DEAR DR. FOX: I have had a 12-year-old male cat named Billy for seven months. Generally, he is friendly, outgoing and affectionate, even to strangers. When I pet him, groom him, clean his eyes or give him medicine, he never tries to bite.

But twice, out of the blue, he has given me a hard bite (or tried to). He will be snoozing on my lap for an hour or so, then there is a sudden change of mood and he bites my arm -- hard -- then jumps off and runs away. The first time was two months ago, and it just happened again. (I saw it coming and put my book up, which he bit.) The first time it happened, we took him to the vet to be sure there were no dental or medical issues; he was fine.

Billy gets wet food twice a day and has access to dry food all day. How can I stop this behavior? -- M.P.W., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

DEAR M.P.W.: My suspicion is that your cat is giving you a "love bite" on your arm or hand, like many cats do. It is probably a mixed signal of affection, play and socio-sexual arousal, even in neutered cats. As a rule, these bites do not break the skin. Cats may subsequently drool and knead with their forepaws, regressing to kittenish nursing behaviors.

Consider, too, that any new toiletry or lotion you apply to your skin could trigger this behavior as a response to an unfamiliar scent. If this behavior is more frequent early in the evening, it may simply be part of the "evening zoomies" when cats run around the house. Your cat will benefit from interactive play, as with a laser light or a bunch of feathers on a string to catch and bite -- rather than you! For details, see my book "Cat Body, Cat Mind."

If play therapy fails, have the veterinarian prescribe gabapentin, which can do wonders for some feline behavioral problems associated with the fright/fight/flight reaction. Considering your cat's age, he could have hyperthyroidism, which can cause sudden aggression and which your veterinarian should rule out. A head X-ray and full neurologic examination could also reveal a brain tumor, which could account for this behavior.

Remember, cat bites that penetrate the skin can result in infection and hospitalization, so take no risks: Wear some protection over your arms. According to the Mayo Clinic, 1 in every 3 people bitten on the hand by a cat must be hospitalized to treat the ensuing bacterial infection.

DEAR DR. FOX: Have you heard of something called baylisascaris from cat feces? Apparently it's rare, but can be contracted by kids who play in dirt where there's animal feces.

I have a friend whose son contracted this and now has severe neurological problems. He is now blind, uses a feeding tube and can't walk or talk. They don't know if it's permanent, but were told he got it from cat feces from the dirt in the yard. -- P.G., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR P.G.: I was just thinking about this parasite because we have had raccoons coming on to our property for many years and sometimes, they poop on our deck. According to the CDC, Baylisascaris worms are intestinal parasites found in a wide variety of animals. Different species are associated with different animal hosts. For example, Baylisascaris procyonis is found in raccoons, and Baylisascaris columnaris is found in skunks.

Cases of Baylisascaris infection in people are not frequently reported, but can be severe. Baylisascaris procyonis is thought to pose the greatest risk to people because raccoons often live near human dwellings.

Raccoons pass the eggs out in their feces, which other animals -- and children playing outdoors -- can pick up and accidentally swallow. The eggs hatch in the gut and migrate to various parts of the new host's body and form cysts that then infect the animal. Raccoons, dogs and cats may eat infected birds and the remains of small mammals, and the cysts turn into egg-producing worms in the guts and the parasitic cycle continues.

Human infections resulting in blindness and neurologic problems are extremely rare, but also could be underdiagnosed. This is yet another zoonotic disease to add to the list that free-roaming, indoor-outdoor cats could bring into the home and infect family members.

(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: Think twice before ordering lobster for dinner. According to Seafood Watch, ropes used to fish for lobsters and other seafoods often entangle critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, as well as other aquatic mammals. Ropeless fishing gear with a remote-controlled float, which is now used in Australia, should be adopted posthaste worldwide.

The New York Times reports that, having depleted its own coastal waters, China has built the world's largest fleet of deep-water fishing ships. The vessels travel to waters around the world, from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. The Chinese fleet uses a system of "motherships" in which one vast ship services many smaller ones, allowing them to transfer tons of cargo without returning to port.

International conservation group Oceana tallied nearly 300 Chinese ships working near the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador in 2020. "Our sea can't handle this pressure anymore," says Alberto Andrade, a fisher from the Galapagos, in the Times story. "The industrial fleets are razing the stocks."

Mary Finelli, founder and director of advocacy group FishFeel.org, told me that people shouldn't lay all the blame for China's abhorrent fishing practices on China itself. Much of China's catch, as well as the fish it imports, are used as feed for farmed fish, shrimp and other animals. Many of those animals are then exported as food to the U.S., Europe and Japan.

"In Asia," according to a writeup on maritime-executive.com, "particularly in China and Vietnam, aquaculture has expanded rapidly and the region now accounts for almost 90% of global output. In China, output tripled between 1998 and 2020 to represent 60% of the global total. According to a 2017 study by the University of British Columbia, many countries, including the U.S. and Norway, use feed-grade fish directly as feed. But the practice increased significantly in Asia between the 1990s and 2010, with feed-grade fish coming to account for a high percentage of landed catches." (Read the article at maritime-executive.com/editorials/china-works-to-get-wild-caught-fish-out-of-its-aquaculture-feed.)

And newsecuritybeat.org reports that "annually, about 19 million tons of wild fish are processed globally into fishmeal and fish oil. Aquaculture currently uses 75% of global fish oil supplies." (Read the article at newsecuritybeat.org/2021/07/aquaculture-fish-feed-china-u-s-break-ocean-connection.)

Industrial shrimp farming in Southeast Asia has had a devastating ecological impact, decimating coastal mangrove ecosystems, depleting and polluting sea life dependent on these marine forests and disenfranchising and impoverishing local fishing communities in the process. Shrimp are fed high-protein seafoods, contributing to the global overfishing crisis. The wholesale use of antibiotics to boost productivity and prevent disease has resulted in bacterial antibiotic resistance. Most shrimp is profitably exported to Europe and the U.S., with discarded parts going into pet foods. Another driver of this ecocidal industry is the medical, surgical and cosmetic value of chitosan -- which has antioxidant, antifungal, pesticidal and anti-inflammatory properties -- extracted from shrimp shells. Chitosan had a market value of $6.8 billion in 2019.

The octopus is one of the most intelligent invertebrates on our planet, and should not be farmed for food for a number of reasons. Per deeperblue.com, "A coalition of 97 animal welfare organizations and scientists is opposing the establishment of farms to raise octopus and other cephalopods for food," which would cause stress and extreme environmental deprivation. (Read the article at deeperblue.com/activists-oppose-octopus-farms.)

Farmed salmon in Scotland, a major producer, are overcrowded, stressed and teeming with sea lice, for which they are given hazardous insecticidal treatments, which in turn harm the wild fish in surrounding waters. For some excellent information, go to ecowatch.com/marine-life-ocean-threats.

My advice to all concerned consumers: Salmon and other seafoods may have health benefits, but a better way to get those fatty-acid nutrients is from the original source -- marine algae, on sale in health stores. Avoid "luxury" seafoods such as lobsters, octopus and farmed shrimp.

The less we take and consume from the oceans, the better it will be for this vital ecosystem and for the planet's health at large.

THOUSANDS OF PET CATS INFECTED WITH COVID-19

Researchers found that 3.2% of samples taken from cats at routine checkups in the U.K. between April 2020 and February 2022 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The study, still awaiting peer review, suggests that at least 352,000 cats in the U.K. have been infected with the virus, which "could have implications for feline health," says co-author Grace Tyson. (Full story: The Telegraph, Nov. 21)

This is additional clear evidence that keeping owned cats indoors is of critical importance to prevent the spread of this and other diseases to animals outdoors.

(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: Bumblebees play, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London and recently published in the journal Animal Behaviour. Per a summary on the university's website (qmul.ac.uk), "It is the first time that object play behaviour has been shown in an insect, adding to mounting evidence that bees may experience positive 'feelings.'"

Further summary from the university:

"Professor Lars Chittka, Professor of Sensory and Behavioural Ecology at Queen Mary University of London, head of the lab and author of the recent book 'The Mind of a Bee,' said: 'This research provides a strong indication that insect minds are far more sophisticated than we might imagine. There are lots of animals who play just for the purposes of enjoyment, but most examples come from young mammals and birds. We are producing ever-increasing amounts of evidence backing up the need to do all we can to protect insects that are a million miles from the mindless, unfeeling creatures they are traditionally believed to be.'"

In other apian news, researchers have found that the fuzz that covers bees' bodies helps them sense flowers' natural electric fields, allowing them to locate their favorite plants. Bees leave an electric trace on pollinated flowers, telling other bees the flower is "tapped out." A study found that fertilizers change that electric field and put bumblebees off from fertilizing. (Ellard R. Hunting et al, "Synthetic fertilizers alter floral biophysical cues and bumblebee foraging behavior," doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac230)

The whiskers (vibrissae) on many mammals and some birds, like the antennae on insects, may also be functional bioelectrical sensors. Many environmentalists are concerned about the documented harm from electropollution to bees and other creatures that play such vital roles in the world's ecosystems, especially as pollinators. For details, see my post at drfoxonehealth.com/post/electropollution-existential-threat-to-public-health-and-life-on-earth.

NEW COMMISSION FORMED TO MONITOR EMF ISSUES

The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF), launched on Oct. 18. The ICBE-EMF was commissioned by the advisers to the International EMF Scientist Appeal, a petition signed by more than 240 scientists who have published more than 2,000 papers on EMF, biology and health. It was organized under the umbrella of the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance, a U.S. nonprofit organization.

To read more about the commission, visit icbe-emf.org.

DEAR DR. FOX: My son's cat has been on hyperthyroid medicine, and was recently put on meds for high blood pressure. He has had two bouts of constipation since starting the new medication. Is it possible that the blood pressure medicine is the cause? -- G.R., Jupiter, Florida

DEAR G.R.: Blood pressure medications do have various side effects, which veterinarians are careful to monitor. Calcium channel blockers, such as diltiazem (brand name Cardizem), relax the smooth muscles in blood vessels to lower blood pressure. But they also relax the muscles in the gut and may cause constipation.

The cat's condition should be reevaluated by the veterinarian, and I would advise not feeding him dry kibble as his main food. Rather, give him canned cat food plus a few drops of olive or flaxseed oil. Giving him a twice-daily abdominal massage, as per my book "The Healing Touch for Cats," may help alleviate this condition, along with encouraging the cat to play and be active.

Left unattended, chronic constipation in any animal can cause problems. One condition called megacolon is common in less-active cats, and requires immediate veterinary attention. Retention of feces means increasing discomfort, nausea and compromised health due to absorption of fecal bacterial endotoxins.

(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.)