DEAR DR. FOX: I am having an ongoing argument with my husband about cleaning out the litter box, which he is now doing because I am pregnant. We have two adopted cats, and they mess the box quickly. My husband says it is fine to clean out the box last thing at night, and I say three times a day.

What is your opinion? I think my cats like a relatively clean box, which is uncovered without a dome, as per your advice. -- M.S., Houston

DEAR M.S.: This is not the first time this issue has come up in my column. You have to train your husband. Have him flush the toilet you share -- use only one if you have more -- just once a day and leave the lid up. Try that for a few days. His Paleolithic brain may be tweaked to appreciate using a clean, flushed toilet and make a magical empathic leap into the psyches of your two cats.

The litter box should be cleaned three to four times daily, and fresh litter put in to replace the soiled as needed. Surely your husband has seen how fastidious cats are about their personal hygiene, carefully grooming themselves and each other. Having to use a litter box with buried feces and clumps of urine is like treading through a veritable minefield for any cat who does not like to get dirty paws that have to be cleaned afterward, sometimes ingesting adhering cat litter and excrement in the process.

It is wise for all pregnant women to have someone else clean out the cat litter box because of the risk of toxoplasmosis, which studies in the U.K. have linked with depression, suicide and schizophrenia in adults in addition to blindness and neurological problems in infants. Pregnant women should never eat meat that has not been well cooked since this is a major source of toxoplasmosis, and high heat destroys this parasite. Use gloves in the garden because cat-poop-contaminated soil could carry this parasite, which free-roaming cats can also bring into our homes when they kill and eat infested rodents.

DEAR DR. FOX: I think my question may be a common one, so I would like your input on it. I have a normal, healthy 3-year-old male (neutered) orange tabby cat who is overweight. He is outside about three hours a day. For the past year I have been feeding him nothing but dry diet food -- different brands -- 3/4 cup per day, which is less than the manufacturer recommends. During this time, he has not lost one ounce!

He stays at 20 pounds every time I weigh him. I know he is not eating any birds or mice, and he never leaves the backyard, so I know no one else is feeding him. He is hungry all the time. Should I be concerned about his weight issue? Is it indicating a potential medical problem, or is he just a big cat? Any advice you can provide would be much appreciated. -- B.F., Medford, Ore.

DEAR B.F.: I am glad you are concerned, because there is a virtual epidemic of obesity in cats and dogs as well as people today, with health complications shared by all three species. These complications include diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart and circulatory problems, arthritis, cognitive impairment -- the list goes on.

Please make every effort to transition your cat onto a grain- and soy-free cat food -- canned, dry or raw. For more details, visit feline-nutrition.org. Many cats on high-fiber, weight-reducing diets suffer from constant hunger and malnutrition. Feed your cat 4 to 6 teaspoon-size meals daily.

PETCO'S RADIOACTIVE PET FOOD BOWLS FROM INDIA RECALLED

Petco recalled three pet food bowls because its India-based manufacturer, Arjan Impex, used stainless steel containing small quantities of radioactive cobalt-60. The models include three SKU numbers: 1047493, 1386956 and 1047477. The SKU numbers are found on labels on the inside and bottom of the bowls.

Customers who purchased one of the recalled bowls from May 31 to June 20 are encouraged to return it to a Petco store for a refund. Anyone with questions may call Petco customer service at 877-738-6742.

KASEL ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES RECALLS MORE BOOTS & BARKLEY PRODUCTS

Kasel Associated Industries of Denver is voluntarily recalling its Boots & Barkley Roasted American Pig Ears and Boots & Barkley American Variety Pack Dog Treats because they may be contaminated with salmonella. The recalled products were distributed nationwide through Target retail stores in August 2012.

Consumers who have purchased the products are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Kasel Associated Industries at 800-218-4417.

(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: Henry, our 8-year-old black cat, came from the U.K. and moved to the U.S. with us in 2007. We've been told he might be part Siamese -- he's friendly sporadically, but also skittish. He's not a fighter, so he doesn't clash with other cats. We've never had problems letting him outside for two or three hours at a time. Our older cat died in November, so Henry has been solo since.

We moved 300 yards across a busy road in May, from a townhouse to a single-family home. We have a nice, open backyard for Henry to explore. We kept him inside the first couple of weeks, as advised. On three successive outings, he looked around for 15 to 20 minutes (there were two stray cats we haven't seen for a while now), sniffed a lot, then promptly crossed the road to his old house!

I looked into an invisible fence -- $1,500, and who knows if he'll take to the training. I tried a harness, and he slipped it off within 15 minutes and went under our deck where, thankfully, I was able to fall on him like a fumble.

My wife is all for keeping him indoors permanently. We've added a scratching post, and he has a few toys. The problem, to me, is that he sleeps while we're gone all day and comes to life at night. I'm not the heaviest sleeper, and one to two times per week he decides he's hungry or needs to go to the loo and yowls loudly at 3:30 or 4 in the morning. I'd love to be able to trust him to go out when we're home late afternoons and evenings. I think he'd be happier, though he's been pretty good about it. All I can think of is getting him a better harness and slowly acclimating him. We have a large deck, so that would be a good place to let him explore a bit.

That's about the long and short of it. Do you have any ideas? -- R.B., Columbia, Md.

DEAR R.B.: Clearly you are devoted to Henry, and you have some issues not easily resolved. He misses his companion cat and the old home, so he will be "yowly" and unsettled for a while.

If you are a regular reader of this column, you will know the many reasons why I advise never letting a cat roam free. Invisible fences, which I do not endorse, are designed for dogs, not cats, and they do stop animals outside the fence from coming in.

Build a "cat house" or screen in the deck so he can spend time outdoors. Some people build a covered catwalk connecting, via a cat door, the house and an outdoor enclosure so their animals can go in and out as they choose. If this is not feasible for you, I would follow your wife's initiative to help Henry adapt to indoor life. Purchase a better-fitting harness, and consider adopting an easygoing companion cat for him to enrich his time when you are both gone from the house.

There are cat TV programs to also consider. Setting up a padded window ledge and a bird feeder or two outside for the cat to watch is helpful. One of our cats loves that and is entertained daily!

Check my books, "Understanding Your Cat" and "Supercat: How to Raise the Perfect Feline Companion," which includes mind and body stimulating games and IQ tests.

NATURE'S RECIPE DOG TREAT RECALL

Nature's Recipe has voluntarily recalled its Oven Baked Biscuits with Real Chicken due to possible salmonella contamination. According to company officials, no illnesses have been reported, but owners should discard the treats and seek medical attention for themselves or their pets if symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting or fever occur. The recalled treats were sold in 19-ounce resealable pouches.

For more information, visit naturesrecipe.com or call 800-237-3856.

(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 13-pound, 6-year-old neutered male Brussels griffon. He has had three surgeries (every two years) to remove oxalate crystals in his bladder and urethra. I have changed his diet several times to no avail. He is on Hills Prescription Diet g/d Canine Early Cardiac-Healthy Aging dry food.

I have had two other male griffons who also had several surgeries for the same problem. Those two were not neutered, and both died of kidney failure relatively young. All three dogs came from Australia, from different breeders. I brought them to Hawaii to raise.

Dr. Fox, have you any recommendations for a diet that might help my little dog avoid future stones? -- F.A.V., Honolulu

DEAR F.A.V.: Several factors are at play in the genesis of oxalate urinary calculi in dogs. These include genetics/breed susceptibility, high cereal content diets and artificial acidification by manufacturers to reduce struvite crystal formation. Also, many dogs do not drink adequate quantities of water, especially when they are on a dry-food diet.

I find it borderline malpractice when dogs with bladder stones/calculi are put on special prescription dry foods with no instructions to keep their urinary tract well flushed with copious fluid intake! For details, see the book I co-authored with two other veterinarians with expertise in pet nutrition, "Not Fit for a Dog."

Give your dog water flavored with chicken or beef bullion (make up your own, salt free), and transition him onto a raw food or lightly cooked home-prepared diet, such as my own recipe on DrFoxVet.com. (Use about one-quarter of the amount of rice in the recipe, or use quinoa as an alternative.) Herbs such as gravel root, stone root, shepherd's purse, plantain and marshmallow are said to help dissolve stones, making future surgeries unnecessary. You may want to explore this with a veterinarian with interest and expertise in such holistic/integrative medicine. To contact a holistic veterinarian in your area, visit holisticvetlist.com.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our 4-year-old schnauzer has been diagnosed with dry eye KCS. This came on suddenly, and after three weeks of erythromycin with no results, she was switched to cyclosporine. I have been applying it twice a day, and after three weeks, I can see no difference. I have heard surgery is sometimes necessary for this. What is your opinion? -- G.B., Arlington, Va.

DEAR G.B.: There are many causes and predispositions -- such as breed and being spayed -- that can contribute to dogs developing this distressing and potentially blinding condition of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), a chronic deficiency of aqueous tear secretion. Drying of the corneas can lead to opacity and ulceration and can be extremely painful. Your dog will need to be on the cyclosporine two or three times daily for the rest of her life.

Changing her diet gradually to a whole-food, organic formulation with omega-3 fatty acid supplements, such as my home-prepared diet on my website, www.drfoxvet.com, or a commercial raw-food diet may provide some benefit. Artificial tears and eyedrops containing eyebright may also help and can be used once daily as a substitute for one cyclosporine treatment. Your dog's eyes must, of course, be constantly monitored, and any rapid blinking (blepharospasm) or rubbing of the eyes calls for a veterinary eye examination for possible corneal ulceration.

(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.)