KEY POINTS:
It's not hard to be drawn to a cute and cuddly kitten, clean, groomed and meowing at you from a pet-shop window.
Central city graphic designer Kirsten Mitchell has taken that pull to nature a fair few steps further, giving her free time to sick cats at Mangere's SPCA headquarters.
Ms Mitchell drives from her St Marys Bay home with partner Julian to spend eight hours every second Saturday looking after sick cats at the SPCA's Mangere "Ark".
Auckland SPCA assistant operations manager Lorien Doherty said Ms Mitchell cleaned out cages, organised clinical records, wrote up notes on medication, and made sure the cats' time at the SPCA was as comfortable as possible.
"She's busy and she's got a partner and there's other things she could be doing. But she chooses to come out to the SPCA. I meet lots of amazing people in my role. But you do get those special ones that just seem to do a bit more. I find it quite amazing, especially when life is so busy these days."
Ms Mitchell said: "My heart's always gone out for those animals that are abandoned. I've always wanted to help but never thought I'd be able to stomach it.
"You know, I had that impression of animals on death row."
But the Ark was a positive place, she said, where almost all of the animals put up for adoption found a home. And her work was self-rewarding.
