Animal Doctor: Feral cat problems

Dear Dr. Fox: Feral cats are disgusting. Within six months of my county instituting a trap-neuter-release (TNR) program, the feral cat population exploded. These vermin gravitated to my backyard, which abuts a wooded area. Now my yard smells like a litter box, the lawn is spotted with feces and most importantly, the health of my wife and child, both asthmatics, has been jeopardized, as the cat stench permeates everything. One day it was so bad that a neighbor’s kid, another asthmatic, wouldn’t leave our house unless I walked him home.

I understand the intention of TNR, but animal rights shouldn’t trump public welfare.

— R.C., Bowie, Maryland

Dear R.C.: As one of the first advocates of animal rights and as a veterinarian committed to improving the human-animal bond of compassion and understanding for the health and well-being of all, I am deeply disturbed by reports like yours.

Such examples of releasing neutered cats in relatively large numbers into unsuitable residential areas under trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs is animal abandonment, an act of cruelty contrary to most state and federal animal protection laws. Simply dumping unadopted cats (too often with no provision of food or care of any kind) because shelter staff and management are sick of euthanizing healthy animals is likewise a violation of anti-cruelty laws. Read my article “Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors” on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

Reach out to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (aldf.org) to find a pro bono attorney who may be enlightened enough to set this local TNR organization on the right path. Perhaps you will clean up the nationwide TNR movement — a major topic in my newspaper column for some time. At the very least, you should contact the local police and public health authorities.

Personally, I find all cats, feral or not, very beautiful — they are super-predators, not “vermin.” But when people let their un-neutered cats roam free, problems arise. The cats kill wildlife, and they multiply — and we all suffer.

Keep me posted about what happens.

Dear Dr. Fox: We have a purebred Jack Russell terrier we got from a rescue 15 years ago. The rescue recommended we use Frontline on him, as did the vet we took him to. We used the medicine, and he had a seizure within about a week, at which time we took him back to the vet. The vet told us that small breeds sometimes have seizures, and there was nothing we could do about it.

After a few months of the seizures, I noticed that they always occurred within about a week of when we gave our dog the Frontline. His stool would loosen, he would be lethargic and then he’d have a seizure. All this from a dog named Ziggy because he couldn’t stay in one place.

I stopped giving him Frontline and gave him a pill I found in a local pet supply store that contains brewer’s yeast, garlic and some other herbs; he hasn’t had a seizure since. Taking this new pill also seemed to increase his strength and exuberance. He’s had only one case of fleas, which we got rid of with a Dawn dish detergent shampooing. He has an occasional tick every few years. Ziggy is going blind and a little deaf, but he still runs around like a very happy dog.

The vet told us years ago that Ziggy would need to have two knee operations on his back legs because he had been kept in a crate and his knees would lock up. I tied a piece of yarn to a fishing pole and made him chase it doing figure eights in circles just about every day for about two years. He built up stamina, and he never had the knee operations; his knees don’t lock up to this day.

— R.D., Eatontown, New Jersey

Dear R.D.: Your letter is one of my more bizarre ones. I would never repeatedly prescribe any product known to cause seizures. I can’t believe the veterinarian dismissed these seizures as a common problem in smaller dogs. Totally nuts!

Brewer’s yeast (NOT baker’s yeast) and a little garlic on a full stomach can be good for dogs in many ways and can help repel fleas. For some excellent natural, herbal products in this domain, check Petzlife.com.

Your physical therapy exercise to help correct the kneecap (patella) dislocation issue, which was probably in part an inherited problem, is commendable.

Dear Dr. Fox: I have adopted two 1-year-old rescue cats, and I am overwhelmed by all of the conflicting advice one reads regarding cat food.

I am realistically not going to be able to make the food myself. I buy premium-brand dry food; I feed them 1/4 cup in the morning before I go to work, and then I give them another 1/4 cup plus half a can of premium-brand wet food after work. I was buying grain-free only, but my vet said that cats get grains in the wild — for example, they’ll eat birds that have grains in their stomachs, so the cats are also ingesting the grains — so going completely grain-free is not necessary.

I stand in the pet food aisle completely confused by all the choices. Should I switch them to wet food only? How much? Are there brands you recommend?

— M.K., Washington, D.C.

DearR M.K.: Your veterinarian is only half right — the amount of cereal grains and cheap soy protein in far too many cat foods is very much more than wild cats would ever consume if and when they eat the gut contents of their prey. For more details, visit feline-nutrition.org.

Canned foods are generally low on cereals and better for cats than conventional kibble. Look out for and avoid grain-free dry foods that are high in other starches such as potato, pea flour and tapioca. Newman’s Own canned cat food has some organic ingredients now, and Wellness canned cat foods are quite good. Dry Orijen cat food is acceptable, and I do like some of the new generation freeze-dried and frozen cat foods available in some pet stores.

I hope this helps, and yes, it is overwhelming when you go into a large pet supply store and see all the different varieties of cat and dog food to choose from, and it’s confusing when veterinarians are still selling biologically inappropriate pet foods, high in cereals and soy protein, to their clients.

Dear Dr. Fox: I lost my dog, a chocolate Lab, to old age, and I was deeply hurt. I had this dog from his puppyhood until maturity (14 years), and I trained him very well as a guard dog.

Ever since his death, I’ve searched for a new dog, wondering if I would even like to have another. I signed up at the Humane Society of Missouri here in St. Louis, and I have fostered eight dogs, one at a time, to heal myself. I am still hesitant to adopt one. Right now, I am fostering a dachshund who was a stray dog that someone turned in to the pound. Due to my working hours, I spend nine to 10 hours out of the house at a time, depending on the traffic.

You’ve commented before on leaving dogs alone for long periods of time. What do you think about my situation where I am away for many hours? The dog is already well behaved, well trained and knows to control his poop and pee. I am feeling bad about this.

— H.C., St. Louis

Dear H.C.: Good for you for being a dog foster parent; it’s so helpful for many dogs to get out of noisy animal shelters and into a safe home environment, where they can recover from abandonment issues.

Being away for up to 10 hours during the workweek could be very problematic for some dogs, possibly triggering separation anxiety. Keeping the dog in a crate during that time, as many people do, is an act of cruelty. Leave on the radio or TV while you are gone, and ideally have someone come over to walk the dog during the day.

Consider having two dogs in your foster care so they can have each other for company, or keep one that really connects with you as your permanent companion and canine ambassador to welcome future dogs needing a temporary home prior to adoption.

Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns. Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxVet.net.