DEAR DR. FOX: My wife and I have three dogs: two 7-year-old Shih Tzu sisters and a 10-year-old male Maltese. All are presently healthy, though the one Shih Tzu had a seizure episode about a year and a half back. After tests ruled out most everything, the vet surmised it might be epilepsy. She's had no seizures since then, so I'm wondering if it was something that she ingested.

My question is about vaccinations. My vet wants our dogs to have every vaccine done every year. We're looking at giving them vaccines to prevent parvovirus, distemper, Lyme and two or three others.

While I know rabies is mandatory and absolutely needed, I have never quite understood why they would need the myriad other vaccines, especially as they get older and have already had them for years. Don't the animals build up immunity? I am concerned that it could trigger the seizures again in the one pup.

Don't get me wrong -- I am not against vaccinating the animals. The cost is also not a concern, though it seems that the same vaccines get more expensive every year. What concerns me is that the dogs are going through needless shots that could ultimately have an adverse effect. -- D.P., Chevy Chase, Maryland

DEAR D.P.: I have discussed this issue frequently over many years in my column. Some veterinarians, who contended that annual re-vaccinations for many different diseases were unquestionably necessary, castigated me for many years.

It has taken close to 30 years for the practice that I advocated -- minimal vaccinations after the initial sets of puppy and young adult vaccinations had been given -- to become the established protocol. This can be facilitated by blood titer testing to see if re-vaccination is called for, since not all dogs produce significant levels of protective antibodies after being vaccinated. But in addition, some dogs also have what is termed "somatic memory immunity," which can also protect them and which the blood titer test does not assess. Another part of the accepted protocol is to not vaccinate sick and nursing animals, to avoid giving several different kinds of vaccinations all at the same time, and to consider the effectiveness of some vaccines and the risk of exposure. Indoor dogs, for instance, have a low risk of exposure to leptospirosis (also known as field fever) in most regions.

As I discuss in my book "Healing Animals & the Vision of One Health," vaccinations play an important role in disease prevention, but their overuse and formulation can cause more harm than good. They should be used with extreme caution. Since one of your dogs may be epileptic, re-vaccination may be ill-advised.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 8-year-old daughter and I have been feeding and getting to know a feral alley cat who lives in our neighborhood. The cat has a hard life, and we estimate she is about 10 years old now. We are planning to move to a new home in a different neighborhood in the next year or two. We would like to adopt her and take her with us to our new home, as we are very fond of her and are concerned about her welfare when we leave. We read in your column that you and your wife have caught and rehabilitated two feral cats, and we would love all the advice you could give us. We are especially interested in how to establish a greater level of trust towards us -- right now she lets my daughter pet her and brush her, but she is very skittish otherwise. My daughter has hopes that the cat will eventually become a cuddler and a lap-sitter as she feels more comfortable in our home. We are also concerned about how to teach her to use a litter box and about not scratching things. Your thoughts about how to ease the transition to being an indoor cat with good house manners are welcome. We plan to take her to the vet for a thorough checkup before she comes into the house. Thanks very much. -- H.H.& K.H., Washington, D.C.

DEAR H.H. & K.H.: I appreciate your concerns and connection with this poor cat -- a good, if not entirely distress-free experience for your daughter.

The cat must be caught, ideally using a humane Havahart trap. Ask animal control or a local shelter or cat rescue network for help in getting the cat used to seeing the trap and eating close beside it. They can also show you how to eventually set the trap. Chose a day when you can take the cat directly to the vet's for a full wellness examination and anti-rabies vaccination. Defer other vaccinations because of risks to a stressed animal -- ditto exploratory surgery to see if neutering is needed. 

Set up one room where the cat can have a litter box, food, water and a box with towel to hide in. Letting the cat have the run of your home comes later. First the cat must be socialized and settled in a confined space, where she cannot run away and hide when she is afraid. A daily pinch of catnip and a pheromone dispenser in her room may help, as will regular grooming, interactive play (with a feather on a string) and just sitting quietly with her. My book "Supercat: How to Raise the Prefect Feline Companion" gives advice on environmental enrichment to help cats enjoy an indoors-only life.

(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: 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.

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: 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.

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: 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.)