By Ellie Kieskowski

FLUFFY MAY PROVIDE you with sloppy kisses when you want them, but he can be expensive. Besides love, dogs and cats need health care, vaccines, and spaying and neutering – all of which can add up to a fat bill. Fortunately, there are discounted programs for preventative care, and some vets are cheaper than others. The following list highlights San Francisco vets who charge $36 or less for an office visit. Also note that many of these programs are offered only at certain times.

Animal Farm Pet Hospital runs a discount vaccination clinic Wednesdays, 2 to 6 p.m., during which an office visit costs $18 and all shots cost $12. Ordinarily office visits cost $36. To neuter a male cat costs about $117, and to spay a female cat costs $277. A dog under 30 pounds costs about $285 to fix. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-noon and 2-6 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 5601 Mission, S.F. (415) 333-0813.

Avenue Pet Hospital discounts the price of office visits for animals needing only vaccinations to $25 plus the cost of shots; usually a visit costs $35. It costs about $67 to neuter a male cat and $94 to spay a female cat. A dog under 30 pounds costs about $210 to fix. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 2221 Taraval, S.F. (415) 681-4313.

Mobile Pet Vaccination Clinic is held each week at Pet Food Express and offers vaccinations at the lowest prices in San Francisco, such as rabies for $7; a standard series of vaccine shots is $25 for dogs, $20 for cats. Your pet needs to be in good health and restrained. Sun., 11 a.m.-noon, 371 West Portal, S.F. 1-800-HAPY-PET, www.800hapypet.com.

Pets Unlimited offers a $10 discount on its $36-office-visit fee for each animal when multiple animals are brought in together. To neuter a male cat costs $50, and to spay a female cat costs $75. A male dog under 25 pounds costs $70 to fix; a female dog can range between $70 and $100. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-7:40 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-3:40 p.m.; Sun., 9 a.m.-3:40 p.m.; 24-hour emergency care available, 2343 Fillmore, S.F. (415) 563-6700.

San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' office-visit fee is $30, and it's by far the cheapest place to have your animal fixed. The spay-neuter clinic charges $30 for a male cat, $35 for a female cat, $35 for a male dog, and $45 for a female dog. Spay and neuter operations are free for homeless pet owners and for feral cats on certain days. The SFSPCA also operates a low-cost vaccination clinic open to everyone each February. For qualified low-income seniors the Pet-a-Care program provides an 80 percent discount on hospital services, free spay and neuter operations, and discounted vaccinations. The financial office reviews need on a case-by-case basis for those in the most extreme situations, such as those living on workers' comp, and can potentially provide a discount of up to 80 percent. Mon.-Sat., 8 a.m.-6 p.m., 2500 16th St., S.F. (415) 554-3000.