Bachelor of Entrepreneurship student Kytti Kane has been named the 2024 SPCA Young Volunteer of the Year. Kytti especially loves caring for the centre's "hissy, spitty, spicy" cats.
Give Kytti (Catherine) Kane the choice between a demure kitten and a stroppy moggy and she’ll likely choose the latter.
This keenness to take on a good feline challenge is one of the reasons the 23-year-old Bachelor of Entrepreneurship student was recently crowned 2024 SPCA Young Volunteer of the Year.
When fur starts flying at the SPCA’s Dunedin Centre, the first responder for claw-facing duties is the wrath-ready Kytti.
“Every time there’s a mad, howling hiss coming from one of the rooms, my workmates say, ‘This one’s got your name on it, Kytti.’ I foster the hissy, spitty, spicy ones. I adore them. They’ll be growling with their ears back, but you just give them all your love. Then, when you pass them to a new owner as a happy, purring cat, you get to see the hard work pay off.”
It's not the only reason her teammates nominated her for the award, though. They were lavish in their praise.
“Kytti’s positive influence, inclusiveness, kindness, hard work, dedication, and knowledge have made her a treasured volunteer. Despite facing serious health issues, she remains one of the most positive and inspirational people, often going above and beyond her duties to help. The animals and team in our Dunedin Centre don’t know what they’d do without her.”
Though she’s only been working at the SPCA for three years, Kytti’s been a self-appointed animal welfare officer since her primary school days. She was the kid who’d arrive home from school in Rangiora with lost kittens or injured birds. Her favourite charge was a raucous one-eyed duck named after Beatrix Potter’s book character, Jemima Puddle-Duck.
“She was blind, she was losing her feathers, but she just refused to die. When I moved away from home, Dad had to look after her. He referred to her as ‘Jemima the disappointingly immortal duck’.”
These days, Kytti fits her animal care in around a full-time Bachelor of Entrepreneurship (BEntr). She chose the programme with an eye to creating a business that will allow her to combine the things she cares most deeply about.
“I decided to go into entrepreneurship because I wanted to become an advocate for disabilities. My special interest is animal care, so I was keen to make a business around that. I want people who have disabilities to be able to walk into a pet shop and see the products they need and not have to order them in from overseas.”
“I find human body language hard to read, so I’ve gravitated towards working with animals. They tend to be quieter and more understanding."
Animals have long been a lifeline for Kytti. As someone who struggles with autism, ADHD, and FND (Functional Neurological Disorder), she says their signals are easier to decode.
“I find human body language hard to read, so I’ve gravitated towards working with animals. They tend to be quieter and more understanding. People can often fake emotions, whereas animals don’t. If a dog is mad at you, it’ll let you know. Same with a cat.”
Kytti’s health issues impact on her ability to flourish in busy settings – especially FND, which can throw regular curveballs her way.
“Some days are worse than others. With FND you don’t really have a typical day. If I’m quite tic-y, I might still go to classes, but if I’m having seizures I’ll stay home and work online. I just have to keep pushing through – and I’ve had some good help from the Uni.”
Because it’s hard for Kytti to hold down a typical job, she receives a disability benefit. Volunteering at the SPCA, then, makes her feel like she’s paying that benefit forward.
“I could just sit at home and wallow in my room, but where is that going to get me? I might still be there in 20 years – overweight with 50 cats, watching someone else live out my dream life on TV.”
Kytti has come a long way from the youngster who was pegged to fail.
“I got told by a primary school teacher that I wasn’t going to go very far in life – and I’ve been running on spite ever since!”
That teacher should know that Cat Rescue and the SPCA have already approached this young entrepreneur to flag their interest in her future business ideas.
Kytti credits the BEntr degree with giving her lots of good life skills – and she knows it’ll look shiny on her CV.
“Being able to say, ‘Hi, I’m a graduate from the Otago Business School, here’s my idea’ will have so much pull. The programme allows you to take a dream idea and make it practical. I now know how to get all my ducks in a row.”
Excellently immortal entrepreneurial ducks, of course.
– Kōrero by Communications Adviser (Otago Business School) Claire Finlayson