Dr Caitlin Gunthorp (néé) Venniker, alumnus of the Faculty of Veterinary Science and award-winning storyteller has had her memoir of her time at the Faculty of Veterinary Science and experiences as a veterinarian, accepted for publication by Pan Macmillan SA. The company is one of the largest general book publishers in South Africa. The book will be released in May 2026 and be available in stores and on Kindle.
Starting with her time at Onderstepoort she shares these experiences, capturing the funny, difficult and deeply moving moments that define veterinary life, giving readers a window into both its humour and its heart.
Caity - short for Caitlin - has won the Wells Festival of Literature 2022 short story competition with a story titled ‘Goodbye Mrs Alston’ and the prestigious international 2022 Mogford Prize for her story ‘The Hunt’ which earned her £10,000 (
https://bit.ly/2022MogfordPrize).
Caitlin’s short story was selected from 870 entries from around the globe by beloved novelist, poet and playwright Sir Michael Morpurgo, award-winning TV chef Andi Oliver, and prize founder Jeremy Mogford.
Her story had Sir Morpurgo remarked that “The prose flows, the dialogue speaks. I see the landscape, I see the people. It’s a story that lives off the page. The author weaves this masterly short story with great conviction, wit and tension, and with a twist and turn at the denouement reminiscent of the great Guy de Maupassant.”
Caitlin (photo) also won the 2023 Page Prize in Nonfiction for her essay, "Conversations in Colic Season". The prize is awarded by The Pinch Journal, and her essay was published in the Fall issue of their journal. This prize recognizes short-form nonfiction, under 1,000 words, in all its varieties, including essay, lyrics, and hybrid forms.
One of her poems, “If you could have sex with any song” was included on the shortlist for the 2025 Winchester Poetry Prize with the winners being announced at the Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 in October 2025. While her poem did not make the final prize money, it is being published in a small anthology of the competition.
Further exciting news is that her short story, ‘Goodbye Mrs Alston’, with which she has won the Wells Festival of Literature 2022 competition, was made into an episode of the first edition of Album magazine, an audio album where short stories are played like a song from an album. It’s available on most streaming platforms including Spotify and YouTube music.
Says Caitlin: “Vets study for just as long as human doctors but our patients can’t speak. There’s no small talk about the weather or lengthy details of symptoms from them. No. Our patients are the ones angling to hump a leg, or scheming their escape, or plotting the demise of someone in the waiting room. All bets are off.”
Reading some of Caitlin’s poems and short stories reveals her deep-rooted and keen talent, sharp wit, and an almost whimsical sense of humour. They are unexplored gems. Yet, in other pieces, a more serious side emerges—one that radiates empathy, warmth, and compassion, often tinged with sadness and tension.
“I love vets. I love how much they give of themselves every day, how much they care, how closely they observe. With my book I wanted to show people their side of the story, a side that is so often overlooked,” she adds.
Caitlin completed a BA in English at the University of Cape Town but then changed direction completely. She first studied Veterinary Biology in 2007 - 2008 whereafter she commenced with her BVSc (Veterinary Science) in 2009 at the Onderstepoort Faculty of Veterinary Science. She completed her studies in 2012. Caitlin has worked as a veterinarian in South Africa, the UK and the Middle East.
We are looking forward to Caitlin’s new book. If existing material is anything to go by, this book will be a great work of literature and a real treat.
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