DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 5-year-old male cat, Max. He was neutered and declawed when we adopted him from a local shelter at a year old. The shelter staff told us that he was initially adopted as a kitten, and then returned to the shelter at around 9 months because the couple could not care for him. His real personality started to show only after he was with us for almost 2 years, finally seeking out affection and allowing himself to be held or petted.

He bonded quickly with our (then 5-year-old) female Lab when we brought him home. The dog is very patient with him, and he has always snuggled and head-butted with the dog. He grooms and play-fights with our female cat, but they mostly just agree to co-exist in the same house as their humans. She's clearly the dominant of the two.

Max has always kneaded on me, one of the few things he regularly did after we got him, but it was clearly on his terms and comfort level. He's always been closer to me than my husband or our daughter -- I was the one who brought him home from the shelter.

In the past few months, Max has started kneading our dog and climbing on her back. This happens several times each evening. So far, the dog has been very patient with him and seems to tolerate the behavior, but I worry about a potential reaction from her if she gets tired of him. What leads to the kneading behavior, and what caused this increase in behavior directed toward our Lab? Should we be concerned about the frequency? -- A.C., Desloge, Missouri

DEAR A.C.: You are describing one of the behaviors of cats that is often misunderstood by cat caregivers and is essentially part of a normal, healthy cat's behavioral repertoire. You can read more in my book, "Cat Body, Cat Mind."

Some cats are more needy and knead more than others. This behavior is exacerbated when cats are weaned from the mother too soon, and it is an anxious cat's way of seeking contact comfort. Also, many cats with no anxiety or early-weaning issues will start this behavior as a self-comforting ritual on a caregiver's arm or ear lobe, blanket, cushion and in some instances on another accepting cat, and in your case, an indulgent dog. It is an instinctual behavior seen in every kitten nursing and kneading the teat area of the mother with the front paws, which can persist into adulthood, often accompanied by drooling.

It is not a behavior to discipline but to accept, as your old Labrador retriever dog does, with patient understanding, gently pushing the cat away when you have had enough. Some cats will even suck on their own tails and flanks. This can become an obsessive-compulsive activity until the cat goes to sleep; intervention tends to increase the anxiety level and makes the cat more motivated to engage in this self-comforting activity.

EMPATHY, SYMPATHY AND ETHICAL SENSIBILITY

"Empathy" and "sympathy" are two words that are often confused and regarded as synonymous. But without empathy, there can be no true sympathy. Being sympathetic is the expression of empathic concern, the consequence of empathizing with another living being, human or non-human. I regard empathy as a physiological (neuroendocrine) and psychological (emotional and cognitive) response to the perceived condition, behavior and situation of another sentient being that is witnessed and felt for. Philosopher Martin Buber termed this enjoining the "I and Thou" relationship.

We are not the only species to show empathic sensitivity, as a mother cat will respond to the cries of a lost kitten, and a dog responds to a human companion who is depressed or in pain. Such behavior, well documented in the caregiving and rescuing actions of many species, even toward members of other species, implies that we are also not the only species possessing moral and ethical sensibility.

A 1992 article in the Weekly World News, "Pet's Amazing Feat Proves Animals Can Think," documented how a dog empathized before she responded sympathetically and did the right thing for her owner, 75-year-old Jack Fyfe. She brought him water for nine days before he was discovered lying in his bed paralyzed by a stroke. The miniature white poodle soaked a towel in her water dish and passed the end of the towel to Jack to suck. He would otherwise have died from dehydration.

On Oct. 6, 2016, CBS News reported that a potent combination of brain disorders meant that Glen Schallman commonly experienced seizures, and that his 1-year-old adopted cat Blake has become attuned to the issue, biting Schallman's toes to wake him when the man experiences a dangerous nighttime seizure while sleeping, which could lead to fatal arrest of breathing. This cat had not been trained as a service animal, but he has taken on that role, even honing the ability to detect when a seizure is brewing. More details about animals' ability to empathize are given in my book "Animals and Nature First."

(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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: My daughter is expecting her first child in December, and I am concerned as to the impact it may have on her two cats (both 4 years old). They were very, very young kittens she found on the street while living in India. She moved them to Europe with her and then to two different locations in San Francisco, where she has bought a home and is now residing. So the kitties have had serious "travel turmoil" throughout their lives, and the moves were massively stressful for them.

They are settling nicely into her new home and no further upheaval to their lives is planned -- with the exception of bringing this newborn home in December, which greatly concerns me inasmuch as the cats are both very playful and initially stranger shy. Any suggestions as to how she might prepare these guys for this life-changing event? -- G.R.R. Washington, D.C.

DEAR G.R.R.: Your daughter should buy a baby doll that cries and get the two cats used to seeing her hold the swaddled doll, pretending to nurse and hearing it cry. Let them sniff the doll and become habituated to the routine that she will adopt with her new baby. Your daughter's hormonal state affects her body odor (pheromones), which may have some effect on the cats. She should stick to the daily feeding, grooming and play routines with the cats when the baby comes into the home. Let them see and smell the baby up close. They may be afraid initially, but they should quickly habituate. They should be given extra TLC and reassurance. Someone else in the home should clean out the litter box during the pregnancy for health reasons. Have you daughter check with a pediatrician about possibly putting a net over the crib. Cats may want to sleep with the baby, and may see flailing arms and legs as an invitation to play and accidentally scratch the babe. Close proximity, and later, physical contact when the baby is older, should be monitored at all times until the infant learns not to grab and pull. Exposure to the cats should help boost the infant's immune system, and at a later age, appreciation for their sublime and playful presence.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your recent column concerning the near complete absence of insects of all varieties, and I would like to share some of my insights and thoughts on the matter with you. Over the last few years, I noticed an activity overhead with ever-increasing frequency. High-flying aircraft, seemingly military, C-130 types I think, spraying directly from their wings, causing a dispersion of aerosol matter, crisscrossing the sky from horizon to horizon. I found many others out in the world were watching and investigating this same thing, with these results. The material is aluminum in a solution, mixed with other toxic metals, and with a substance size at micro levels, possibly nano-size, reported to pass the blood barrier with inhalation. Aluminum is a known destroyer of brain function and thought process. Medical evaluations from many years have published papers on the use of this most common metal in the Earth's crust and its toxic effects.

A recent paper published by biologists at the University of Keele and the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom on the huge loss of bees found levels of aluminum in bee pupae that "might be considered as pathological with possible contributions toward neuro-degenerative disease, including Alzheimer's." Simply said, the bees have Alzheimer's and cannot function as bees.

"Aluminum Toxicity" by C.A. Shaw and L. Tomljenovic from the University of British Columbia is an exhaustive study detailing the problem with aluminum on human systems. There is much more out there on this subject. -- T.P., Arnold, Missouri

DEAR T.P.: I appreciate your letter regarding possible factors in the "near complete absence of insects" that we are witness to today; this comes along with the decline of insectivorous birds, reptiles and amphibians. While the deliberate discharging of potentially toxic chemicals -- including aluminum -- in the exhaust vapors of high-altitude jet planes ("chemtrails") is being dismissed as yet another conspiracy theory, there is clear evidence of agricultural pesticides being present in rainwater. This, I believe, is a major factor in insect declines, along with loss of plant diversity.

Certainly, aluminum has been shown to harm the nervous systems of bees and may affect our own brains. So we should avoid using aluminum cooking utensils, toiletries, medications and supplements, such as antacids. Municipal waste incinerators may be a major source of aluminum and other airborne toxins. Aluminum (and mercury) is widely used as an adjuvant in vaccines and is being questioned by many health experts, especially in the genesis of autoimmune diseases.

(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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I have adamantly opposed the practice of trap-neuter-release (TNR) as I believe -- and most scientists agree with me -- that it is cruel to cats and the wildlife that they kill and maim, and it creates a public health risk. Chris Santella and Peter Marra's "Cat Wars" has inspired some of us true cat lovers to oppose TNR. The outdoor cat hoarders never have to see the often-agonizing way their cats suffer and die; my beloved pets die in my arms at a vet's office, cuddled by me until they have drawn their last breath.

Can you provide me with any instructions to vets of appropriate healing time when an operating vet should do a final post-op inspection to pronounce that sutures are safely healed and the cat is fit for full activity? The Houston vets and city council are real wimps facing up to Alley Cat Allies. Our Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care glorifies Community Cat Program on its TNR website, and it makes no effort to educate the public about the Audubon Society's Cats Indoors! program, "catios" or cat fencing. All emotion, no science. -- P.S.W., Houston

DEAR P.S.W.: I appreciate your concerns and applaud your efforts to really help cats. But that is difficult with the ballyhoo and political posturing in the name of compassion by Alley Cat Allies. The group's lucrative fundraising and network of supporters would not exist if kittens were not so appealing and the right-to-life sentiment and feel-good involvement in "saving" cats' lives at all cost were not powerful motivating factors in what I see as misguided altruism. You are correct that it is "all emotion, no science."

For a critical review of the negative consequences of Alley Cat Allies' activities, see the column "Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors" posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net. I make the point, which is related to your question, that releasing highly stressed cats from shelters 24 to 48 hours after surgical sterilization is not humane or good veterinary care. Some vets argue that early release is better than spending more time in the shelter, and that with good surgical suturing with absorbent materials, the wounds should heal well. But with compromised immune systems, there could be other complications -- especially when they are released without prior testing for feline leukemia and viral immunodeficiency disease.

In her book "The Lion in the Living Room," Abigail Tucker notes that some ecologists characterize TNR activities, which many municipalities are accepting as scientifically valid cat population control and a humane alternative to euthanasia (they are neither), as "cat hoarding without walls." She also notes that opponents have received death threats by rabid advocates of TNR.

My call for community sanctuaries, group housing and better education of cat owners to not let their cats roam free with enforcement of appropriate ordinances are overshadowed by the current TNR cult. It is only appropriate in rodent-infested urban dystopias and very limited locations where the cat colonies are relatively isolated, pose no risks to wildlife or to public health, are regularly fed and provided veterinary care as needed.

BOOK REVIEW: "Being a Dog: The World From Your Dog's Point of View" by Karen Wild.

A lot of work went into this book, and I wish that the author had consulted with more experts on canine behavior and holistic veterinary care. Written to the dog ("What excites, scares or angers you?"), the book will help people grasp some basic understanding of canine consciousness, motivation and psychodynamics. But reviewing "10 Problems You May Face" without offering any remedies was disconcerting. Above all, the assertion that "Dogs do not have a sense of self-awareness" makes me wonder about the limitations of scientific research methodology and of those who make unverified conclusions on the basis of such research findings.

(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.)