DEAR DR. FOX: I have two littermate cats whom I adopted as kittens in 1997. One was diagnosed with chronic renal failure (CRF) last March when he stopped eating dry cat food. He didn't eat much at all through April until I gave him Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Diet chicken. He ate one to two medallions per day along with some Temptations treats and a little milk. He tried to eat high-quality canned food by licking the liquid, but he always went back to the raw. Now my non-CRF cat also prefers frozen raw.

Are my cats showing that frozen raw is a better cat food, especially for the CRF cat? Is it better for the kidneys? -- D.L, Maryland Heights, Mo.

DEAR D.L.: You can thank your cat for showing you what will help improve his health. He is exercising what I call his "innate nutritional wisdom," which is so often thrown off when cats become addicted to certain manufactured cat foods, especially dry kibble. Dry food has been implicated in some kinds of CRF and lower urinary tract problems. For more details, see the new paperback edition of "Not Fit for a Dog."

I have long advocated whole foods for cats and dogs, and that includes frozen raw and freeze-dried raw foods. Always give your pet probiotics, and transition him or her slowly over a seven- to 10-day period from conventional diets to the better ones, like those on my website, DrFoxVet.com.

Some believe that because of its close ties with some of the big pet food manufacturers that see the raw food movement as a threat, the American Veterinary Medical Association, of which I am an Honor Roll member, has come out in opposition to raw food diets because of alleged public health concerns over bacterial contamination. But the fact is that cooking does not kill all these potential pathogens, and most pet food recalls due to salmonella and other bacterial contamination are with dry foods and treats, and rarely with the frozen raw foods!

MANUFACTURED DOG FOODS MISLABELED

The following PetfoodIndustry.com statement was given after the industry posted findings from tests it conducted to determine the accuracy of content labeling. It calls for greater vigilance and accountability, especially when dogs need to be put on a single-protein diet or a rotational diet because of possible food allergy/sensitivity:

"As in the human food industry, this type of mislabeling is typically not intentional on the part of the manufacturer. Rather, it is most often the result of mistakes during formulation or the receipt of mislabeled product from a supplier."

Twelve formulas listed no gluten source on the label, and five were labeled either gluten-free or grain-free. However, five of the 12 -- including two labeled gluten- or grain-free -- contained gluten at greater than 80 parts per million (ppm), a level much higher than the Food and Drug Administration's limit of 20 ppm to qualify for labeling as gluten-free in human foods.

Eight formulas tested positive for an animal protein not listed on the ingredient label, with two foods containing undeclared beef or sheep, five containing pork and one containing deer.

Two foods labeled as containing venison tested negative for deer, but instead contained beef, sheep or pork.

Two foods labeled as containing "meat and bone meal" (rather than a specific protein source) tested positive for pork. Because pork can be considered meat, these formulas were not technically mislabeled.

One may wonder about the accuracy of labeling of cat foods and foods from companies without their own manufacturing plants that contract out and share facilities with others using different ingredients. For those foods, cross-contamination is another issue.

COMMERCIAL RESTRICTED DIETS MAY HAVE HIDDEN ALLERGENS Commercial diets advertised for dogs with allergies may not live up to their labels, according to a recent study by Dr. D.M. Raditic and associates. The team evaluated the content of four over-the-counter (OTC) dry venison dog foods and found each contained common food allergens, including soy and beef, despite claims to the contrary.

If these four OTC venison products are representative of OTC products in general, then OTC venison dry dog foods should not be used during elimination trials in suspected food allergy patients.

(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 find myself in search of a 1- or 2-year-old dog to adopt and bring into my heart. I have always had purebreds, so I thought this would be the time to help. Well, so far it's for naught. I found a dog on a rescue website and he was a thousand miles away, so I had him driven up, only to find out he had been misrepresented. He had severe separation anxiety and acted like he had never been in a house. He kept trying to get out a window, so I made the decision to send him back and lose the transport fee.

That is my problem: All the dogs advertised locally seem to be in Texas or elsewhere. Is that what it's come to -- having to choose a companion from a photo and phone call? Then the rescue groups expect you to deal with all the animal's issues, and it's your fault if it fails. Dogs in local pounds have not been tested like those in foster homes, so I don't really want to bring in a dog I cannot trust.

Please help. Is there a better solution to my wanting a mutt? This cannot be good for the poor dogs. -- L.W., Pawcatuck, Conn.

DEAR L.W: First of all, I appreciate your dedication to rescuing a dog. It sounds like your first experience was with a puppy-mill breeder's dog who spent all his or her life in a cage or pen and was never properly socialized. As I document in my book "Inhumane Society: The American Way of Exploiting Animals," these commercial puppy breeding operations are an abomination and should be outlawed. But money rules in this culture of mammon, so I advise all prospective dog owners to adopt from the shelter or visit a local, in-home breeder to see the facilities and the pups' parents. Never buy online or from a pet store.

That poor dog needed a professional behavioral therapist and a veterinary specialist who could have worked in concert and prescribed psychotropic medications such as a light dose of Valium or Xanax while gradually taking the dog out and about. A body wrap that is fairly tight around the dog might also have helped make him feel more secure.

Good luck in your search!

DEAR DR. FOX: A few years ago, I adopted a senior cat and was amazed by the number of sounds she had in her vocabulary -- about 10 or 12. Sombra looked like a petite, miniature Maine coon (she was only 5 pounds), and I have been told they can be quite vocal -- trust me, she was!

The funniest sound: She would stroll into the kitchen and grumble at me. We would then hold a conversation as follows: "What?" More grumbling. "What?" More grumbling. We'd do this several times, at which point she would turn and stroll back out of the kitchen.

The eeriest sound: In the middle of the night, she would jump off the bed, go downstairs and start howling for all she was worth. It scared me to no end the first time she did it, and she kept it up until I went to see what was wrong. Well, nothing was wrong: She was standing at the foot of the stairs, looking up. As soon as she saw me, she shut up, came back upstairs and was good the rest of the night. She would do this sporadically, and I never found out why.

When she saw birds, she had a mean growling sound. For getting me out of bed, she would sit right by my ear and scream "meow" (just once, but it was effective). She also had a deep purr when she was content.

I no longer have Sombra, but those few years with her were wonderful. I would definitely recommend senior animals to anyone. -- R.G., Weldon Spring, Mo.

DEAR R.G.: Many people with cats will enjoy your vivid account of Sombra's vocal repertoire. The loud yowling (which old cats suffering from dementia will often do) was probably to call you out for a night prowl. My friend the late professor Paul Leyhausen, a German animal behaviorist, described this calling-out vocalization and many other remarkable sounds domestic cats can make. My e-book "Understanding Your Cat" details some of his and other scientists' studies of the complex feline psyche.

One of our formerly feral cats gives a chirp-meow whenever I pass by -- his way of saying "hi." He gives a similar call every time he jumps off a chair or cat condo. Our other ex-feral cat has a loud purr when content, which is often coupled with a high note that sounds like a bird trilling -- his song of secure happiness, no doubt.

(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: Our 7-year-old Himalayan cat, Toby, is a rescue. He is sweet and lovable, and he gets along famously with our other cat, Eli, an 8-year-old black Persian. They romp and play, and naptime finds them close to each other. Toby was 9 pounds when we adopted him, and he is 13 pounds now. He's a big boy, but not unwieldy. He is healthy, happy and affectionate. He never throws up or misses the litter box. He drinks plenty of water. He is a hand-nudger and a wet-nose-kisser type.

I do have some concerns, though. Toby eats dry Adult Iams with some wet canned Friskies. He frequents Eli's bowl, which contains only the dry Iams. Toby is a dedicated, compulsive eater, and he regularly snacks on newspapers, which I find gnawed up when I wake up. There are times when he seems haunted by the possibility of more food and goes on the hunt. The cats get treats at scheduled times. I added the wet food to Toby's food hoping to discourage the newspaper eating or help fill some sort of nutritional need.

Toby also overgrooms. He loves to be hugged and petted, but usually hastens to groom afterward. He helps Eli groom on occasion. He also sometimes covers Eli's litter box business -- such a gentleman.

I am reluctant to incur a whole lot of expense at the vet's on a mostly healthy, fantastic cat who has some idiosyncrasies that may not be detrimental. I waver, considering insecurity, something lacking in his diet or my overactive imagination. I hope you can lend some thoughts on my concerns about Toby. -- C.C., St. Louis

DEAR C.C.: I am concerned about Toby's increased appetite, coupled with excessive grooming and compulsive paper eating. These three behaviors could be symptomatic of thyroid cancer. Toby is around the age when hyperthyroidism appears, and it is all too common in cats today -- along with Type 2 diabetes.

Several environmental factors can trigger thyroid disease in cats -- from chemicals in carpets and upholstery to high levels of iodine and cadmium in cat food to fluoride in drinking water.

You should consider having a full thyroid function test conducted by your veterinarian. Try transitioning Toby onto a raw food diet, a single-protein cat food or my own home-prepared diet, and see if that helps reduce the excessive grooming. If the grooming gets worse, you may be better able to spot a food allergy/hypersensitivity and take it from there.

DOG FOR DOG RECALLS PEANUT BUTTER PRODUCT

As part of a widespread recall of Sunland human food products containing peanut butter, DOG for DOG is asking owners to return the company's Dogsbutter, a canine peanut butter. No Dogsbutter products have tested positive for salmonella, but the company is taking this action to ensure the well-being of dogs. Thirty-nine people across 19 states have contracted salmonella in an outbreak linked to a number of Sunland products. For more information, visit dogfordog.com.

(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.)