feline professional Joan Miller got the 2017 AVMA Humane award on Friday night in recognition of her contributions to feline welfare.

Miller has had a storied profession in cats, serving on the board of the feline Fanciers association for much more than 25 years as well as as president of the Winn Feline foundation for 16 years, where she recognized the inaugural symposium on Feline Health.

Joan Miller was instrumental in establishing the Feline repair by five program, including setting up the Veterinary task force on Feline Sterilization to establish suggestions for the age at which kitties ought to be spayed or neutered. She likewise spoke at humane conferences, feline shows, pet fairs as well as other events on the very best methods to deal with fractious cats, skillfully taking cats she had never before satisfied as well as demonstrating exactly how to touch them kindly as well as rapidly acquire their trust. She led shelter seminars on dealing with stressed cats, reducing tension in cats, as well as exactly how to motivate feline habits that would enhance a cat’s possibilities of adoption.

As a spokesperson for the feline fancy, Miller fought anti-breeder regulations on Capitol hill as well as informed veterinary trainees as well as the public on the origins of feline breeds, states Lorraine Shelton.

“Joan Miller’s chapter on cattery administration for Dr. Pedersen’s Feline Husbandry book stays a important resource for new feline breeders.”

“Under Joan’s leadership, Winn authorized as well as funded numerous groundbreaking health and wellness studies leading to instant as well as long lasting enhancements in feline health,” states Vicki L. Thayer, DVM, DABVP, who is Winn’s executive director.

One example illustrates Joan’s leadership as well as foresight. When Dr. Paul Pion (then an aspiring DVM as well as researcher at UC Davis) approached Winn for funding his suggested research study on the function of taurine in feline heart health, Joan acknowledged the prospective of this research study for cats as well as persuaded Winn to authorize special funding outside Winn’s common process.

“Don’t stand in front of Joan when she sees something that needs to be done for the betterment of cats,” Dr. Thayer says.