Keeping your pet
Help to keep your pet, and what to do if you cannot
The short answer
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay gives out free dog and cat food every Tuesday and Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM, first come and first served, with no appointment. Monthly delivery is available for homebound and elderly residents. Affordable vet care and rehoming support sit alongside both, for people trying not to give a pet up.
Where can I get free pet food in Tampa?
At the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, 3607 N Armenia Ave, every Tuesday and Saturday between 9 AM and 5 PM. Walk in, first come first served, no appointment and no referral.
The limit is one bag of dog food and one bag of cat food per person per week, because supplies are finite and the pantry is meant to reach as many households as it can.
What if I cannot get to the shelter?
Ask about the delivery programme. Monthly food deliveries run for homebound and elderly residents who cannot travel to the shelter, and recipients apply and qualify rather than turning up.
The number for that is 813.774.4308.
What other help exists before giving a pet up?
Three things, and they are worth trying in this order.
Food and supplies, because a short term money problem is the most common reason a pet is at risk and the easiest one to fix.
Affordable veterinary care, at the shelter’s own AAHA accredited hospital. A treatable condition that has become unaffordable is the second most common reason. Fees are published on the spay and neuter page.
Rehoming support, which keeps the animal in a home rather than in a kennel while a new family is found.
How does rehoming differ from surrendering?
Rehoming means the pet stays in its home environment until a new family is found. Surrendering means the pet comes into the shelter and waits there.
People are asked to explore rehoming resources before bringing an animal in, for two reasons. Shelter space is limited and intake cannot always be guaranteed. And a pet that goes from one sofa to another has a better time of it than one that spends a fortnight in a kennel, however good the kennel is.
What happens if I do need to surrender a pet?
It is treated as a conversation rather than a drop off. The published process is to explore support programmes first, then review rehoming options, then schedule an appointment, and then bring the pet in with whatever records exist.
Bring vaccination records, medical history, behaviour information, recent photos and your current address. Intake hours are Monday to Sunday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and the team asks for an appointment so they can plan.
Will I be judged for asking?
No, and it is worth saying plainly, because the fear of being judged is what stops people asking early. Early is when help works.
Their own wording is that the team listens without judgment. The people who work in intake have heard every version of this: a landlord who changed the rules, a diagnosis, a death in the family, hours cut, a bite, a baby, a move. None of it is new to them and none of it makes somebody a bad owner.
Asking three months before the crisis gives everybody more options than asking on the day.
Can I get help with a vet bill?
The clinic route is the honest answer. The shelter’s hospital is open to the public and priced as part of a non profit rather than as a business, which for many bills is the difference that matters. Call 813.870.3304 and describe the situation.
Is there help for outdoor cats I am feeding?
Yes, through the TNVR programme, and feeding a colony without sterilising it is how a small colony becomes a large one. The community cats page covers how it works and what it costs.
What if I am worried about what happens to my pet after I die?
A pet guardianship programme exists for exactly that. It is on the shelter’s own site and it is worth arranging while there is no urgency attached to it.
Questions we get asked
Do I need to prove I am struggling to get pet food?
No. The pantry is first come, first served on a Tuesday or Saturday, with a one bag each limit, and nobody is asked to demonstrate anything.
Will you take my pet the same day if I bring it in?
Not necessarily. Shelter space is limited and intake availability is not guaranteed, which is why the appointment and the conversation come first.
Do you take animals from outside Hillsborough County?
Ask when you call. There are two campuses, one in Tampa and one in Clearwater, and the answer depends on the animal and on space at the time.
What else does the shelter do?
Adoption, a full service animal hospital, a spay and neuter clinic and community cat work. The main guide covers all of it.
Come and see us
Adoptions are same day and first come, first served at both campuses. Clinic and intake services are by appointment, and the team will talk through the options before anything is decided.
Keep reading
- Help for pets and their people in Tampa BayWhat the Humane Society of Tampa Bay offers pets and their people: adoption, low cost spay and neuter, vaccines, vet care, food assistance and TNVR.
- What spaying or neutering a pet costs in TampaPublished spay and neuter fees at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay clinic for cats, dogs and rabbits, plus how appointments, deposits and drop off work.
- All guidesEvery guide on hstb.org in one place.
Last reviewed Humane Society of Tampa Bay