DEAR DR. FOX: My 10-year-old female cat, Bunny, brings me toys during the night. She collects them one at a time from the living room and carries them upstairs to the bedroom, crying while she does this. She then drops them in various places -- next to the bed, in the hall, in the guest room. I almost always wake up because she is loud, and I thank her for the gift and give her a small treat. Some nights she will do this up to four times. -- D.P., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR DR. FOX: My Siamese cat, Zeus, likes to jump on my bent-over back, spread out and nuzzle my neck while I reach around to pet him.

Indoors, he telegraphs that he wants to jump up, so I assume the position; outside, he leaps out of the bushes as I bend over a plant and lands on me like Hobbes (of "Calvin and Hobbes"). It's great, though he's likely to topple me one of these days. -- N.S., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR N.S.: My first Siamese cat, Igor, taught me this very same game, leaping on my back and ambushing me in the woods on walks together.

DEAR DR. FOX: You asked for input regarding how our animals display affection, so I thought I'd tell you about Jeanie, our border collie-Pyrenees mix, whom we adopted four years ago when she was a puppy.

Her behavior with human friends impresses me, probably since our previous dog, a husky, was not nearly so demonstrative to people outside the family -- he was courteous and accepted attention from one and all, but didn't seek it.

Jeanie has definite favorites among the friends who come to visit: She can hear their cars coming nearly a block away, and waits by the door, sometimes even letting herself out (she knows how to work the screen door handle), to greet them. She then "sings" to them with little whining sounds, and stands wagging her tail, waiting to be petted, which always happens.

I'd say there are about four or five nonresident people she treats in this manner. The family all receives this treatment when they come back from errands, too. Everyone else, if she knows them, gets a tail-wag and a grin; if they are strangers, she barks until I ask her to be quiet.

She recognizes the neighbors' cars when they come and go, and mostly she ignores them; but if new cars or delivery trucks appear, she barks. Considering her sheepdog heritage, we have joked that some of us are in her "flock," and others are potential "wolves" until reassured to the contrary.

Is this way of distinguishing between humans common to dogs of her type, or is it just Jeanie's personal style? -- J.S., St. Louis

DEAR J.S.: Yes, Jeanie as a protector-dog has the intelligence to recognize strangers and the unfamiliar from familiar; same with vehicles.

Our dog, Tanza, a village dog from Tanzania my wife and I brought home after working there, would quickly learn friends and neighbors from strangers, to whom she would give warning growls to alert us as much as to threaten them. Same with an unfamiliar car parked on our street. But she never bit anyone, and when given the OK with any visitor, she would sniff them, greet them and settle down.

So much as animals are showing us affection, they are also seeking our attention, and to not pay attention means we miss out on what love can really offer when the bond of affection between species is not realized.

STELLA & CHEWY'S PET FOOD RECALL

The Maryland Department of Agriculture issued a stop-sale order on Stella and Chewy's freeze-dried chicken patties dog food, which has tested positive for listeria monocytogenes. Be sure to visit the company's website for the latest details about the recall: stellaandchewys.com/stella-chewys-recall-notice.

(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.net.)

Several readers have shared how their animal companions express their affection. I'll share their accounts over the next two days.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have two 1-year-old kittens, and we love them so much. The black and white tabby with half a mustache (Annastasha) is madly in love with me. She climbs onto my chest while I am lying down and rubs her face all over my face and kisses me all over my face. I kiss her back, all over her head and back and tummy, and she loves it. She sleeps near my feet at the end of the bed or next to me, spooning me. She hears our car going up the driveway and waits for us at the front door. She's a total love bug, and we pick her up all the time and love all over her and tell her how beautiful she is -- it's the best!

The other cat is a Maine coon. He pumps my wife's breasts and drools on her. He catches mice and leaves them dead beside my wife's side of the bed. He loves it when my wife picks him up, rests him over her shoulder like a baby and walks around the house with him. He just hangs there, his front paws hanging down and his tail totally still. It's crazy, but he loves her so much. Then he'll come up to me and roll over, exposing his tummy and letting me rub him while he does his light bunny-feet routine.

I have rabbits who will groom me from head to toe. And I massage them and love on them while they grind away.

I do believe that the more you love on your pets, the more they will love on you. It needs to start early, although I am sure there are certain exceptions. But we consistently talk to our pets and hold and kiss them, and I think that goes a long way with them feeling good about us, too. -- S.N., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR S.N.: Beware of the cat who flops on one side for tummy touches. This attention-seeking display, as with one of our cats, can mean they get stepped on and injured or you injure yourself trying to avoid the same.

Happy rabbits have a tooth-grinding display of contentment.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a rescue cat, approximately 12 years old. Shelby had been living in the bottom of a three-tiered cage, in a corner of the shelter, for close to two years. She took to my son immediately. She has the sweetest disposition. Over the past several months, she tucks me into bed at night. She lies partially on the pillow next to me and places a paw on my cheek or head. Once she senses a change in my breathing, she nestles herself at the foot of the bed. What a lovely way to fall asleep at night! -- B.M., Wappingers Falls, New York

DEAR B.M.: Two years in a cage, and still her spirit, thanks to you and your son, has not been severely harmed.

Shelby does sound like one of those angels in fur who enters the human realm. She was treated cruelly or suffered deeply in some way, and yet she can still show love and affection toward you. It would be anthropomorphizing to say that animals "forgive," or give "unconditional love." Rather, where there is a sense of security and no fear, their affectionate, loving, nurturing, protective and playful natures surface.

Some people refuse to believe that animals have such qualities or virtues. In the process of such denial -- often self-serving -- people risk extinguishing these finer attributes in themselves unless they are awakened by some particular experience with an animal that makes them more sensitive and empathic. Hunters, for instance, have laid down their weapons, and trappers their tools, after seeing how the mate or parent of the bird or beast they harmed and killed responded in evident grief, like the gander falling protectively over his lifelong goose-mate. I like the story of the bobcat who approached and then collapsed beside two mountain skiers who took the suffering animal to the nearest veterinary hospital to have porcupine quills removed from his face, mouth and paws. This human help-seeking wild cat was later released into his domain after intensive and dedicated veterinary care.

Cats and other animals can be our relaxers and healers, lowering blood pressure and cortisol levels. So many millions of animals help the blind, deaf, paraplegic and sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder and loneliness. They alert us to and even rescue us from danger, alert us when we need certain medications, and guard us against seizures and diabetic ketoacidosis. They help children learn to read and become more empathic, and even have better immune systems.

As we come to realize how animals have served and benefited us for countless generations, I am glad to see more people supporting animal and environmental protection organizations and political initiatives. Another upside is more people becoming vegetarians or eating less meat and supporting humane and organic farming practices.

SUMMER HOT DOG COAT ISSUE

Shaving dogs' coats in summer months does them a disservice as the fur actually protects them by preventing heat from getting to their skin. It acts like the insulation around a thermos flask, keeping the internal temperature constant. The groomers who give in to pressure to shave dogs' coats are acceding to demands of customers who think they are helping their dogs by shaving them. Keep the coats on, and keep them dry after bathing or spraying to cool off.

As for dogs left in hot vehicles, that is a felony cruelty, and dogs working or playing outdoors need plenty of drinking water.

(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.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: Let me start by saying I am NOT a cat person. My husband has a cat who his first wife adopted shortly before her passing. The cat is now 10 to 12 years old and in good health, so she obviously has many years ahead.

Maisie has always been an indoor cat. She sleeps 23 hours a day, is extremely skittish, tears up upholstered furniture right next to her scratching post, has very poor toilet manners, etc. My husband and his adult children refer to her as the "dud cat."

With the nice weather here, Maisie has shown an interest in going outside for the first time. At first she would step out on our deck for a few seconds and run right back inside. Now she is going a bit further afield, but not out of our yard. Considering that we occasionally have some wild animals (deer, fox, eagles, vultures, snakes) in our neighborhood, is it inhumane to let this house cat outside? Although I don't really care for the cat, I wouldn't want her to become prey for another animal. -- M.H., St. Louis

DEAR M.H.: Your concerns do make you a "cat person" in my estimation. I wish more people with cats who "love" them but let them roam free outdoors were like you!

Just yesterday, my wife and I caught another feral young stray cat who had killed a chipmunk in our backyard the evening before, and we are on the lookout for a probably indoor-outdoor, not-so-skittish cat who killed a bird in our yard right before our eyes two weeks ago.

Cats get into injurious fights with each other or raccoons, and they become dinner for coyotes and large predator birds (raptors). There are also diseases they can get from other cats and, of course, rabies from infected wildlife. Cats can bring diseases into the home, notably rabies, plague and toxoplasmosis.

There are cat fences you can purchase online to keep cats inside your property. One neighbor puts hers out on a long leash attached to a collar and a harness -- double security since cats can wiggle out of some harnesses and pull off their collars. The cat naps in the sun and wanders around the yard while the squirrels sound the predator alarm. Another neighbor has an enclosed "cat house" in the yard where two cats are put when the weather is fine.

Your cat may simply like going for a stroll -- get a long leash and attach it to a harness and neck collar, and do not pull the cat to follow you as you would a dog. Just hold the leash and follow the cat!

DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you so much for printing the letter about sister cats fighting after one was let outside by accident. I had a similar experience with my two animal shelter-rescue cats, a neutered male and spayed female, who had lived quite amicably with me, including a long-distance move, for three years. The female got out and spent six or seven hours outside, huddled under a bush, I think. Shortly after this incident, she and the male went to war with each other. It was horrible.

A veterinarian friend told me to separate them, but to move them back and forth to avoid isolating one cat's odor into a single room or part of my apartment. For weeks, I did the great cat swap twice a day. I was completely distressed and saddened at the thought of having to rehome one of them. After a couple of months, I cautiously opened the door, and the two cats looked at each other, sniffed each other and acted as if they were saying, "Hey, where the heck have you been?" Aside from a few skirmishes now and then, the problem is solved.

Thank you for your explanation of pheromone change. It sounds as if this is exactly what happened with my cat who went on a walkabout. -- C.R., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR C.R.: Thanks for adding another approach to getting two cats to establish a more friendly relationship. One popular and effective approach is detailed, step-by-step, on drfoxvet.net. Cats are deeply affected by certain scents and pheromones, which makes some of their reactions seem senseless to us, but to their psyches can trigger panic and aggression.

The most vivid example that I recall was of a woman who was held at bay in her bathroom by her cat, who became incensed when the woman sprayed herself with some new perfume, which turned out to include civet cat (anal gland) musk -- a disgusting and inhumanely collected ingredient from captive animals that is still put in some of the more costly perfumes.

(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.net.)