The Board of Directors unanimously awarded the 2007 Winn Feline Foundation Media Appreciation Award to pet book author, columnist and media personality, Amy Shojai. Shojai’s unflagging support of Winn’s efforts to communicate and inform the pubic about feline health issues and Winn initiatives in books, newspaper and magazine articles, and online columns has been consistent for many years. Recently, she authored particularly informative pieces on feline infectious peritonitis (FIP, a fatal disease which most often affects kittens). In doing so, Shojai has promoted Winn’s Bria Fund, which raises money for investigators determined to find a treatment or cure for FIP.
Winn President Dr. Susan Little says, “Winn is pleased to be able to honor Amy Shojai, a true friend and advocate for cats. Amy’s efforts to improve feline health have benefitted many cats and cat owners.”
Shojai is a pioneer among cat writers as the founder and past president of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her 22 books include “PETiQuette: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multi-Pet Household”, “Complete Care for Your Aging Cat”, “Complete Kitten Care”, “Pet Care in the New Century: Cutting Edge Medicine for Dogs and Cats”, and “The Purina Encyclopedia of Cat Care.” Her award winning articles appear in Catnip newsletter, and her weekly column, “P’ETiquette”, appears in the Sherman, TX Herald Democrat. Her internet columns appear on Sergeants.com, ivillage.com, Purina.com and TidyCat.com. She is frequently a guest pet expert on TV and radio.
Shojai was presented the award live on WGN Radio by 2005 inaugural recipient Steve Dale on his Pet Central radio show. Kim Thornton was the 2006 recipient of this award.
The Winn Feline Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1968 by the CatFanciers’ Association that supports health related studies about medical problemsaffecting all cats. Projects funded by Winn have provided information used every day inall aspects of feline medicine. For more information, visit www.winnfelinehealth.org.
