Vaccine and Microchip Clinics
3951 Fruitvale Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93308 · (661) 868-7100
Low-cost vaccination and microchipping clinics open to all Kern County residents, held Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings in Bakersfield and communities throughout the county, with a licensed veterinarian and licensing staff on site. Microchips are also available at the shelter front office and are free for residents of unincorporated Kern County. Free pet ID tags are offered.
Help paying a vet bill
- Kern County Animal Services - L.O.V.E. Project Veterinary Care Assistance
Kern County
Lifesaving Outreach for Veterinary Emergencies: help paying for critical veterinary care for pets of Kern County owners, funded by donors through the Friends of the Kern County Animal Shelters Foundation and available while funding lasts. Award amounts vary by case and are paid directly to the veterinarian; processing takes 3-7 days. Not available for preventative care.
Pet food
- Bakersfield Pet Food Pantry
4300 Stine Road, Suite 405, Bakersfield, CA · (661) 369-1222
Charitable pet food pantry, established in 2009, giving emergency pet food so owners can keep caring for long-term family pets through economic hardship. Also partners with senior organizations such as Meals On Wheels to help low-income homebound seniors keep their pets fed. - Kern County Animal Services - Free Pet Food
3951 Fruitvale Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93308 · (661) 868-7100
Free bags of dog and cat food for pet owners struggling to feed their pets, given out at the Bakersfield shelter during normal business hours. Animal Control Officers also carry pet food on patrol.
Keeping your pet, end-of-life care and pet loss
- Bakersfield SPCA
3000 Gibson St., Bakersfield, CA 93308 · (661) 323-8353
Kern County's original animal welfare agency and its only no-kill shelter. Pets are spayed/neutered and microchipped before adoption. Also offers microchip placement to any resident daily and at special clinics, low-cost cat spay/neuter clinics during the year, humane education, pet therapy visits, and referrals for pet food, pet-friendly housing and rescue groups. - City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center
201 S Mt Vernon Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93307 · (661) 832-7387
City shelter that accepts animals from city residents and animals impounded by City of Bakersfield Animal Control Officers. Stray animals are accepted during open hours and stray drop-offs are by appointment. Owner surrenders are not being accepted at this time, and the center is currently only accepting cats that are sick or injured. Adoptions are in person so people can meet the animals; licenses and lost-pet redemption are also handled here. - City of Bakersfield Animal Control (Bakersfield Police Department)
201 S Mount Vernon Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93307 · (661) 326-3436
Animal Control Unit of the Bakersfield Police Department providing enforcement and field response within city limits: stray dogs, injured stray animals including cats, cruelty and neglect complaints, dangerous dogs, dog bites and quarantines, and reuniting identified lost pets with owners. Does not pick up healthy, contained cats. The office also gives spay and neuter resources. - Kern County Animal Services (Bakersfield)
Kern County · (661) 868-7132
County animal shelter in Bakersfield. Adoptions are first come, first served.
Paying for a bigger bill
Ask any hospital about payment plans, CareCredit or Scratchpay, and apply to more than one assistance program. Ways to pay a vet bill in California lists the programs that are open now, and a free funding plan puts them together for your pet, with a free fundraiser page if you want one.