DEAR DR. FOX: I have two 10-year-old Cornish rex brothers. After I returned from a 10-day vacation, which I take two times a year, I noticed that they both started urinating on chairs, counters and tables as well as using the litter box. I used my regular cat sitter while I was gone.

They don't have any physical problems. I've tried using different litters, and I've used the Feliway pheromone dispensers. They're on antidepressants. I'm trying Royal Canin Calm cat food now. I clean the boxes daily. I've moved litter boxes into the areas they are marking, but they use them and then go to another part of the house and spray. There are three open boxes and one covered.

It seems strange that they are both doing this. Is one copying the other? They are very close and only fight now and then. They are extremely affectionate cats, and I love them dearly. Any suggestions would be appreciated. -- G.W., St. Louis

DEAR G.W.: I sympathize with your difficulties. Whatever insecurity made your cats feel the need to mark around the house, they have developed the equivalent of a habit-fixation, continuing to soil after your return even though everything is the same as before you went on vacation.

There is a remote chance that there is an outdoor cat prowling, spraying and yowling, which may have set off your cats while you were away.

You need to confine the cats to one room to break the cycle. Spend as much time with them as you can for seven to 10 days. Get them back onto their regular cat food and off the antidepressant. Offer them a little dried catnip every other day. Clean all soiled areas with a liquid enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle. Do not put litter boxes out except in the places they went before the problem started. When you let them out after their de-conditioning isolation, be very calm and go about your normal daily routine. A little lightly cooked turkey, which contains the calming amino acid tryptophan, would be as good as anything to help calm them down. Tie a cotton strip with a few drops of lavender oil around their necks, and hang a similarly prepared strip in the room, which you can replenish every 24 hours.

ANIMALS CAN DIE SUDDENLY FROM GRIEF

Theo, a bomb-sniffing Springer spaniel who died in Afghanistan on the day his soldier partner was killed, was posthumously honored with the Dickin Medal, Britain's highest award for bravery by animals. He worked alongside Royal Army Corps Lance Cpl. Liam Tasker searching for roadside bombs. Tasker was killed in a firefight with insurgents in March 2011, and Theo suffered a fatal seizure hours later. Tasker's mother, Jane Duffy, says the pair were inseparable. She's convinced Theo died of a broken heart.

Viewers of the popular PBS series "Downton Abbey" may recognize the estate as the former home of Lord Carnarvon, who died in Cairo on April 5, 1923. His terrier, whom he left at home, howled and died around the same time as his beloved master.

I would like to hear from readers with similar experiences. An earlier letter described how an old horse collapsed and died beside her companion horse who had just died in the field. Another letter described a grieving dog who convulsed and died soon after his human soul mate died in the hospital. For more details about animal grief and empathy, visit my website, DrFoxVet.com.

Since 1943, the Dickin Medal has recognized gallantry by animals serving with the military, police or rescue services. It is awarded by the animal charity the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals and named for its founder, Maria Dickin.

I would like to see a similar monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., honoring all the dogs, horses, mules, pigeons, dolphins and other animals who have been used in war. We should also honor the pigs, monkeys, apes and other species used to test various military weapons. We surely owe them no less.

(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.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: My 17-year-old cat has a neoplasm at the site of a rabies vaccination on his mid-back that he got about four or five years ago. It has increased in size. I raised objections to the injection site (having heard that it was better to give the shot in the leg), but the holistic vet said that's no longer true. My homeopathic vet has begun treating it and wants to refer me to another holistic vet to consider escharotic injection. I understand it's very messy and possibly traumatic for the cat (and owner).

We haven't done a biopsy. He is in no apparent pain, it doesn't hurt when I touch it gently, he is eating well, he loves his twice-daily walks with me and his eyes are bright -- he's in good spirits.

My vet is also treating him homeopathically and with Standard Process Feline Renal Support for serious renal issues, further compounding my aversion to surgery for the neoplasm. I've had him on homemade cat food, high quality raw food and high quality canned food all his life, with about 10 nongrain kibbles as a bedtime treat.

Do you have any further suggestions for these issues? Many thanks. -- B.N., Potomac, Md.

DEAR B.N.: An escharotic injection is an injection of a caustic chemical like silver nitrate. Such a caustic material would not differentiate between the cat's healthy tissue and the cancer, essentially destroying both and possibly stimulating surviving tumorous cells to proliferate and probably causing the cat great discomfort. I think the veterinarians need to focus more on your cat's age and quality of life than on treatment options.

I am not aware of clinical studies demonstrating effective escharotic treatment of feline fibrosarcomas. Nor am I aware that there has been any change in the protocol for vaccinating cats as far down on their legs as possible, where amputation of the limb above any injection-site turmors is a more reliable way of getting rid of the cancer than extensive surgery.

If this were my cat, I would give him supplements of fish oil; Resveratrol for cats; and put one part each of essential oils of frankincense, lavender and myrrh in 40 parts organic almond oil. Apply this mixture twice daily for seven days, stop for seven days and apply again for another seven days. If there is no sign of shrinking, stop further treatment since essential oils are risky for cats.

While grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in dogs, the toxins involved have not been identified. Resveratrol for dogs and cats is, by all accounts, safe, even though it is extracted from grapes. Its anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and other beneficial qualities have made this a popular human supplement. For details, visit resvantagefeline.com. I have no financial interests in any company producing this supplement.

INTERNATIONAL GATHERING OF CANINE BEHAVIORAL SCIENTISTS

The Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science (SPARCS) is hosting its first international three-day conference on dog behavior in Redmond, Wash., June 28-30. The latest knowledge and scientific research into canine behavior, communication, cognition and development will be presented, discussed and debated by some leading researchers, including yours truly. SPARCS believes that every dog lover deserves easier access to the science of dogs, thus the 2013 conference will be broadcast online for free. Profits will fuel research grants in canine science so we can continue to grow in our understanding of man's best friend. Dog experts, trainers, owners, therapists and others from around the world are registering now to attend for this unique gathering. Do come! Visit CanineScience.info for more information.

(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.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: My beloved 12-year-old purebred Siberian husky, Cassie, was sick off and on this year, but all the diagnostic tests and blood work we had done didn't show anything.

She lost her usual vim and vigor. She kept getting itches between her toes and on her belly that she licked and chewed on until she was raw and bloody, and she had occasional bouts of diarrhea. Finally, about six weeks ago, the latest round of blood work showed her thyroid levels have crashed -- off the charts, actually.

Cassie has been on the thyroid medicine for more than a month now, and she is doing well. All her health problems related to her drastically low thyroid levels have cleared up.

Unfortunately, she has an issue of shaking back legs, which is something else entirely. Now it has progressed to occasional full-body twitches and a general lack of good balance. Our vet and I suspect a neurological cause, but he says that even if we do a $3,000 MRI (which we would), often it does not show small tumors, so it's dubious whether to do it. And if we see a brain tumor, what then? We are not going to put her through that type of surgery at 12 years old.

She is happy, full of pep, totally enjoying her walks, has a good appetite and loves life, so we are just going to treasure every good day she has with us and see what happens. We don't know what else to do. This leg shaking and body twitching does not happen when she is walking or running, only when she stands still.

Have you personally experienced or know of any cases where a dog started off with mildly trembling back legs that progressed to full-on shaking, and then full-body twitches? Do you know what this might be? -- E.L., Holly, Mich.

DEAR E.L: I am glad you found that treatment for severe hypothyroidism, which can manifest in a variety of symptoms.

The spasms you describe are common in older dogs; the more severe shakes are linked most often with tumors or spinal deterioration from spondylosis. An MRI may or may not give the answer, and, as you said, then what? Regardless of the cost of making a possible diagnosis, there is probably no effective treatment that is not invasive or involving repeated chemotherapy or radiation, which may lower your dog's quality of life. If she is not in pain or fearful/anxious, I would try anti-inflammatory supplements, like good-quality fish oil; New Chapter's human Zyflamend supplement (give the same doses as for a human, with food, twice daily); Acetyl-L-carnitine; and massage therapy. Be sure she has a soft pad to rest on. In some instances, acupuncture and laser heat therapy can provide temporary relief.

My 15-year-old Indian pariah dog got some temporary relief from his spondylitis with prednisone. He was in pain and fear from this degenerative disease, which got worse and eventually lead to euthanasia.

DEAR DR. FOX: I've lived with cats all my life and thought I understood most of their behaviors, but there's one thing that my two cats do that has me stumped. Right as they begin to drink, they scratch the ground eight to 10 times right next to the bowl. They may take a drink or two as they do this, then they quit scratching and settle down in earnest to drink. I don't remember any of my other cats doing this. My two kitties are females, 11 and 13 years old.

Thanks for any insight you can give about this strange behavior. -- R.M., St. Louis

DEAR R.M.: My book, "Understanding Your Cat" (available now as an e-book at DrFoxVet.com), has helped thousands of people decipher feline behavior. Cats are copycats, and that explains why both your cats engage in a behavior you have never seen before. Being littermates makes them more likely to be copycats, and I advocate always adopting two littermates for the cats' sake -- they really need each other's company.

When cats paw around water and food bowls before drinking and eating I interpret it as a ritualistic, superstitious behavior, linked in the wild to uncovering and checking whatever they are going to ingest. Our two formerly feral cats routinely paw around their food bowls after eating and often cover them completely with the short throw rugs placed under their bowls.

(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.com.)