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Amy Shojai, CABC

Amy Shojai, CABC

Pet Expert

Amy Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and a nationally recognized pet care expert. She's an award-winning pet journalist and author of 30 best-selling pet care books that cover furry babies to old-fogies, first aid to natural healing, and behavior/training to Chicken Soup-icity.

Amy published thousands of columns and articles spanning the past two decades-in dog year's she should be dead! She created puppies.About.com, wrote behavior content for cats.About.com, and writes a weekly PETiQuette newspaper column as well as her own Bling, Bitches & Blood Blog. She also writes pet-centric suspense novels featuring a dog viewpoint character.

As a pet industry spokesperson, Amy works with Perfect Litter and the PetHealthyStore.com and has written for CatChow.com, HomeAgain.com, PawNation.com, Woman's World and many others. She has been featured as an expert in hundreds of print venues including The New York Times, Reader's Digest, Newsweek, Ladies Home Journal and Family Circle, as well as hundreds of radio and television appearances including the Today Show, CNN, Animal Planet's DOGS 101 and CATS 101.

She hosts Pet Peeves radio, a Pet Talk CBS TV segment, and brings her pet-centric viewpoint to public appearances including presentations at writing and pet care events. Sometimes she actually finds time to sleep.

Amy lives somewhere in North Texas surrounded by 500 weed-challenged rose bushes, a smart aleck German Shepherd named Magic, a 17-year-old Siamese wannabe named Seren, and a delinquent silver-shaded tabby cat called Karma-all provide furry and prickly inspiration.

Visit Amy's website.

Articles by this Author

Training

Why Your Cat Meows Too Much

Do you have a very vocal feline who wants to chat at 3 am? Why does she meow so much and how can you stop excessive meowing?

Pet Care •

Health

Do pets dream?

Do your pets dream? While we can't know for sure what they dream about, dogs and cats certainly appear to go through the motions of paws paddling, whiskers twitching, and even whimpering or hissing in their sleep. We speculate that our pets re-live experiences during dreams that made an impact on them while awake.

Health

6 Ways to Slim a Cat

The New Year is a time of beginnings for both people and their pets. For cat lovers, keeping cats slim is a priority that has many health benefits, and healthy food, healthy eating habits, and (yes!) healthy treats are ideal. For cats that have packed on the pudge, now's the time to put resolutions in place to help slim your cat.

Pet Care

Meeting Your Cat’s Behavioral Needs

People who love cats understand that felines are emotional beings. Nearly anything can put Kitty's tail in a twist, and a stressed out upset cat becomes more prone to physical health issues as well as behavioral acting out. We want to meet our cat's behavior needs in order to keep pet purrs rumbling. The first step to improve kitty quality of life is to understand just what cats need. Here's what you need to understand in order to keep your cat in a happy emotional place.

Training

How to Train Your Cat to Use an Automatic Litter Box

An automatic litter box offers many benefits to you, as well as your cat, including convenience and an always clean potty. It may take some time to convince your cat to try out the new facility.

Play

Why Dogs Destroy Squeaker Toys

Puppies are notorious chewers while teething, But most dogs won't out-grow the chewing urge. They use chewing to relieve boredom, explore their world, manipulate objects, and because it feels good. So how do you deal with dogs who destroy squeaky toys?

Health

Fur Facts. Why am I allergic to cats but not dogs?

Pet Care •

Health

Food Fight! 8 Ways to Prevent Problems at Mealtime

Training •

Pet Care

5 Steps to Litter Box Train Cats

Health

How to Protect Yourself & Prevent Dog Attacks

All dogs bite. In fact, canine jaws can easily tear flesh and break bones. Don't be fooled by size, either. They may be tiny, but even Chihuahua-size pooches expertly use their choppers. And when they're big dogs, the damage can be severe. Learn these tips to prevent dog attacks and bites. That protects both your human family members, and the dog--because the pet that bites usually loses his home and his life.

Training •

Pet Care

How an Automatic Litter Box Can Stop House Soiling

A normal adult cat on average visits the litter box to make a deposit about 5 times a day. The amount of waste multiplies and makes cleaning a greater chore when you have more than one cat. Some years ago when I traveled a great deal for work, I became a fan of automatic litter boxes in part because my husband wasn't always as faithful at scooping.

Health •

Play

Rough Play between Dogs

Create your own doggie playtime rules and learn when to break it up to keep your dogs safe.

Pet Care •

Health

Brrrr! Does My Pet Need a Sweater?

When the temperature drops, people pull on sweaters. Dogs and cats don't have the benefit of pulling something out of the closet to wear. While Texas winters tend to be mild, abrupt changes in the weather often leave pets shivering in shock. So, does your pet need a sweater? The answer is--it depends.

Training •

Pet Care

Cost Comparison of Litter & Litterboxes

Missing the litter box is the top complaint of cat owners, but offering cats the right equipment to "hit the spot" goes a long way to preventing mistakes. You'll need one or more litter pans, and an appropriate cat box filler. But how much can you expect to pay for different kinds of litters or fillers and litter boxes?

Health

Do Dogs Laugh?

Training

Why Cats Spray and How to Stem the Flow

Have a cat who sprays your carpet, furniture, our walls? Cats spraying is a natural behavior that drives pet parents crazy. Understanding why cats spray is the first step to solving the problem.

Training

3 Helpful Commands to Teach Your Dog

Pet Care

5 Ways to Show Your Dog or Cat You Care

Our dogs and cats give us unconditional love, and never care that we have a bad hair day, forget to change our socks, or don't brush our teeth. Actually, they might like that! That's one of the many reasons pet lovers consider them part of the family. It's only natural for us to return the affection during pet appreciation week.

Training

Can You Train a Dog to Stop Barking at House Guests?

Training

Holiday Pet Proofing Tips

When holiday decorations come out, the risk of dog and cat injury goes up. Follow these holiday pet proofing safety tips to prevent accidents or injury and have a safe holiday.

Pet Care •

Play

Play between Dogs and Cats: Keeping Them Safe

Many of us are equal opportunity pet lovers and share homes with both cats and dogs.

Pet Care

Can Cats Use Dog Doors?

While dog doors typically give access to the back yard, there are multiple ways a pet door benefits Kitty. Think outside the cat box and use a pet door to manage your multi-pet household and potential behavior issues.

Health

How to Find Lost Pets When Disaster Strikes

People become separated from pets during disasters in any number of ways. To be reunited with your missing pets, follow these tips. I pray only one tip will find your missing fur-kids, but don't stop there until all avenues are exhausted. Your pets want to come home just as much as you want to find them.

Helping Pets Get Fit & Healthy in 2018

Play

Find the Right Toy to Entertain Playful Cats

It's great fun to watch cats play, but when kitten play goes overboard, what's a caring pet parent to do? Just as bored dogs target inappropriate items, a playful cat or kitten left alone can turn your house upside down.

Health •

Play

Clearing the Air: Are Dental Treats Enough?

Could your dog's breath melt your glasses? Does your cat's smile look like five miles of bad road? Stinky mouth odor not only interferes with how you interact with your cats and dogs, it points to potentially painful, dangerous pet dental problems. February is National Pet Dental Health Month and a good time to check out your pets' pearly whites.

Pet Care •

Health

8 Things to Ask to Find the Best Pet Sitter

Are pet sitters right for your fur kids? Each year as the holidays approach, pet parents consider their options about vacation plans. While time off from work and routine offers people some stress release and fun times, our pets don't always feel the same way. And if our dogs and cats aren't happy, we can't relax and enjoy our vacation, either. Preparing for your pets' comfort during your vacations gives you peace of mind so you can enjoy your time free from worries. After all the joy they bring you throughout the year, don't your cats and dogs deserve happy howl-adays, too?

Pet Care

Spring Cleaning Safety Hazards for Pets

Indoor and outdoor spring cleaning may pose potential pet risks both indoor and out. Beware these 5 spring cleaning danger zones to keep your dogs and cats safe during spring cleaning.

Pet Care •

Health

Dealing with Door-Dashing Cats

Providing a dog door works great to offer your canine companion access to his outdoor toilet when you can't let him out. But how do keep the cat from using the same door?

Health

How to Keep Dogs & Cats Away From Each Other’s Food

When dogs and cats live together, they often snack from each other's food bowls. A taste now and then probably won't upset your pets' nutrition, but it can hiss off the cat or put the dog's tail in a twist. While we love them both, their nutritional needs are not the same, and eating each other's food can make them sick or worse.

Health

Why Does My Pet Pee on Objects?

Health

8 Resolutions to Slim Your Pudgy Pooch

Happy New Year! The entire month of January is an opportunity for putting resolutions and goals in place, but of course you can do this at any time. Eating right and getting healthy tops the resolution list for people, so why not extend that to your dog, especially if your chubby dog needs to slim down and lose weight?

Training

Why Your Cat Meows Too Much

Do you have a very vocal feline who wants to chat at 3 am? Why does she meow so much and how can you stop excessive meowing?

Pet Care •

Health

Do pets dream?

Do your pets dream? While we can't know for sure what they dream about, dogs and cats certainly appear to go through the motions of paws paddling, whiskers twitching, and even whimpering or hissing in their sleep. We speculate that our pets re-live experiences during dreams that made an impact on them while awake.

Health

6 Ways to Slim a Cat

The New Year is a time of beginnings for both people and their pets. For cat lovers, keeping cats slim is a priority that has many health benefits, and healthy food, healthy eating habits, and (yes!) healthy treats are ideal. For cats that have packed on the pudge, now's the time to put resolutions in place to help slim your cat.

Pet Care

Meeting Your Cat’s Behavioral Needs

People who love cats understand that felines are emotional beings. Nearly anything can put Kitty's tail in a twist, and a stressed out upset cat becomes more prone to physical health issues as well as behavioral acting out. We want to meet our cat's behavior needs in order to keep pet purrs rumbling. The first step to improve kitty quality of life is to understand just what cats need. Here's what you need to understand in order to keep your cat in a happy emotional place.