DEAR DR. FOX: Our 13-year-old neutered male cat (Oggie) goes after our 13-year-old spayed female cat (Ella) in a sexual manner -- mounting her, pawing down her back and biting on her neck. He does this several times a day.

This seems very unusual since they both have been fixed. We thought Oggie would at least do this less as he got older, but he does not seem to be slowing down.

Ella tolerates it for a while, but it usually ends with her turning on him, voicing her annoyance and then chasing after him. It is a whole ordeal the two of them go through, but it also annoys my husband a great deal. -- M.R., Arlington, Va.

DEAR M.R.: As I describe in my book "Understanding Your Cat" (available now as an e-book), during normal play behavior, many cats will incorporate some sexual activities, even when neutered.

The back of the neck "love bite" is often the only component of male sexual behavior that one may see during cat play. This bite asserts dominance and triggers passive submission. When you seize the scruff of a cat's neck, you trigger that same passive, immobilizing reaction. This may have a calming effect, much like a mother carrying a kitten with her teeth.

During sex play, once the love bite triggers immobility, the physical contact the top cat feels can lead to the next behavioral sequence of mounting, back arching and pelvic undulations. If injurious fighting erupts, you should intervene with a loud clap or a squirt of water from a spray bottle.

From your description, it seems like a regular, non-injurious play ritual best left alone.

DEAR DR. FOX: My cats refuse to eat canned food. They merely lick off the gravy and leave the balance. (They eat Friskies.) I've had the vet check their teeth, check for worms and perform a complete physical exam. They all passed with flying colors. We live on a horse farm. The cats bring dead birds, moles and squirrels home to lay at the doorstep -- intact, no parts eaten.

I've heard that cat food manufacturers add ears, ground-up hooves, tails and hair of other animals to their cat food formulas. Is this true? -- W.N.M., Lewisville, N.C.

DEAR W.N.M.: I encourage you to try your cats on different varieties of canned cat food. Our two cats like only two varieties (chicken/herring and salmon/turkey) of Organix cat food. They dislike beef, lamb and lobster.

Cats don't always drink sufficient amounts of water, so consuming moist canned or home-prepared cat food is important. Alternatively, soak some dry food and flavor their water with a little milk or salt-free chicken bouillon or chicken stock.

The instinctual but needless killing of wildlife by cats -- which they bring home as gifts -- should be prevented by keeping the cats indoors. They may enjoy outdoor walks on a leash or time in an enclosure in your yard. Your cats' hunting may be curtailed by having them wear a bell on a breakaway collar, though some cats learn to tuck in their chins to silence the bell! You can also buys a CatBib, which deters cats from killing.

Pet foods that contain "meat and poultry byproducts" include some processed skin, tendons, bone and other body parts, and these add up to an inferior quality of protein. Until fairly recently, feathers from processed poultry were also included. The remains of road-killed and euthanized animals can also end up in some pet foods and livestock feed.

(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 READERS: I am happy to let you know that I have a new website for my writings and archives of this column, DrFoxVet.com. Be sure to visit and "like" my Facebook page at Facebook.com/drfoxvet, where you can join our growing community of pet parents to share news, information and products to improve the health and well-being of our animal companions.

DEAR DR. FOX: My "grandbaby," a 12-year-old female German shepherd/husky-mix, has been diagnosed with renal/kidney failure.

She was losing weight, her fur was clumping in mats and she was generally being cranky for at least six months before my daughter took her to the vet last month. I just found out from another family member that Kachina has about three weeks to live because her kidneys are giving out.

I had been living with my daughter and all the grandbabies until several months ago. We parted on unfriendly terms. Kachina was crated most of the time -- except when I was there or my daughter was home -- sometimes with very little or no water. She was let out several times a day and night to do her business. But there were times when I was not there, and my daughter would come home late from work and then go out very late at night. The poor dog was crated for hours and hours.

The dog did not like dry food only. Dinner was usually dry and canned; for breakfast, I would try to fix it up by adding chicken broth, yogurt or small amounts of canned food. My daughter would angrily tell me, "You're spoiling her. If she won't eat, let her go hungry." For years, this dog has never had a bath, a car ride or a walk; she never even had her nails clipped.

I am convinced that going without water, being crated for such long periods of time and being forced to eat dry food that wasn't good for her all led to this sad diagnosis.

My heart is breaking. My daughter seems jealous and is constantly berating me for being kind and loving to Kachina. My daughter sprays her with a water bottle when annoyed.

Is there anything that can be done to help make my precious grandbaby more comfortable and maybe slow down or halt this disease? I'll do all I can. I hope there will some way that I can visit her. -- P.B., Fairfax, Va.

DEAR P.B.: I wonder, as you do, how a caring person such as yourself could have a daughter who mistreats a poor old dog as yours does. If the dog were a human child, you would call the state child protection services. But, regrettably, animal protection laws are inadequate and poorly enforced.

There is a man in Minnesota (where I live) who neglected several horses he owned or was boarding for other owners. Not until the horses were close to death from starvation were the local animal protection authorities able to seize them and put the poor animals into protective custody. After a trial on misdemeanor charges for this repeat offender -- who should have been prosecuted for felony animal cruelty -- the judge allowed this man to keep the horses. Animal protection laws are trumped generally by business interests.

In the case of your poor Kachina, is it possible for you to make peace with your daughter and convince her that the dog should be living with you? If that is not feasible and she refuses to provide the dog with appropriate veterinary care, I would call the police and animal control and file a complaint, or at least threaten her with this if you think it might lead to her giving you the dog.

I am sure that Kachina's saga is not unique, and in many instances there is no family member like you to intervene. So many dogs spend long and painful hours in crates or cages while their owners are out at work, then out again enjoying life with no regard for their neglected dogs who are simply kept to relieve the owners' loneliness.

DEAR DR. FOX: Here is our "empathosphere" sensitivity animal story about our collie, Taylor:

When I was hurt from being bucked by a horse, our collie ran to the house and barked relentlessly until my husband came out and found me disoriented and lying on the ground.

Two years later, he would not leave my husband's side. Wherever my husband went, Taylor wanted to be right next to him. He was constantly under my husband's feet.

About eight months later, my husband found out he had cancer. We feel Taylor could sense this and that might explain his clingy behavior. -- S.A., Moscow Mills, Mo.

DEAR S.A.: I very much appreciate your added support for the existence of what I call the "empathosphere," a term now gaining more recognition on the Internet. I first documented this extraordinary aspect of animal awareness in my book, "The Boundless Circle: Caring for Creatures and Creation" (Quest Books). Skeptics who cannot take the leap from the realm of rational materialism to this metaphysical dimension of emotion and awareness are missing out on the wonder and mystery of conscious life and what some call the power of universal love. Collies are a highly empathic, protective breed, so it is not surprising that Taylor recognized your need for help. Dogs have been shown to be able to identify certain forms of cancer in humans by the change in scent, which your husband may have had while the cancer was becoming established.

There is no need to conjure mystical or magical interpretations of your dog's sensitivity and behavior. But there is a need for our own species to recognize that we are not the only intelligent life in this universe -- other animals are our equals, if not our superiors, in many ways!

(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 4-year-old female shih tzu who has chronic ear infections. She weighs 15 pounds. Her problem is pretty much controlled with Royal Canin Hypoallergenic dry and moist dog food.

I would like to prepare moist food myself. I printed a copy of your recommended food recipe from the Internet, and I would like to know how much of my home-prepared food I should give her daily? How much dry food? She eats twice daily.

She is active and healthy, except for the chronic ear problem. -- R.W., Winston-Salem, N.C.

DEAR R.W.: Please visit my website, DrFoxVet.com, and search the column archives to find answers to questions concerning ear problems in dogs and effective treatments.

Changing the diet is not the only answer, but not addressing diet as a possible cause amounts to veterinary negligence, since so many dogs with chronic ear -- and anal gland -- problems have an underlying food allergy or intolerance. The proof is in the "evidence-based medicine," documenting improvement after changing to a basic, whole-food diet with known ingredients. It is often only then that treatments applied to the ears help the healing process.

After weighing your dog, feed her 1/2-cup home-prepared food plus 1/2-cup dry food twice daily. Weigh again after two to three weeks, and adjust the amount to maintain normal weight. If your dog is overweight, have the veterinarian help determine the optimal weight for her breed.

DEAR DR. FOX: My Lab/chi-chi-mix dog, Marty, is 2 years old. He will not go outside to pee if it is raining, so he goes on the carpet of the laundry room. He doesn't poop, just tinkles.

What do you suggest we do to get him to not be afraid of the rainy weather? -- D.M., Virginia Beach, Va.

DEAR D.M.: Your rain-phobic dog may respond well to desensitization. Chose a nice day, but go out with a large umbrella over both of you so that he gets used to it. Repeat for a few days until he is accustomed to the umbrella -- and your neighbors think you are certifiably insane! During the next light rain, take him out on the leash for a walk with both of you under the umbrella. Give him treats and praise. After a few walks in the rain, move the umbrella away as you give him a treat so he gets some rain on him. Then get him used to a rubdown with a towel.

Many dogs do not enjoy getting soaked, but will put their ears and tails down and get on with their business, the rewards of a good toweling and a treat being enough incentive.

In the interim, purchase disposable pads from the pet store to protect your laundry room floor. Your dog may need treatment with an anti-anxiety medication like Xanax, especially if he has a fear of thunder and lightning, which he might associate with rain.

(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.)