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Amy Shojai, CABC

location-pin Sherman, Texas

School: Goshen College

Expertise: pets

Amy Shojai, CABC

  • Certified Animal Behavior Consultant from IAABC.org (2006-present)
  • Certified Fear-Free Trainer
  • Founder, Cat Writers' Association (1992-present)
  • Member, Dog Writer's Association of America (1989-present)
  • Member, Alliance of Independent Authors
  • Winner of dozens of writing awards including, the 2023 AVMA Steve Dale Excellence in Media Award, 2017 Innaugeral "Fear Free Pets" Award, Winn Feline Foundation (now Every Cat) Media Appreciation Award, Friskies Writer of the Year (two-time winner), Two-time Winner, Texas Veterinary Medical Association Mark Francis Award for Journalistic Excellence
  • Appearances on Animal Plant
  • Author of 35+ pet care books including, "The First-Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats," "New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs & Cats," "Dog Facts: The Pet Parent's A-to-Z Home Care Encyclopedia," "Cat Facts: The Pet Parent's A-to-Z Home Care Encyclopedia," "Complete Puppy Care," "Complete Kitten Care," "Complete Care for Your Aging Dog," "Complete Care for Your Aging Cat," "ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multip (Cat) (Dog) (Both) Household," "Cat Life: Celebrating the History, Culture & Love of Your Cat," "Dog Life: Celebrating the History, Culture & Love of Your Cat."

Experience

Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified animal behavior consultant, and nationally known authority on pet care and behavior. She began her career as a veterinary technician and is the award-winning author of more than 35 pet titles including pet-centric thrillers.
She writes for the veterinary and pet products industry with more than 4,000 articles and columns published. Amy wrote the expert content at puppies.About.com and cat behavior content at cats.About.com (now TheSpruce.com). In addition to Family Handyman, she has written for Reader's Digest, MarthaStewartLiving.com, Chewy.com, DailyPaws.com, FearFreePets.com, HillsPets.com, AdamsPetCare.com, Purina, HomeAgain, Sergeants, Good Good, Huffington Post, Catster.com, Dogster.com, Daily Paws and many more.
She hosted the Pet Peeves radio podcast, offers a fun Ask Amy video on YouTube and appears as a pet expert on Animal Planet’s DOGS 101 and CATS 101. Amy toured as the national spokesperson for Purina Kitten Chow “Lifetime of Love” and the Cat Chow “Way of Life” and wrote the award-winning “Cats Emotional Health” column as a Cat Chow Mentor for more than a decade.
Amy frequently lectures at conferences and gives Webinars about writing as well as a variety of pet-related issues. Perhaps most memorably, she represented the “cat side” and won a nationally televised tongue-in-cheek debate (NBC Today Show, Fox, CNN and others) arguing whether cats or dogs are the more appropriate White House pets.

Education

Goshen College
BA, Music, Communication, Media Studies

Family Handyman Editorial Policies


For more than seven decades, Family Handyman has been providing its audience with ideas, inspiration and step-by-step directions on how to maintain and enhance indoor and outdoor living spaces. In addition to having our own staff of experts, we hire individuals whose skills have been honed through years of experience in the building, plumbing and electrical trades, and as passionate homeowners who have translated DIY (do it yourself) skills into careers as respected creators.

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8 Best Dog Car Seat Covers for Easier Cleaning

Dogs love car rides but can be messy passengers. Our pet expert recommends these dog car seat covers to keep your vehicle free of mud, fur and slobber.