DEAR DR. FOX: I have two cats, adopted simultaneously from a shelter at 8 months and 4 months old. They are now about 3 years old, and very pleasant companions.

The younger cat is the most social cat I've ever had -- she's almost doglike in the way she follows me and seeks my attention. She is also very food-motivated and likes it if I'm in the kitchen while she eats, often looking around to see if I'm watching her. They always have access to kibble, and twice a day, while I'm making my breakfast and dinner, they each get a spoonful of canned food, which they enjoy.

Periodically, and for weeks at a time, the younger cat begins meowing at 4 a.m. and will continue, unabated, for hours, until I get out of bed. She then stops immediately. She does this whether they are sleeping in my room or locked out -- then she just sits outside the door and meows; if they're in the room, she runs around and bats at the blinds. The older cat has never done this. When I finally rise, I do not reward her with attention or canned food. Her sole purpose seems to be just to get me up. I play with them both every evening in an attempt to tire the younger one, but she still tries to rouse me (and not her fellow kitty) overnight.

I am exhausted and at my wits' end with this behavior. Why is she doing this, and how can I get her to stop? -- J.B., Washington, D.C.

DEAR J.B.: Many young cats do this, and if you ignore them, they usually grow out of it. Cats are "crepuscular" animals -- most active early in the mornings and evenings. Engage in vigorous interactive play, feed them just before bedtime and leave your bedroom door open.

One of my cats used to knock items off my bedroom dresser and then walk with leaden feet over my body to wake me up. I ignored him, and he stopped after a few months. You might try giving your early rising cat a pinch of catnip just before you go to bed. Not all cats like it, but those who do initially become aroused then are sedated for a while. This may help break his early-to-rise pattern. Alternatively, give it to her (and the other cat) when she tries to get you up. This will reward her behavior, but possibly let you get back to sleep.

J.B. REPLIES: Thanks for your response. I tried a combination of all of these suggestions last night -- bought a new ribbon dancer toy and some catnip, played more aggressively in the evening and fed them just before bed -- with pretty good results! She still meowed at 5:15, but only once, and then she stopped completely.

So I am cautiously optimistic that if I keep it up, I might get better sleep from now on.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read the pets section in our newspaper each week and in awe of the problems people have with their pets' food. My wife and I fed our cats canned food, and found most of the food available is gross. The canned food spoiled, and when it was not eaten, it turned pasty in the refrigerator from all the grease in its contents. The cats loved to lick the can of tuna when we made tuna salad, and we started giving them tuna in water and tuna in oil along with their dry food. They have no hairballs! The cats eat the tuna twice a day and eat it all, licking their bowl. The male cat is 14 years old, and the female is 3 years old. We have had cats that have passed of old age, and were basically healthy most of their lives. I would like to know your thoughts. -- J. & J.H., Long Branch, New Jersey

DEAR J. & J.H.: Don't give your cats more than a tablespoon of tuna once a week -- max. It is loaded with mercury and probably dioxins and various petrochemical compounds. Visit feline-nutrition.org for insights about cat nutrition and diets.

Feeding oily fish such as sardines, pilchards, mackerel or menhaden as a snack every other day -- say a teaspoon per cat -- is a good treat that's loaded with the kinds of omega fatty acids cats cannot live without. I would not feed any more than that, because making processed oily fish a dietary staple may not be nutritionally complete, plus the oceans are seriously polluted and all marine life is contaminated to some degree. The higher up the food chain, the worse it is. Pity the whales! On that note, don't buy krill oil. The krill swarm the sea in clouds of millions, and are a staple for Antarctic whales and other sea mammals and fish. Krill are being overharvested for their oil and protein.

RAW CAT FOOD RECALL

Primal Pet Foods voluntarily recalled a batch of 3-pound bags of Feline Turkey Raw Frozen Formula after Food and Drug Administration testing uncovered thiamine deficiency following a consumer complaint. Chronic thiamine insufficiency in cats leads to gastrointestinal and neurologic problems.

For more information, visit primalpetfoods.com/company/notification.

(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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: A few years ago, a friend had an aging male poodle who was very lethargic. This friend reads your articles regularly. One of those articles gave a recipe for home-prepared dog food that she began preparing, and her dog, Bailey, "came back to life," as she put it.

His energy level and appetite increased. And his desire for this food was such that she would have to remove him from the kitchen as she prepared his helping because he became so excited that he would trip her up as she moved about. His bowel movements improved in size and consistency as well.

She knew by behavior, appearance and general alertness that Bailey was remarkably better. He lived two more years with renewed vigor, and my friend, who is also elderly, had two wonderful last years with her Bailey!

As I have an aging cat, she told me to write to you because you also have a recipe for cats. I would love to have a copy. I would be so grateful to give our dear little kitty cat a shot at some golden years. -- K.B., Springfield, Virginia

DEAR K.B.: Thanks for providing yet another testimony regarding how good nutrition can put new life into an animal previously fed manufactured pet food. I will mail you a copy of my cat food recipe, which is normally available on my website; however, my website is currently down as it is being redesigned.

Cats are notoriously more finicky than dogs, so transition your companion onto the new diet gradually. Alternatively, try some of the new soy- and cereal-free frozen and freeze-dried cat foods in pet stores -- and join the revolution!

A stamped, self-addressed envelope from readers making requests like yours would be appreciated.

(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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: Why is it that municipal law and public attitude display a double standard when it comes to dogs and cats? Animal Control quickly rounds up stray dogs, but ignores stray cats.

What's the difference? Dogs are more dangerous? Hey, cats bite, too. And while contracting sepsis or rabies from a cat bite may lack the drama of a dog mauling, the end result can be just as lethal.

Dogs poop all over your front lawn; try sifting through cat turds in your mulched flowerbeds and planter boxes. Dogs are nuisances? At least they don't yowl under your bedroom window at 2 a.m.

You have frequently noted the devastating effect cats have on wildlife. I've noticed that my birdhouses sit empty, and I haven't seen a rabbit in over three years.

I don't want to hear about "nature at work." Nature would never allow such a concentration of predators. God forbid a native predator like a coyote starts thinning the feline herd. And that's what I have: a herd. I've seen 10 separate and distinct cats on a daily basis, thanks to a neighbor who thinks he's feeding only two. Animal Control tells me they use trap-neuter-release for problem cats. Not an ideal solution, but better than nothing.

I can't help but think how differently those 10 animals would be dealt with if they were dogs. Euthanasia would be kinder than the fate that awaits cats out there in the "mean streets." -- P.A.C., St. Louis

DEAR P.A.C.: Thanks for adding your voice of reason to the unresolved and controversial issue of outdoor, free-roaming, stray or lost feral cats, and those from shelters that have been neutered and vaccinated after they have been trapped and are not considered adoptable.

Cats roaming outdoors kill wildlife, become food for coyotes and spread toxoplasmosis, a disease that can harm other species, including humans.

DEAR DR. FOX: As to the question posed in a recent column -- "Where should a sleeping dog lie?" -- I have an answer:

I am 85 years old, and have not lived more than six months of my life without a dog. All of them have been rescue animals (many before there were even rescue groups), and, with no exceptions, I have had the privilege of sleeping in bed with each one. In fact, on those rare occasions when I didn't have a dog right next to me in bed, I never slept as well as when a dog was glued to my side.

I am justly proud of the fact that both of our daughters have the same love of animals that surfaces in so many ways. Our youngest daughter made a profound observation awhile back: Soren (our current dog named for the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard) weighs 40 pounds when he's awake, but when he's asleep, he weighs more like 240 pounds. They are like rocks when they are comfortably asleep beside you.

I will forever marvel at those folks who have dogs but fail to regard them as members of the family. In our case, our precious dog of the moment is the most important part of our family: always there for us, asking nothing but always giving love. They epitomize the agape form of love -- the unconditional kind. -- A.W.Z., Gaithersburg, Maryland

DEAR A.W.Z.: Yes, indeed: agape! Dogs are pack animals. They feel secure when they sleep together. When we take them into our homes, their human family is their surrogate pack. So, whenever possible, it is quite natural to allow the dog to sleep with a family member. Couples who sleep together may need a larger bed.

The only caveat is the dog must have no fleas, ticks or sarcoptic mange. Regular close contact with a dog in the home (not necessarily in the bed) helps children ward off allergies and infections.

A VOICE FOR ANIMALS BY A HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

The late Cesar Chavez, president of United Farm Workers of America, with whom I shared the podium at an animal rights conference in California, posted this statement on Dec. 26, 1990:

"Kindness and compassion toward all living things is a mark of a civilized society. Conversely, cruelty, whether it is directed against human beings or against animals, is not the exclusive province of any one culture or community of people. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bull fighting and rodeo are cut from the same fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent toward all life will we have learned to live well ourselves."

He was a rare social reformer at that time to link violence toward humans and other animals with the long-overdue revolution of nonviolence toward all sentient beings. I am glad that as a veterinarian I do not have to work in one of the cruelest sectors of animal exploitation, namely the factory farms or CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) that blight and pollute much of rural America.

(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 little female cat, Minnie, who is 2 1/2 years old, has had chronic rhinitis since she was born. We found her in our woods when she was about 3 months old, and we took her in to the vet for spaying.

The vet wanted to euthanize her; she said there was no cure for it. We surely did not do that. Three vets later, the only thing we've found that helps is a round of antibiotics for about three weeks. We don't do that often because she can't live on antibiotics.

She has a good appetite and maintains a good weight. She is better in warm weather, but still quite miserable with this problem, and it breaks my heart -- it seems there is nothing that can be done for her.

Do you know of any possible treatment to help her? -- C.H., Rhinebeck, New York

DEAR C.H.: I am glad you chose not to go with the veterinarian's advice to euthanize her, and instead gave the animal a chance. I hope she was not spayed at that time, being so ill. No doubt exposure and poor nutrition crippled her immune system, allowing for the upper respiratory and sinus infection to take hold.

Periodic treatment with antibiotics does help cats with chronic sinusitis. In cats with a different history, other causes of this condition include dental disease with spread of bacteria from the tooth sockets into the sinuses. In other cases, a food allergy or underlying viral infection, such as herpes or feline AIDS, is the cause.

Irrigating the sinuses under light, general anesthetic may help.