DEAR DR. FOX: I brought home a cat, Pepper, from the shelter about five months ago.

She was taken right from the Baltimore city streets and had a litter of kittens with her at the time (all of which died, due to her malnutrition and extreme mastitis). She was estimated to be about 1 1/2 years old when I got her, and had already lived a really hard life, but a few vet visits and lots of TLC have done wonders. She seems so grateful to have been adopted, and is very, very sweet and loving.

I couldn’t be happier with her as a companion, but she has a few behaviors that concern me. I would like to know where these tendencies of hers stem from, and how to deal with them appropriately to make both of us a little happier:

1. She is obsessed with anything SLIGHTLY protruding from a surface in my house. For instance, she loves to remove the covers/caps off of the screw and nail holes in furniture all over my house. She has systematically removed every one of these caps/covers (numbering around 40 at this point). I will find her batting them around the house or chewing on them. Each time she removes one, I put it in a container so she won’t remove it again and possibly choke on it. My guess is they remind her of nursing. Maybe she was weaned too early?

2. She licks me a lot. Which is mostly sweet, but I also know how dirty cat mouths can be, and their tongues are rough! It started as occasional nipping (which she still does to ankles sometimes -- exclusively men’s ankles), but then evolved to licking with a few light nips/chomps here and there. She mostly does this to my arms and face, especially in the morning and anytime I pick her up. Again, I think this might be related to weaning -- or is she treating me like a kitten?

3. She loves chewing on electrical wires, leaves of houseplants, and lampshades. She loves knocking small cylinders (lighters, lip balms, batteries, laser pointers) off the table and chewing on/batting them around. She mostly only does these things when I am occupied with something and not giving her my full attention, especially when I am watching TV (she also loves pawing at the TV when it’s on). It seems like she is acting out and trying to get my attention through these bad behaviors, some of which are kind of dangerous.

4. She never covers her poop. This means my house smells much more like cat poop than it would if she covered it. I’ve tried a few types of litter to see if maybe it’s a texture or scent thing, but nothing is helping. Is there a way to teach her to cover it? Or is it something we’ll just have to live with? -- E.S., Baltimore, Maryland

DEAR E.S.: The more people ask questions about the animals with whom they share their lives, the more it means, in my opinion, they are being especially observant and seeking a closer understanding. Not being mindful or curious leads to a more disassociated, self-involved existence, and the neglect of those in need of attention and loving care. To answer your questions:

1. Many cats are very curious and dexterous, getting into anything they can, which means super-vigilance to keep them safe. Give them safe, non-plastic toys. Many cats like to collect and hoard toys, or carry them around like prey.

2. Licking is an expression of affection/caregiving, which can be followed by love-bites and sometimes -- especially in cats weaned too early -- in sucking on one’s arm or earlobe, or occasionally self-sucking on the tail or a paw.

3. Cats do like to chew on electrical cords, plastic bags and other plastic materials, and houseplants. So hide or cover cords and get rid of cat-poisonous plants, especially any lilies. Grow sprouted grass or wheat for your cat to nibble on, and offer some catnip in the evenings. More than one cat with whom I have shared my life has knocked objects off tables, dressers and shelves to get my attention, especially to wake me up. One even pulled my hair. It can be difficult for them to communicate their needs to us dumb creatures, so they must be creative!

4. In my experience, cats sometimes seem to forget to cover their feces -- possibly because they are so relieved that they rush off to play after pooping. Other times, it is because they are constipated and associate being in the litter box with pain. Feral cats we have rescued have always used the litter box, tending not to cover their feces at first, possibly because of fear or because the odor helps them feel more secure. This is one reason why cats rub and mark objects around the home with the scent glands on their heads. Once these cats were settled, they usually covered their feces.

I wish for you and Pepper to adopt another cat. Two cats are happier and healthier, as a rule, than those who live with no contact with their own kind, which is arguably inhumane. Check my website (drfoxonehealth.com) for tips on introducing a new cat.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: Many people believe that cats help prevent the spread of bubonic plague by killing the rats that can harbor the disease. In reality, they can help spread it.

This plague, also called the Black Death, is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It swept through Asia and Europe in the 14th century, killing over 25 million people (a third of the population) in Europe between 1347 and 1352. These days, an average of 10 human plague cases are reported each year in the United States; the majority are from New Mexico, California, Colorado and Arizona.

Yersinia pestis is maintained in the environment in a natural cycle between susceptible rodent species and their associated fleas. Commonly affected species include ground squirrels, prairie dogs, rabbits and wood rats. Cats are usually exposed to the bacteria by oral contact with secretions or tissue of an infected rodent or rabbit -- for example, eating an infected animal -- or by the bite of an infected flea.

To decrease the risk of pets and humans being exposed to plague, pet owners in areas where the disease may be found should keep their pets from roaming and hunting.

While rats and cats were blamed for the plague and killed in the Middle Ages, the disease mainly spread person to person via fleas and lice. But cats can transmit plague to humans by biting or scratching them. People can also be exposed to the illness through direct contact with an infected cat’s draining lymph node material. An infected cat may also carry fleas that can transmit Yersinia pestis to humans by biting them. If a cat has the pneumonic form of plague, it can easily be spread to humans through the air. Owners and veterinarians are at risk of contracting plague when dealing with an infected cat.

There are more than 30 other diseases cats can transmit to humans which, aside from their predation on birds and other wildlife, should mandate owned cats not being allowed to roam our neighborhoods.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am looking for any help for my 22-month-old cocker spaniel. He is my baby, but now I am afraid of him.

I gave him Bravecto one week ago, and he has become very aggressive and has attacked everyone in the house. He went directly after my grandson’s face. He appears fearful and confused at times.

This pill lasts three months. What can I do to help him and get through the next months? I cannot have family over for the holidays. Is there a detox protocol or anything I can do? -- Y.H., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR Y.H.: This is a most distressing side effect of this widely used insecticide, which is a neurotoxin and should not be given to dogs, in my opinion. Some dogs will panic when they have a strange odor put on them, and show fear and defensive aggression when they experience side effects such as muscle tremors and incoordination.

There is also a condition known as cocker hysteria, which the drug may have triggered in a susceptible dog like yours.

I would have the vet check his thyroid function and prescribe him a low dose of Valium for five to seven days. Keep your dog quiet, with no visitors, and give him 250 mg each of milk thistle, vitamin E and vitamin B complex to help his liver detoxify the Bravecto.

Another veterinarian I consulted, Dr. Ava Frick, suggested an alternative to Valium: the natural herb valerian (namely, the Valerian Complex supplement from the Australian brand MediHerb), which can often reduce the amount of anticonvulsants and sedatives dogs are on. You could also give the dog calcium and magnesium to help calm the nerves.

Keep me posted. This is an unusual side effect of this drug, and I would like to hear from readers with similar experiences.

For details about the risks of these insecticides in our animal companions, check my website (drfoxonehealth.com) for the article entitled “Companion Animal Risks of Flea and Tick Insecticides.”

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I’ve lost two dogs in the last two years due to illness and age.

They were 40- to 50-pound mixed breeds. One died at 12 years old from probable liver cancer, considering blood test results, and the other at 16 from a weak heart (treated) and other age-related problems.

I’ve lived in a senior community for not quite three years. In that time, it has come to my attention that there have been what I would consider an abnormal number of dogs passing away, from age 8 and up, many due to cancers. It has also come to my attention that weed killers are routinely used around the community where many of us walk our dogs. Roundup was used regularly, until recently, when another brand replaced it due to the controversy about Roundup.

What is your opinion of my suspicion that the weed killer may have contributed to the loss of at least some of these dogs and/or shortened the dogs’ lives? In particular, I’m thinking of my 12-year-old dog with liver cancer. Could his year-and-a-half exposure to weed killer have done it?

All my dogs have lived to 15 or 16 until now. I know there are other factors that can contribute, such as food, vaccinations and flea treatments, etc. Honestly, I’m somewhat fearful of getting another. -- M.J.S., South Bend, Indiana

DEAR M.J.S.: I sympathize with you over the loss of your dogs. But do consider adopting an older one, regardless of the fact that many dogs are dying at a younger age than anticipated because they developed one form of cancer or another. They are like the canaries down in the mine, alerting us to environmental carcinogens also in our food and water, which they share with us.

The high incidence of cancer in young children today is in large part due to pesticides and other carcinogens -- even in the air we breathe -- that have been blithely released for decades and approved by one government after another.

The best preventive approach, for all of us, is to use a good-quality water filter, buy organically certified foods and avoid using herbicides and insecticides in and around one’s living area, both outdoors and in. These pesticides are creating havoc ecologically and, like antibiotics, should only be used as a last resort. Seeing herbicides applied for aesthetic reasons to control so-called “weeds” means a loss of natural biodiversity, and consequential pest and disease problems.

There’s nothing better than letting indigenous wild plants, and the insects and birds who depend upon them, flourish. Get rid of monoculture lawns and decorative plants, many of which are pretreated with neonicotinoid insecticides. These plants may please the eye, but are of no ecological or food value to bees and other beneficial insects.

DEAR DR. FOX: You write about mercury being a problem for cats, especially when they are fed seafoods like tuna. Where does this mercury come from? Stopping the source may be the solution. -- Y.McF., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR Y.McF.: Mercury can cause birth defects, cancer and brain-development disorders in humans and other animals. It accumulates in the bodies of fish when bigger fish eat smaller ones that are contaminated with this toxin (a process called bioaccumulation). Major sources of mercury are paper pulp mills that discharge into waterways, as well as coal-fired power plants that contaminate the air and waterways. The latter also emit lead and arsenic. Yet the Trump administration is now moving to roll back Obama-era regulations to limit such pollutants from being released by power plants in order to reduce costs and encourage more coal-fired power plant construction.

Mercury (as thimerosal) has also been used as a preservative in vaccines; many health experts sought to outlaw thimerosal, for good reason.

SPEECH PATHOLOGIST’S DOG COMMUNICATES WITH SOUND BOARD

Speech pathologist Christina Hunger developed a sound board that her Catahoula and blue heeler mix dog, Stella, uses to communicate. The dog presses buttons with her paws to indicate her owners’ names, different activities and basic emotions, and Stella can string words together to form short sentences. (The Daily Dot, Nov. 6)

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)