Seasonal Veterinary Assistant – Shelter Medicine & Community Clinics (Weekends) Part-Time | Seasonal (Kitten Season) Schedule: Saturdays & Sundays Compensation: $24.00–$30.00 per hour (DOE)
Location
Nine Lives 749 Brewster Ave Redwood City, CA 94063
Join Us for Kitten Season and Help Save Lives
Kitten season is here — and with it comes one of the busiest and most critical times of year for animal shelters.
Nine Lives is seeking a Seasonal Veterinary Assistant to join our team on Saturdays and Sundays to support our growing shelter medicine and community veterinary programs. This role is designed to expand our lifesaving capacity during kitten season by supporting the care of rescued cats and kittens onsite, helping deliver affordable veterinary services to our community, and assisting with medical and surgical operations.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys independent responsibility, and wants meaningful hands-on experience across shelter medicine, preventative care, adoptions and surgery.
Our weekend team supports everything from neonatal kitten care and daily medical treatments to low-cost vaccine clinics and high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services.
Position Summary
The Seasonal Veterinary Assistant is an essential member of the Nine Lives medical team and will work across multiple programs supporting both shelter and public-facing veterinary services.
This position will focus heavily on:
- Supporting our in-house shelter cat and kitten population
- Administering treatments and monitoring medical cases independently under veterinary direction
- Assisting with low-cost, high-volume vaccine clinics for owned cats and community members
- Safe and skilled feline handling
- Supporting intake, diagnostics, recovery, and preventative care
- Opportunities to assist with High-Quality, High-Volume Spay/Neuter (HQHVSN) surgical days as scheduling and experience allow
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Shelter Medicine & Kitten Care
- Receive, restrain, handle, and treat cats and kittens with confidence, compassion, and excellent feline handling skills
- Administer prescribed medications, fluids, vaccines, flea treatment, and medical therapies
- Carry out treatment plans for shelter cats independently under veterinary guidance
- Monitor hospitalized cats and kittens and report changes promptly
- Support intake examinations and medical workups
- Collect specimens and perform routine laboratory testing
- Maintain accurate medical records and treatment logs
- Support enrichment and low-stress handling practices for shelter cats
Community Veterinary Services
- Assist with public-facing low-cost vaccine and wellness clinics
- Educate clients on preventative healthcare including vaccines, flea control, and wellness recommendations
- Support efficient patient flow and client interactions
Surgery Support (Opportunity Available)
- Assist with preparation and recovery for HQHVSN surgery days
- Prepare patients for anesthesia
- Monitor patients during recovery
- Support instrument preparation and surgical workflow
- Gain exposure to best-in-class feline surgical techniques and shelter medicine practices
General Responsibilities
- Maintain inventory of medications and supplies
- Clean, sterilize, and maintain medical equipment and treatment spaces
- Support operational efficiency and a positive team culture
- Perform additional duties as assigned in support of lifesaving programs
Experience & Qualifications
Required
- Minimum 2 years experience as a Veterinary Assistant
- Strong feline handling and restraint skills
- Ability to work independently and confidently manage assigned treatments
- Comfortable working in a busy, high-volume medical environment
- Excellent communication and client service skills
- Ability to multitask while maintaining quality and patient care
- Passion for shelter medicine and cat welfare
Preferred
- Experience working in shelter medicine, rescue medicine, or HQHVSN environments
- RVT license (not required)
- Experience with vaccine clinics or community medicine
- Experience supporting surgical procedures
Additional Requirements
- Willingness to obtain controlled substances permitting (at Nine Lives’ expense if required)
- Ability to commute to Redwood City
Physical Requirements & Work Environment
- Ability to stand for extended periods while performing work requiring concentration and manual dexterity
- Frequent lifting and carrying up to 30 lbs
- Frequent bending, kneeling, stooping, walking, and reaching
- Exposure to animal-related risks including bites, scratches, noise, odors, contagious disease, and controlled substances
- Comfortable working in a dynamic shelter and clinical environment
Compensation & Benefits
Pay: $24.00–$30.00 per hour DOE
Benefits include:
- Employee discount
- Flexible scheduling
- Professional development opportunities
- Hands-on shelter medicine and surgical experience
- Opportunity for expanded hours and future opportunities as programs grow
Application Question
Tell us why you are interested in joining Nine Lives and helping us save cats and kittens during kitten season.
Job Type
Seasonal | Part-Time (Weekends Only)
Work Location
In Person – Redwood City, CA
Pay: $24.00 - $31.02 per hour
Work Location: In person
