Working for Christchurch's most vulnerable cats: An Animal Attendant's incredible story

Our Centres around the country take in a huge number of sick, injured, and vulnerable animals, helping them get back on their feet (or should we say paws?) before finding their forever homes.

The SPCA care network is a vast one; it’s made up of Centre staff, volunteers, foster families, and more. A key role within this network is that of Animal Attendants, who are often among the first to care for the animals who come into our Centres. They’re the ones providing day-in, day-out care, ensuring these animals have everything they need to recover, grow and thrive.

Bee Maber is one such Animal Attendant, working primarily in the Feline Isolation unit of our Christchurch Centre. Her passion for working with animals was ignited decades ago at SPCA, and in 2021, she rejoined the whānau to make a difference.

Bee has kindly shared her own story about her time with SPCA below. Get to know this wonderful, inspiring member of our Christchurch Centre, and hear about the impactful work she’s done!

I first became involved with SPCA in the late 1990s, when I was just 17 years old. My sister and I were volunteers; we helped to care for the cats and kittens at the Christchurch Centre on Wilmers Road. Before long, we also became foster parents, and our passion was orphans and bottle babies!

We lived and breathed all things feline neonate, and caring for these cats became a whole family effort. We enlisted the help of our parents and grandparents – it wasn’t uncommon for guests to be handed a kitten and a bottle of formula as they walked into our home! Mum very graciously allowed us to take over her laundry and bathroom, letting us transform them into nurseries for our foster kittens. Over three kitten seasons, we hand-raised over 150 kittens!

The fulfilment and joy that fostering and volunteering brought me ignited my passion for animal welfare, leading me to my calling of becoming a Veterinary Nurse. I qualified in 2000/2001 and loved every minute of the following ten years working in day practice. After starting a family, I decided that I needed more flexibility in my schedule and found that After Hours emergency work provided exactly that. I was able to continue vet nursing at night while my children slept, and on weekends when Dad was around.

After spending some time lecturing for Otago Polytechnic and working for the University of Otago’s Christchurch School of Medicine, I rejoined the SPCA whānau in February 2021, wanting to make a difference and help work towards better animal welfare. I worked part-time in the Feline Quarantine unit until the beginning of 2023, when I started covering the occasional shift in the Feline Isolation unit. It was there that I found my dream job. A whole unit full of cats and kittens that needed my help – it was any crazy cat lady’s dream! I was incredibly lucky to be offered the permanent full-time role in June 2023. I feel blessed that I get to make a real difference, each and every day.

I get to use all my Veterinary Nursing training and experience in my unit, and I love thinking outside the box to find solutions. I’m always evaluating new situations; learning and looking for ways to improve are constant parts of the job. Feline behaviour fascinates me, and I'm proud to say that I am learning to "speak cat!”

I don’t know how many people can, hand to heart, say that they truly love what they do – but I can! Every day is different, and every situation and feline friend is a new challenge. Just when I think I have seen or heard it all after over 20 years in the industry, there's something new, surprising, and inspiring the next day.

I think there’s something magical about Feline Isolation. The transformations I see are miraculous. I get given the sickest of the sick and have the privilege of nursing them back to physical and emotional health. It’s incredibly rewarding to place a cat or kitten up for adoption that, only a few weeks ago, had no future. I believe this is where magic happens, and where second chances begin.

I also work closely with our Inspectors and help to change the lives of broken and discarded animals. Often the cats and kittens that arrive in my care have never known kindness from humans, only fear and pain. They don't know what it’s like to have a food bowl or blanket – let alone a soft touch or kind word. I see the hurt and harm caused by humans daily in my patients' faces. It drives me to be better. Although I am tending to their physical needs, I am also caring for deep emotional wounds. I get such a thrill when a cat or kitten I’ve been working with decides to trust me. I love cracking through their shells of fear and watching their confidence grow. To see each one’s personality begin to shine – it’s a true gift.

My job is a massive one, and I certainly can’t manage it alone. I’m supported by the most wonderful group of dedicated and caring volunteers. They’re the lifeblood that flows through the veins of SPCA, and I simply could not do what I do without them! They are a very special group of people who show up day after day, week after week, to roll up their sleeves and muck into the dirty work. From helping me scrub litter trays, to disinfecting endless cages and bowls and toys – all while trying not to get sneezed, peed, and pooped on, or injured, and wearing full PPE – they are legends! I’m very lucky to work alongside such an incredible bunch of people. Many of them have full-time jobs and families to manage, and they still find time to make a difference for our feline guests.

More recently, there was one case that will forever remain in my mind. After over 20 years, one special cat made me fall head-over-heels in love with veterinary nursing, and SPCA, all over again. His name is Jackson.

Jackson came into my care earlier this year after being hit by a car. He had taken most of the impact to his face and head, and as a result, had a nasty fractured jaw with eye and facial injuries to boot.

Our wonderful veterinary team had wired his jaw shut, and he’d begun a long recovery process. The day I met him, when he transferred to my unit, he refused to eat – he was so unsure and in pain, and he couldn’t clean himself, as his jaw couldn't open enough for him to lick his fur. I syringe-fed him each hour, and carefully washed his face, head, and body. Finally, I watched the pain medication take effect, and at last he was able to sleep on a warm, heavily pillowed bed. Knowing he was safe with a full tummy was the most wonderful feeling. He wasn’t desexed or microchipped, and had lived a hard life until he came into our care. I so desperately wanted to see him find the loving forever home he deserved.

Over the days and weeks that followed, Jackson not only healed – he flourished! He developed such a gentle and affectionate nature, and amassed a massive fan club. When he was well enough to go into foster, there were many offers from various volunteers and staff members all wanting to take him home. In the end, he went home with one volunteer – and there he has stayed, because he became a foster fail! Nowadays, Jackson is living the high life permanently, as an only cat. I still get to see him when his owner and I catch up for a coffee.

It’s the people of SPCA that make this a truly special place to work. Each of us shows up every day to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Often, we face criticism and critique from members of the public who don't understand our work, the very small budget we have, and the fact that we must work within the constraints of New Zealand law. It’s frustrating when I hear negative comments or read them online – I wish those people would come spend a day with me to see how hard my team of volunteers and I work. They could see for themselves the care, effort, and dedication we have.Rather than throwing out insults and criticism, they could join us in being part of the solution.

I’m a proud, crazy cat lady through and through. I share my home with four felines; three are rescues, and the baby of the family is a foster fail from work! I have five chooks, and am currently fostering two Peking ducks while also nursing two injured wild mallard ducks. Overall, I’ve had some wonderful fostering experiences, including kittens, puppies, birds, lambs, and even two miniature horses last summer. I'm lining up alpacas next!

I feel incredibly blessed to do the work I do. It really does make a difference, and it makes me very happy to be a part of the SPCA whānau.