DEAR DR. FOX: My boyfriend and I are getting ready to move in together into a new-to-us home. We each have a pet: I have a 7-year-old formerly feral cat, and he has a 2-year-old golden retriever mix from the pound. Both pets are extremely important to us.

My cat can be grumpy. She loves me and she loves my boyfriend, but it takes awhile for her to warm up to most people -- and forget about dogs. She's met a few in her life, but it usually ends up with her hiding in various places and not showing her face for hours.

The dog is wonderful. She's sweet and well-trained, but she has no experience with cats, and she's very energetic.

I'm nervous about how to introduce them. I'd really like these soon-to-be sisters to get along. My worst nightmare would be that the cat ends up spending her whole life in the basement, trying to keep away from the dog. (We are designating the basement as a cat-only zone, complete with a cat-sized entrance, to ensure that she feels safe.)

Is there anything we can do to make sure our pets like each other? Thank you so much! -- E.P., Roeland Park, Kan.

DEAR E.P.: First, I trust that your cat is a good judge of character. That she gets on with your significant other is an important test!

Several days before the interspecies co-habitation commences:

-- Have your boyfriend bring over a blanket or towel that his dog has been sleeping on for a week, and switch it for one your cat has been sleeping on. This way the animals will get to know each other's scent.

-- Have a tape recording of the dog's barks and play it occasionally at low volume for the cat.

-- Keep the dog on a leash when she first comes in to your home. The cat will probably hiss and run away. Putting a couple of drops of essential oil of lavender on your cat's neck prior to this first introduction may have some calming effect.

-- It is debatable if one should allow the cat to run away and hide rather than facing up to the dog while being held in your arms (protected by a padded coat) or in a harness and leash. This is called "total immersion."

My choice would be to take a weekend before dog and boyfriend move in, ideally the next long weekend, and keep the pets in the same room, one way or another. Leash the dog, but allow her to sniff around and settle down. Groom and pet the dog, and give her treats. Ditto for your cat if she is not too out of her mind. Maybe put on some music or watch TV. Then your boyfriend should leave with the dog and come back after two to three hours for another session and more through the weekend.

Your cat-only basement safe zone may work, but she may hide there forever. If you don't want that to happen, be sure there is no place down there where she may get trapped between wall and pipes because you will have to bring her up to spend time with the dog and overcome her fear. Set up a baby gate with sufficient space beneath it for your cat to slip under so she can get to her litter box. Otherwise, the dog may start cleaning it out.

You may want to set up a separate feeding and drinking area temporarily for your cat with a similar gate set-up to keep the dog out if you are not using the basement for this purpose.

If your cat is not too spooked, leave her drinking water in the usual place (presumably upstairs) and with the dog's water bowl next to it. Eventually, they may share the same bowl.

Initially, after the dog has been fed (and let the cat see this), restrain the dog when it is time to feed the cat in her usual place upstairs. If you opt for basement feeding and litter box for the cat, she may prefer to start living down there.

Best wishes to all of you. Cats and dogs do not have an innate animosity so much as cats have an instinctual, self-protective fear of larger animals, and their flight response triggers the dog's chase reaction. Once these innate reactions are diffused, cats and dogs can be buddies for life. One cat I know of became a seeing-eye guide for her blind canine companion!

DEAR DR. FOX: My 10-year-old cat's appetite has diminished. I tried some dry food, but that helps only for a short time. He seems OK, but I worry. Normally, I feed him a small can of Friskies in various flavors. I have been throwing so much food out, but I am afraid of switching brands at his age. Thank you. -- J.H., Winston-Salem, N.C.

DEAR J.H.: One of the basic rules of knowing when an animal needs to see a veterinarian is when there is any significant change in appetite without any change in what the animal is normally being fed, and in thirst. These behaviors can be easily monitored and quantified. It is advisable to know the weight of the animal, which will help determine, over time, if weight is being lost or gained. This is why an annual physical with the veterinarian is advisable, and for cats, many veterinarians now do in-home visits that are far less stressful.

There are some better-quality and probably more palatable manufactured cat foods that I endorse, posted on my website, DrFoxVet.com. Note that the quality and kinds of ingredients in pet foods from batch to batch can change when companies get different ingredients from different sources and share manufacturing facilities with other companies rather than having their own facility.

Gerber's meaty baby foods often perk up a cat's appetite, but may not be best if proper treatment for some underlying ailment is delayed simply because the cat starts eating again.

Considering your cat's age, the problem could be chronic kidney disease, so I would waste no time and make a veterinary appointment.

(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: Four days ago, I returned home to find one of my cats dead. His third birthday would have been two days later. He was never sick, and he seemed fine when I left for work that morning. My cleaning lady happened to be there that day; she left at 1 and said he seemed fine other than vomiting up a hairball.

The night before, my beagle attacked the cat when he walked by the dog's treats. I couldn't find any bite marks or signs that she hurt him, and he sat with me for the better part of the rest of the evening purring and letting me pet him. He was very affectionate, so that was normal. He ate his treats before bed and even ate a good breakfast the day of his death.

I have three other cats, one of whom is his sister, and they gave no sign anything was wrong.

I have been completely devastated by this. The suddenness and not knowing, especially because he was so young, are making me inconsolable. I had him cremated and will be scattering his ashes. My vet said necropsies aren't done at any facilities in the area and would be prohibitively expensive for me. I really need help or guidance in coping with this. I've had to euthanize two older cats in the past due to illness, but this feels worse, given the circumstances. I could use a pet bereavement group but haven't been able to find one. Please give me some advice. I'm in terrible pain. Thank you for your attention. -- E.D., Flint Mich.

DEAR E.B.: My condolences. This must have been a terrible shock. First, don't punish the dog. It could have been a threat-snap and growl as a get-away warning to the cat with no actual physical contact. Only an autopsy would reveal if there was a bite injury, and most surely your cat would have shown some signs of pain.

My educated guess is that your poor cat had a vascular reaction to the beagle's attack, which triggered the flight response and sudden change in the diameter of blood vessels after release of the fear hormone, adrenaline. This in turn could have affected blood flow and coagulation, leading to a blood clot or embolism forming. In some cats, this can lead to paralysis of one or both hind legs when the blood clot moves and blocks a major blood vessel in the lower half of the body, or to a heart attack when the clot or clots occlude the coronary blood vessels of the heart. Giving your cat half of a baby aspirin may have helped prevent this, but if there was internal bleeding, such medication could have made things worse. Either way, you did not and could not have known this was happening. It is not your fault.

In the future, stay by your dog when she is eating and having treats because of her food-protective aggressive potential.

DEAR DR. FOX: My Lhasa apso is 9 years old. She has been scratching so much that she bleeds. The problem is all over her body -- there's no specific place. She scratches her ears, belly, sides, etc.

My vet thought she might be allergic to chicken, so I changed her food to Pinnacle Grain-Free Salmon and Potato, yet she is still itching. I am giving her medicine almost every day for a bacterial yeast skin infection, and she has special shampoo to help with this issue -- Selsun Blue does not give her enough relief. She is still scratching everywhere.

I have been to five vets, and they do not know what she is allergic to or what is causing this issue. Any advice? -- C.B., Fort Myers, Fla.

DEAR C.B.: You have certainly had the run-around with this poor dog. What you have learned is a fact, not of veterinary incompetence, but of the difficulty in diagnosing and curing your dog's dermatological disease.

I am sure that treatment with long-acting prednisone and with a non-drowsy antihistamine has been tried. If not, I would be in shock. There are skin tests for specific allergies and a number of possible treatments that I have mentioned repeatedly and are archived on my website, drfoxvet.com.

You may even try experimenting with a hydrosol of essential oils, which have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, such as lavender and tea tree, applying over affected areas twice daily for seven to 10 days, not allowing the dog to lick treated areas, of course. Natural herbal skin treatments such as PetzLife Scratch Eaze anti-itch gel may be worth a try.

GOVERNMENT ASKS VETERINARIANS TO REPORT PET FOOD AND TREAT ILLNESSES

The Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to veterinarians requesting that they report cat and dog illnesses related to pet foods and treats at safetyreporting.hhs.gov. This is after the FDA received reports that 3,600 dogs and 10 cats became ill after eating jerky-type treats. Approximately 580 animals died as a result.

While various authorities post concerns about the potential risks of bacterial contamination of raw pet foods, a major report from government researchers highlights the risks of dry dog food. Some 53 people in 21 states and two provinces in Canada became ill; 32 percent were hospitalized in 2012 as a result of feeding salmonella-contaminated dry dog food to their canine companions, all from one pet food manufacturing company in Gaston, S.C.

(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: My puppy really likes to chew on my hand when I pet him. I am afraid he might get more aggressive when he gets older. His sharp teeth hurt, and sometimes he runs at me and jumps up to paw me. I push him away, but he comes back to jump on me again.

What do you advise? -- R.L., Houston

DEAR R.L.: Take your puppy to a puppy playgroup or to the dog park and see how the dogs interact with one another. You need to learn about dog body language, which you can read about in my e-book "Understanding Your Dog," available on my website, DrFoxVet.com.

Your puppy wants to play with you, and you need to learn how to play like a puppy. Many pups are punished for wanting to play because too many people do not know anything about canine behavior and communication. This can ruin dogs for the rest of their lives, making some aggressive and others emotionally unstable, shy and unpredictable. The opposite is overindulgence and not setting any boundaries with an animal (or child), which can result in a delinquent, socially maladjusted narcissist.

Puppies learn quickly to bite gently and to respect when you do not want to play. But playtime is important for social bonding, and you must learn to enjoy this activity with your dog. Those who play together, stay together. Their sharp milk teeth can hurt, but by six months, the not-so-sharp permanent teeth will replace them. In the interim, provide safe chew toys to help with teething.

DEAR DR. FOX: Why does one of my cats lie down and pull like mad on each of his claws? He does this regularly, and I worry he has a nail infection or an allergy, maybe from his litter box material. -- G.W.S., Miami

DEAR G.W.S: One of my cats fastidiously grooms his claws at least once a day. He uses a scratch post regularly but likes to keep his claws clear of the quick, or soft tissue encircling the base of each claw.

Some cats do develop nail-bed infections, which need veterinary attention. Squeeze your cat's paws to extrude the claws and look at the base of each claw. If you see any excessive redness or discharge, set up a veterinary appointment. Otherwise, your cat is simply giving himself a manicure. It is a good idea to get cats used to having their paws massaged, which helps develop trust and makes examination when needed much easier.

BEWARE OF BAYER'S NEW CAT, DOG, HOME AND YARD INSECTICIDALS

Last year, I wrote about my concerns with Bayer's Seresto anti-flea and tick collars that contain a nicotine chemical (imidacloprid). This chemical can cause seizures, thyroid gland damage, mutations, abortions and birth defects and is in a class of agricultural chemicals implicated in the catastrophic demise of honeybees. The collars also contain a pyrethrin chemical (flumethrin) that can cause nausea, vomiting and seizures, among other harmful side effects. I also expressed concern for children and adults petting animals with these chemicals seeping into their skin, and of the animals grooming themselves and each other.

Now Bayer has gone wild with a plethora of new anti-bug products related to its Seresto. K9 Advantix II and Advantage II contain similar ingredients, and the company has released new products, including Advantage Treatment Spray for dogs and cats, Advantage Treatment Shampoo for dogs and cats, Advantage Household Spot & Crevice Spray, Advantage Carpet & Upholstery Spot Spray, Advantage Household Fogger to kill insect pests in the home, and Advantage Yard & Premise Spray that kills pests in the yard and around the house.

The drug company is banking on a combination of public ignorance, trust and fear of fleas and other noxious insects, safer controls for which are documented on my website. Visit my website for more details about the harmful consequences of these kinds of products to the environment and bees and other beneficial insects as well as to our health, agricultural and food security and economy.

(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.)