Jobs - Paid and Voluntary

Casual Veterinarian  – A Rare Mentorship Role in Feline Breeding Medicine

Love cats? Curious about breeding, reproduction, kitten development, and the practical side of feline medicine that university only briefly touches on?

We’re looking for a veterinarian to join two experienced pedigree cat breeders in a casual mentorship-style role that offers something genuinely different from standard clinic work.

This is a small, flexible role — around 4 hours per fortnight — ideal for a recent graduate or early-career vet who wants to build confidence, develop practical feline skills, and learn directly from people with decades of combined clinical, neonatal, and breeding experience.

What you’ll be doing

• Kitten checks

• Vaccinations

• Microchipping

• Neuters 

• Cat health consults

• Breeding-related veterinary support

• The occasional fascinating feline problem that turns into a very good learning conversation

Why this role is different

This is not simply casual work — it is an opportunity to develop a valuable niche in feline reproductive and breeding medicine, while being mentored in an area that very few veterinarians get practical exposure to early in their careers.

It may particularly suit a young vet who thinks they may eventually want to develop further expertise in feline medicine, reproduction, breeding medicine, or neonatal care, and would value seeing how these areas work in real life outside the traditional clinic setting.

You’ll work alongside two (somewhat sane) breeders with highly complementary experience:

• Dr Miriam Martin - Glitterpaws – 12+ years of breeding experience, with extensive practical knowledge of feline reproduction, birthing and neonatal care, and breeding decisions. Miriam is also a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP) with 30 years of clinical experience across General Practice, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, and Emergency Medicine.

• Sharlene Lee of KittyMeadow – 5 years of breeding experience and a retired Midwife, Plunket nurse, and Orthopaedic nurse, bringing exceptional neonatal and practical nursing expertise.

Between us, there is a huge amount to learn — not only about cats, but about pregnancy, birth, maternal behaviour, kitten survival, breeding strategy, and how tiny practical details influence outcomes.

Practical Setup

We have made the role easy to step into:

• All surgical and operating equipment is supplied

• Vaccines can be ordered directly for delivery to our fully Cornerstone-accredited vaccine fridge

• We would value your help setting up a laboratory account for occasional testing when needed

Location

Prebbleton, Christchurch 

What you’ll gain

This role offers the chance to:

• Learn heaps about feline reproductive medicine

• Build confidence handling cats outside the standard clinic setting

• Understand pedigree breeding from the inside

• Develop a niche area of expertise that can become highly valuable professionally

• Ask questions, observe, discuss cases, and grow your practical knowledge in a relaxed, collaborative environment

Pay

Hourly rate + GST (if any) as an independent contractor with a minimum of 4 hours per session.  

We value your expertise and pay generously.

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Who this would suit

Someone who is:

• Early in their veterinary career

• Cat-friendly and naturally curious

• Practical and observant

• Interested in learning beyond routine small animal medicine

• Keen to develop confidence in a fascinating specialist area

 

For the right person, this is one of those unusual small opportunities that can quietly become a very valuable part of your veterinary career.

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Apply through the contacts page