DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing in response to your recent column in which someone indicated that their Himalayan cat "goes crazy" when her owner sings.

I, too, had a female cat who responded in a strange manner to my whistling. When I whistled "The Yellow Rose Of Texas," Tobey would meow and paw my arms. I only saw this behavior in Tobey when I whistled that particular song; she would not react when I would sing it or whistle another tune.

Thank you for your time; I enjoy your columns. -- C.B., Alexandria, Virgnia

DEAR DR. FOX: I am responding to your request for personal experiences about cats and music.

I am a cat lover and have lived with cats for decades. Every time I played melodious music, one of my cats would join in. She did not sing for the entire length of the song (that would be too long and difficult for her), but she would make some sounds. The amazing thing is that she would try to match the sound on my CD by being tuneful. Cats and other animals love music and respond.

So, in my opinion, the cat who comes running and jumps up on her guardian and paws her face and arms is not only showing appreciation, she is very emotional about the whole experience, similar to some people who cry during an opera. -- Y.H., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR C.B and Y.H.: Thanks for contributing to our understanding of what makes cats sing. Yes, indeed, many animal species enjoy hearing us sing, whistle, play musical instruments and listen to various kinds of musical recordings. They also have ways of making their own rhythmic sounds and even melodies that surely inspired early humans to emulate.

DEAR DR. FOX: I would like to share with you an unusual behavior of my 4-year-old Labrador-rottweiler mix.

On walks, he sees and smells other dogs' feces, and if it is in soft soil or sand, he will take his nose and attempt to cover it up. He is very deliberate about it and will circle around until it is covered, gently pushing with his nose. We have had similar mixes before, and they have never done that action before.

He is highly intelligent, but we have never trained him to do this and were very surprised by his actions.

What is your comment on this behavior? -- J.C., Berlin, Maryland

DEAR J.C.: Your hygiene-conscious dog is not the only one to engage in this particular behavior. Some dogs are more fastidious in this regard than others. It is also a lesson for people with dogs to bag their droppings after they have evacuated.

I have heard of instances where dogs, on seeing their owners cleaning up their poop in the yard, begin to do so themselves by consuming the droppings. This is normal behavior for mother dogs, who will eat their pups' poop when they are very young in order to keep the nursing and play areas clean.

FACTORS AFFECTING DOGS' PERSONALITIES

An interesting study conducted via a questionnaire to more than 12,000 owners of Labrador dogs in the United Kingdom by a team of animal behaviorists led by S.E. Lofgren compared some of the behavior of Labradors of different coat colors.

All dogs who were only given less than one hour daily exercise became more agitated when ignored, barked more, showed more separation anxiety, had a fear of strangers or novel objects, were more excitable and likely to show unusual behavior compared to those given longer time outdoors. Chocolate-colored dogs were more agitated than black-coated dogs when ignored and were more excitable, less scared of noises, less amenable to training and had a higher incidence of unusual behavior than black or yellow dogs.

(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: You may have written about this some time back, but I hope you'll mention it again.

Isn't it inhumane to keep birds in a cage? Pet stores still sell them, and people still keep them in their homes. Why don't animal rights groups speak up on the subject?

I hope, as a compassionate person, you agree with me. Why can't humans let other animals on our planet have their freedom? We just can't leave other animals alone, can we? To humans, other animals exist solely to be eaten, used in research or to be exploited for our amusement. -- C.E., Naples, Florida

DEAR C.E.: Your concerns, which I voiced several years ago in my book "Inhumane Society: The American Way of Exploiting Animals," are shared by more and more informed people here in the United States and abroad.

Collectively, we are beginning to examine, from the animals' point of view, the costs and consequences of keeping/using/exploiting them for various (and primarily selfish) purposes.

Looking specifically at birds in cages (still an accepted practice in most cultures), it is a lucrative business for the pet industry. But for the birds, it too often means a shorter life, which may be a blessing; skeletal, metabolic and endocrine diseases from lack of physical activity; and abnormal behavior such as feather-pulling and self-mutilation.

The solution is not to let the birds go free, as some people do, but to provide larger flight cages and safe flight rooms; give solitary birds the company of their own kind; and adopt from a shelter or refuge and never purchase birds from breeders, importers and pet stores. The bird trade must become extinct.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a wonderful 15-year-old indoor tabby cat, Tyger, whom I adore. I am 77 years old, and this wonderful cat nurtured me after my husband's death. We had two Siamese and two tabbies, and Tyger is the only one left -- the other three died of old age. Here is the problem I have:

He doesn't eat like he used to. He has teeth, but he doesn't eat much of his wet food. Instead, he just licks the food dry of its gravy. I have tried so many different wet foods, from cheap to very expensive, and it is the same -- he just wants the gravy. He does get a good dry food, and I always keep clean ice water ready for him. I would like to give him a bowl of gravy, but pet foods don't supply such a product, and I'm afraid the human cans of gravy have too many preservatives, etc. for him.

Can you help me? I can't do much, if any, cooking; I am in an assisted-living facility and confined to my wheelchair. When I can sit and rest, he curls up on my shoulder and kisses me on the cheek and sleeps like a baby would.

I don't know what to do. He does fine with the litter box and goes regularly. He hears me well and minds me beautifully. Is the dry food enough? Am I just being overprotective? I live near my daughter, and she says he will be OK and that this is just my fear of losing him -- and maybe she's right.

I haven't taken him to our vet in several years, but he goes nuts when he has to go, and I'm afraid he will not live through it again.

Thank you for your consideration of my problem. -- K.P., Naples, Florida

DEAR K.P.: I understand how important it is for the elderly and those who have lost their spouses to keep their animal companions with them in assisted-living facilities, and I am glad that many facilities allow for this.

You should call around and find a veterinarian who does house calls so your cat's teeth, kidneys and general condition can be evaluated without the stress of a trip to a veterinary clinic. Try flavoring his drinking water with a little boiled chicken juice or meaty Gerber baby food to encourage drinking. Most commercial gravies, as you point out, are too high in salt and other potentially harmful additives.

On a personal note, it is known in our neighborhood that my wife and I rescue free-roaming and feral cats, and we were recently the victims of a "dumping" -- also known as animal abandonment. A part-Persian, part-Maine coon cat was left in a crate by our door with no note of explanation. His coat was a painful, matted mess. We saw to his veterinary needs and discovered he was microchipped. This lead us to a person who was staying at a nearby assisted-living facility. We found a good home for this abandoned cat.

(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: I have a mini Chihuahua. He is a six-pound, 3 1/2–year-old dog.

I fed him human meats, hard dog foods and dog snacks. He wouldn't eat a lot of regular dog food, so I gave him chunks of ham, beef and salami. Then I gave him popcorn, Doritos, potato chips or cheese for snacks. He ate about 1 cup of food a day.

I saw that he had dots in both of his eyes, so I took him to the vet. I was told his cholesterol levels may be high and that's what's causing the dots. I then got a cholesterol test, a blood test and had his eyes checked. I was told not to feed him any more human food in the future. I was told that some human foods aren't bad for dogs (like cheese), but one must be careful.

Are there any human foods that won't affect him negatively? If I can feed him any, I would like to when I am eating and feeling guilty. I am waiting for the vet's results -- T.C., O'Fallon, Missouri

DEAR T.C.: I understand how tempting it is to give in to a dog who is looking at you with great expectations. Instead, have a container beside you with some healthy dog treats, such as freeze-dried, preservative- and additive-free beef or salmon. Most human snack foods are full of fats, sugar, salt, MSG, artificial coloring and preservatives. Dried organic fruits and nuts are better for you and your dog (but no raisins for dogs).

As for cheese, all things in moderation. Low-fat mozzarella and white cheddar cheese are better than the cheaper, often high-salt yellow and gold cheeses. These latter cheeses contain a vegetable dye called annatto, which in some dogs can cause seizures.

DEAR DR. FOX: Your recent column about the poor dog with incessant itching reminded me that I had a similar experience with my little Schipperke.

He developed a rash and itched so badly that he was digging out his fur on his back and legs. Our veterinarian gave him prednisone and changed his diet to fish and potatoes. It was by accident that I came across an article about a woman who had a terrible eczema problem and nearly itched herself to death. It turned out that she had an allergy to peanuts. It dawned on me that maybe this was causing my dog's problem, since I had recently started giving him various treats that were peanut butter-flavored, plus a little peanut butter as a reward.

I stopped all of that, and he healed and stopped itching. I just wanted to pass my experience along as a possible solution. -- J.U., Clarksburg, Maryland

DEAR J.U.: Your diligence is commendable. We must be mindful of the treats we give to our dogs on occasion and not forget to mention them when the animal develops an allergy and sees a veterinarian.

DEAR DR. FOX: I think you have the perfect name for my question. Having seen the devastating effects of mange on foxes, I did some research and found a homeopathic remedy, arsenicum album and sulfur, which has been very effective. I had to do some guessing on the dosage, but three pellets of each daily has worked.

However, I currently have a neighborhood fox who doesn't seem to be getting better. Her fur is not really bad, but it seems to be deteriorating rather than improving. I have been treating her for about four weeks, which is usually the amount of time it takes to see some improvement. Because she started showing up younger and smaller than any others, I initially only gave her two pellets a day, so do you think that might not have been enough to be effective? -- J.S., Millersville, Maryland

DEAR J.S.: I appreciate your concern for the little fox, but have mixed feelings about encouraging people to intervene to help wildlife without any experience or qualified rehabilitation training. I also have little clinical experience with homeopathic remedies, any and all of which I doubt would help an animal suffering from mange.

Ivermectin, available only from a veterinarian, is my drug of choice (the amount you put in the food being determined by the estimated weight of the animal, taking 10 pounds off if she has a full coat). Try a half a can of sardines or other oily fish daily to provide omega-3 fatty acids that help the skin fight the infestation.

With good nutrition, many wild canids recover. Mange is highly contagious and often strikes when fox and coyote numbers are high.

(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.)