CONTRIBUTORS

We’re thrilled to feature the artwork of illustrator Michelle Simpson in this issue! A professional illustrator and graphic designer with a BAA in Illustration, Michelle draws inspiration from nature, animals, and her childhood memories. We can see why her children's book, Monsters In My House, won the Brenda Clark book prize award! Check out more of Michelle’s work at michellescribbles.com and flip to page 24 to see her illustration for “Excessive Nighttime Vocalization” (We’re sure you’ve seen your cat give you this look!)

Dr. Liz Bales has spent the past 16 years practicing veterinarian medicine. Her specialty is the unique behavioural and wellness needs of cats, with a focus on feline behaviour, nutrition, and internal medicine. She is also the founder of the Feline Environmental Enrichment Design Company (FEED Co.) and inventor of The NoBowl Feeding System. In short, this woman knows her cats! Check out Liz’s article on how to enrich your home environment to meet your cat’s needs on page 46!

For this issue, professional photographer and animal lover Severine Wider trained her lens on our super-adorable Star Cat contest winner, Pretzel. As Pretzel’s many devoted fans—appropriately dubbed Pretzel Nation—can attest, nothing can keep a good cat down, as these photos clearly show. Severine runs Severine Photography, a portrait and wedding photography studio based in Jacksonville, Florida, and home base for the beautiful portraits she creates. She loves to photograph pets—just ask Severine’s two Weimeraners, Comet and Zizou. Check out Severine’s photos of this remarkable cat on page 44.