DEAR DR. FOX: I read your recent column, where a reader disagreed with your stance on cat TNVR (trap, neuter, vaccinate, release). However, you did not say what your alternative is to releasing unadopted cats outdoors to fend for themselves.

I know you wish ferals could find homes, or live out their lives at sanctuaries with proper outdoor enclosures. We all know that is not possible, as the numbers are far too high. That leaves killing them. I am guessing you will call for humane euthanasia over culling them like Australian kangaroos. But even if humane euthanasia was an option, how do you propose catching them all? Many do not go into a trap a second time.

I just want to hear what the solution is, in your opinion. It is going to be very grim.

I really enjoy your speaking out on behalf of the planet and wildlife and the suffering caused by factory farms, but I just cannot wrap my head around killing millions and millions of cats! -- G.C., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR G.C.: This is a painful issue for those of us who care deeply for all creatures great and small. There are solutions. The preventive, long-term one is for all municipalities to make it illegal for cat owners to allow their cats to roam free outside their property, just as it is for dogs.

Owners need to be informed about vaccinations and neutering -- especially for male cats, who will begin to spray-mark in the home when they mature, if not neutered. Many will then get thrown out of their homes, or find a way to get out.

Animal shelters are filling up again across the U.S., which breaks my heart. It is also a moral injury to veterinarians and staff when they must euthanize healthy cats and dogs.

Free-roaming cats can be trapped by animal control agents to protect public health, the cats themselves and the wildlife they prey on. Funds are needed to expand quarantine facilities and provide more group housing and care, euthanasia being the humane alternative until such facilities are available. To choose TNVR in opposition to euthanasia is to condemn cats to a short life of high vigilance, surviving only by killing, if they can.

I see the “no-kill” animal shelter claim as part of the current pro-life movement, which is similarly moralistic and lacking in compassion. Both philosophies can have pernicious consequences in practice.

For more on the harm done by "no-kill" shelters, visit: peta.org/issues/animal-companion-issues/animal-shelters/no-kill-policies-slowly-killing-animals.

UPDATE ON ANIMAL SHELTER CRISIS

2023 ended with 250,000 more animals in shelters than there were at the end of 2022, according to Shelter Animals Count, which compiles data from about 7,000 facilities across the country. Financial hardships discourage some people from adopting in the first place and force others to give up their beloved pets, says Stephanie Filer, executive director of Shelter Animals Count.

Katy Hansen, communications director at Animal Care Centers of NYC, says housing instability is a driving force of the problem. She says that Animal Care Centers prevented nearly 3,000 pet surrenders in New York City last year by offering temporary boarding, free pet food and training assistance, but these measures only go so far when many rentals don't allow pets. Landlords "pretty much have the upper hand," she says. (Full story: CBS News, Jan. 8)

DEAR DR. FOX: My wife and I had golden retrievers for many years. We usually had two at a time. Years ago, after our oldest dog died, we decided to wait a bit and get a "solo" puppy. That puppy is now 10 years old and extremely healthy and playful, taking a 45- to 60-minute walk most days.

The puppy was my wife’s best buddy; unfortunately, she passed away four years ago. The dog was with her when she passed, and seems to understand. I have taken over as her buddy, and everything is good. Now being a widower at 74, the dog is my constant companion and fills some of the emptiness in my life.

As the dog gets older, I plan to get another retriever puppy from a reputable breeder, a family-run business not too far away. They do all the puppy health screenings and even have the adults' DNA checked. So, what advice do you have for acclimating my only (spoiled) dog to a new puppy?

Years ago, when we had a new pup come in, there were three of us to provide attention and guidance. Now it’s only me, so I would like advice on getting the puppy and older dog acquainted -- and keeping the older dog from feeling left out. -- G.A.C., Cassopolis, Michigan

DEAR G.A.C.: I am glad that your dog is such a companion and comfort for you after the passing of your wife. I am in a similar situation: My wife, Deanna, recently died, leaving me with the dog she rescued from our local shelter, who now never leaves my side.

In my opinion, it would be very disrupting for the bond you have with your now-aging golden retriever -- and more work, with house-training and such -- for you to get a puppy. Certainly, golden retrievers are very amicable dogs and usually get along well with everyone. But even the friendliest puppy will require much in the way of attention and energy.

You must also consider the possibility that a puppy could outlive you. If you do decide to get one from the breeder, what provisions will you be making for someone to take the dog if needed?

Perhaps a compromise would be to get an adult dog from the breeder instead -- one that is well socialized, finished having litters and ready to serve as a "buddy" to you and your other dog.

(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: Animals catching diseases from humans, called reverse zoonoses, affects species around the world. These include mussels contaminated with the hepatitis A virus; cheetahs that contract influenza A; tuberculosis being transmitted to Asian elephants; and the parasite Giardia duodenalis being passed on to African painted dogs. For details, see the study by Ali Messenger et al. entitled "Reverse zoonotic disease transmission (zooanthroponosis): a systematic review of seldom-documented human biological threats to animals," published in PLoS One in 2014.

Because of their evolutionary closeness to humans, great apes are especially vulnerable to our diseases. In a 2018 literature review, researchers documented 33 probable or confirmed disease transmission events from humans to chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. Those events included deadly cases of measles, human metapneumovirus and the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. For details, see the study by Emily Dunay et al. entitled "Pathogen Transmission from Humans to Great Apes is a Growing Threat to Primate Conservation," published in Ecohealth in 2018.

Greater biosecurity is called for to prevent reverse zoonoses by people infected with potential pathogens, especially tourists entering wildlife habitats, potentially causing even more harm than poaching and agricultural encroachment.

INNOVATIVE VETERINARY CARE JOURNAL

I would like to advise readers who want to learn about holistic and integrative veterinary care, as well as conventional allopathic veterinarians, to subscribe to a publication called the Innovative Veterinary Care Journal. To do so, visit ivcjournal.com.

I have just finished reading the winter 2024 edition and was very encouraged to see topics such as: the evolution of veterinary social work; dealing with separation anxiety in dogs; minimizing stress in feline patients, and what their owners can do; correcting common gut health issues; and, most interestingly and eloquently detailed, a review of why it is important to consider fascia health.

"Go yoga!" as my mother would say (she taught it until the age of 96). Dog yoga is play, as it is for cats and so many animals, from bears to wolves, all of whom love to run, leap, climb and wrestle. Such activities that move and stimulate the fascia system prompt metabolic and endocrine processes that in turn release natural opiates, cannabinoids, endorphins and the bonding chemical oxytocin. These activities are also emotionally rewarding, and potentially beneficial to the immune system.

CLONING MONKEY BUSINESS

From Nature.com: "For the first time, a cloned rhesus monkey has lived into adulthood -- surviving for more than 2 years so far. ... It was achieved using a slightly different approach from the conventional technique that was used to clone Dolly the sheep and other mammals, including long-tailed macaques, the first primates to ever be cloned. ... The new technique could unlock possibilities for using cloned primates in drug testing and behavioral research."

"We could produce a large number of genetically uniform monkeys that can be used for drug-efficacy tests,” says neuroscientist Mu-ming Poo. (Full story: Nature.com, Jan. 16)

(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: Ever since the invention of the flush toilet, we humans have violated one of the basic rules of ecology: the proper recycling and treatment of fecal waste by composting/fermentation to destroy potential pathogens. Now, I also wonder about all the pharmaceuticals that could remain in our waste.

I am concerned about all the non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals, especially from birth control pills, that are excreted in our feces and urine. It is notable that epidemiologists check sewage to assess the prevalence of the COVID-19 virus in the community. Every municipality must adopt the best technologies available to promote biosecurity when handling human waste in their sewage treatment and processing facilities.

Waste management is also problematic during prolonged droughts, while on the other end of the spectrum, flooding can put raw sewage into our streets -- not to mention into nearby lakes and rivers, and ultimately the oceans.

For details on these issues, see the studies below:

-- Roger Murray et al.: "The impact of municipal sewage sludge stabilization processes on the abundance, field persistence, and transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes to vegetables at harvest," Science of the Total Environment, 2019

-- Katarzyna Styszko, et al.: "The impact of sewage sludge processing on the safety of its use," Scientific Reports, 2022

My advice: Purchase only USDA organically certified foods. Methods like irradiation, sewage sludge and genetic engineering are all expressly prohibited when growing or processing organically certified foods. (See usda.gov/media/blog/2011/12/16/organic-101-what-organic-farming-and-processing-doesnt-allow.)

DEAR DR. FOX: Our beloved 5-year-old cat died suddenly. It happened just two days after we set up a litter box enclosure/furniture piece, which we later learned was from China.

He was a perfectly happy, playful cat when we set up the enclosure. The next evening, he was vomiting and not eating. He was lethargic and didn’t want to play.

That next morning, we took him to the vet and he had no fever; his heart was fine; no hairballs; and his blood work came back almost all normal. He was diagnosed with FIV, though. They gave him multivitamins, plus medicine for vomit control and immune support.

The next morning, he died in my arms as we rushed to the vet office. His last act was to projectile vomit, making a terrible sound. And then he passed away. Please help us understand what happened.

Looking at articles online, I am now highly suspicious of the cat furniture from China. Please tell us what you think. If it is the furniture, we would like to save other animals from this horrible experience! -- K.K.M., Silver Spring, Florida

DEAR K.K.M.: I am saddened to hear about the sudden death of your cat. The diagnosis of feline immunodeficiency virus may be one factor, but from what I have found online, your cat’s immune system could have been compromised by chemicals used on the imported furniture.

One potential toxin is methyl bromide, used as a fumigant. Chronic exposure to this could harm the thyroid gland.

This post from furniture company Dapwood -- dapwood.com/beware-of-imported-products -- makes me suspect that your cat was indeed exposed to a toxin in treated, imported furniture from China.

From dapwood.com: “With international shipping a mainstay in our global economy, ever wonder how America keeps foreign insects, rodents and fungi at bay? So did we. What we found is both fascinating and disturbing. It was fascinating to uncover a side of the importation business that is very rarely discussed in America today. It was disturbing in the simple fact that to kill potential pests, many toxic methods are used and are accepted as a silent, necessary evil. Try to ask a retailer about a particular chair, and what method was used to eradicate pests that may have tried to hitch a ride across the seas. Chances are you will get a very confused expression. Since this information is just part of the import process, it is never shared with consumers.”

Further info from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates the importation of wood and wood products. APHIS requires wood and wood products to undergo certain phytosanitary procedures prior to importation in order to eliminate the risk of introducing non-native pests and diseases into the United States.

"There are two treatment options for wood and wood products. Heat treatment involves the use of a kiln dryer or dry heat, such as a microwave energy dryer. Chemical treatment involves the use of a surface pesticide, preservative, or methyl bromide fumigation.”

K.K.M. REPLIES: So good of you to answer. We are deeply mourning our sweet cat. Thinking we were adding something special to our house, and instead causing our cat to die, is a ghastly feeling.

We bought the furniture piece off Amazon. The furniture was under the name Petsite, but elsewhere, the company was listed as Petjoy. I have notified Amazon, and the customer service rep said that the item would be taken off the market.

I talked with our vet, and he said our cat died of toxicity. He is going to warn his other clients.

What else can we do to prevent this from happening to others?

DR. FOX RESPONDS: Only buy products with a “Made in America” label. Do not be tricked by verbiage such as "Distributed by (some American company)," when the item was actually manufactured elsewhere.

(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.)