David Alderton is an English writer who specialises in pets and natural history subjects. Growing up in a home surrounded by pets, he originally trained as a veterinarian. An allergic dermatitis acquired in his final year of study forced a change of career, however, and so led him into the field of writing about pets and their care. To date, his books have sold over 6.5 million copies and have been translated into 30 different languages. His work has won awards in the USA, from the Cat Writers' Association of America and the Maxwell Medallion from the Dog Writers' Association of America, as well as being nominated for the Sir Peter Kent Conservation Book Prize. He is a member of the Kennel Club, and has chaired the National Council for Aviculture, the umbrella organisation for bird-keeping clubs and associations in the UK. David is a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers, and often participates in radio and television programmes too. He also runs the petinfoclub.com website.