DEAR DR. FOX: I've been feeding a stray cat for over a year. I may be moving in a couple of months, and I don't want to leave the cat, as I don't know anyone else who will care for it. The cat is very friendly and likes to hang out in my yard, but won't let me get close enough to pet it. I'd like to know how to capture the cat so it can be taken to a shelter and, hopefully, adopted. -- J.J., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR J.J.: Call animal control or your local animal shelter, and it should come and set up a humane trap to get the cat.

Since the cat is friendly and well-nourished, he may be adoptable after neutering, vaccinations and blood tests for feline viral diseases. It is best not to feed stray, free-roaming and feral cats without luring them into a humane trap; otherwise, you could be inadvertently contributing to their multiplication and to the spread of disease.

One veterinary colleague tells me that he had a client come in with her indoor-outdoor cat who got feline leukemia from a feral cat her neighbor had been feeding for many months and who often came onto her property.

DEAR DR. FOX: I saw your article about how animals show affection, and the stories reminded me of an event with one of our cats, Maggie.

Maggie is a 16-year-old indoor cat, but since we live in a big house in the middle of nowhere, there's plenty of entertainment.

Several years ago, my partner, Jack, and I were exchanging Christmas presents in the living room. I was sitting on a footstool by the coffee table; he was in a chair facing me and Maggie was on the table, watching. I would hand Jack a present, and he would open it. He would hand me one, and I would open it. After a couple rounds of this, Maggie got down and left the room. A few minutes later, Jack looked down at my stool and said, "Um, I think you have another present."

Sure enough, Maggie had reappeared and deposited a very dead mouse on the floor beside the stool. This thing had been dead for at least three months! I thanked her profusely, even as I deposited it in the trash.

I don't know about love, but it sure shows that cats aren't as dumb as we think. -- E.J., Westminster, Maryland

DEAR E.J.: Thanks for this delightful insight into feline behavior. Cats are highly observant animals, capable of mirroring behavior through observational learning -- copycats, indeed!

DEAR DR. FOX: My 3-year-old collie has been diagnosed with endocrine pancreatic insufficiency, something I had never heard of before. She is currently on famotidine, amoxicillin, Tylosine Powder, B-12 shots and PancrePlus Powder. The hope and plan is to reduce to just the PancrePlus once things are under control.

Do you know of any foods or treats that would be good for her? Also, are there any other treatments you are aware of? -- G.L., Moorhead, Minnesota

DEAR G.L.: This digestive enzyme deficiency is probably caused by a combination of canine genetics and a high-carbohydrate diet, which makes demands on the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes, all compounded by diet-induced changes in the dog's digestive tract's bacterial population, the "microbiome." Some breeds are affected worse than others.

Try my home-prepared recipe on my website (DrFoxVet.net), and purchase freeze-dried all-meat dog treats. Stick with the veterinary treatment protocol and medications, and your dog should recover soon. For more details about canine diet and health, see the book "Canine Nutrigenomics" by Dr. W. Jean Dodds and Diana R. Laverdure.

(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: I appreciated what you wrote about big-game trophy hunters and other killers of wild animals. I want to encourage readers to remember the billions of animals suffering in factory farms before we eat them or gather their eggs and milk products.

I live in California, where there is trapping, poisoning and shooting of coyotes and mountain lions to "protect" sheep and cattle ranches. Eagles and bobcats get caught, as do peoples' dogs.

Can't this cruelty and extermination of beautiful and rare species be stopped? -- F.M., Ojai, California

DEAR F.M.: Many dogs die when they eat poisoned bait or are caught in traps, especially the Conibear trap, which is difficult to pry open by hand to stop the dog from being strangled to death. There are many people, including myself, who embrace your concerns.

Sport hunters, trappers and professional exterminators -- such as state and federal wildlife "management" predator control agents -- know that there is always a time to justify killing, and a time to rise up against injustice, ignorance and cruelty. The latter's time, for Earth's sake and the good of all, is NOW! As the plants need the deer, the deer need the wolves and the rivers need the trees: "When the trees are gone, the sky will fall," a Hopi prophecy declares. We are seeing torrential rains falling like rivers from the sky, and the land is being washed into the sea.

For details about predator control issues in your state and what you can do to make change, contact projectcoyote.org. This organization, founded and directed by my daughter Camilla Fox, has links with nationwide and international efforts to save predator species who are the indicators and managers of healthy ecosystems.

DEAR DR. FOX: My cat's bowel movements smell extremely foul. This is nothing new. If he goes in the middle of the night, the smell can actually wake us up. We feed him two cans of Fancy Feast a day and maybe a handful of Purina Kitten Chow. He is 11 years old. Any suggestions on how we can curb that smell? -- B.R., Boyds, Maryland

DEAR B.R.: In our house, cat poop odor can be an issue, too -- especially to my wife's nose. Sometimes one of our cats forgets to bury his poop and comes racing out of the open litter box and goes crazy, cavorting around for a couple minutes. Such sweet release!

Be sure his feces can be buried in easy-to-push-around cat litter. Try feeding him a diet like we feed our cats, such as Orijen grain-free dry food or Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried food, or you can make my home-prepared cat food recipe. The recipe is posted to DrFoxVet.net

Veterinarians are trained to use their noses in the process of animal health evaluation, and smelly, soft cat poop can mean dysbiosis and the beginning of inflammatory bowel disease. Discuss these possibilities with your veterinarian.

DEAR DR. FOX: Last week, my daughters found a small female dog running along the road. They brought her home, and though she's extremely skinny, she isn't lost. I think she was dumped. We named her Leila, and she follows me everywhere! I can't go anywhere in our house without her under my feet. She has almost caused me to fall several times. She won't even go to the bathroom outside unless I'm the one to take her out.

Please tell me what to do. I'm going crazy here. -- D.M., Uniontown, Pennsylvania

DEAR D.M.: Many dogs who have suffered the terror of being abandoned or lost and put into a noisy animal shelter suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. You are seeing one manifestation: separation anxiety and the terror of being left alone. With time and a little valerian herb or veterinary-prescribed Valium or Xanax, she should improve.

She may be shy by nature, but spend time taking her out for short periods, working up to longer times, to see the world where you live and any nearby park or dog play area. Be patient -- she is in recovery, so walk carefully around her. Get her a full wellness examination, and have her checked for a microchip ID, since she could still be someone's beloved lost dog.

(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 READERS: Some readers have asked my opinion about the recent slaughter of popular wildlife park lion Cecil in Zimbabwe. The lion was first shot with an arrow, but he was not killed until much later, when Minnesota dentist Walter J. Palmer shot him with a rifle. Beyond despair and disgust for my own kind, which seems incapable of evolving into a more humane species, I can only say that the worldview and mindset of big-game trophy hunters confirms what biologist Charles Darwin termed, "The Descent of Man."

Many scions of industry and princes of oil, some being members of the Safari Club International, have rationalized that big-game hunting -- where they kill various species as trophies, legally and illegally, for pleasure -- helps the local economy and conservation efforts. Well-armed poachers are pushing elephants, rhinoceroses and other species into extinction. They treat animals as objects, exploitable commodities, like whale-harpooners of Norway and Japan and trappers and fur-ranchers of North America.

The worldwide outrage over this selfish killing is perhaps a sign of change, but without the equivalent of a well-trained, well-equipped internationally funded United Nations environmental and animal protection military force, wildlife will have no future outside of zoos and small reserves. As Albert Schweitzer advised, "Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace."

DEAR DR. FOX: We have another dilemma with our 3-year-old Shih Tzu. The weather here in the Northeast has been exceptionally stormy this summer. She refuses to pee when I take her out first thing in the morning after it's rained. She has gone 18 hours without urinating when it's rainy.

Our 6-year-old rescue Shih Tzu doesn't share that problem, thank goodness. Should I be concerned? I've checked all over the house to see if she had broken training, but haven't found any puddles. -- J.P., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR J.P.: Urine retention is not good for any animal. Your dog's genetics could be linked to the development of urinary calculi or stones, which can make urination painful and actually lead to urine retention, with or without bladder inflammation and infection.

This may call for a veterinary examination. Additionally, be sure your dog is well-hydrated. Give her plenty of water, and do not hover over her while she's on the leash, encouraging her to urinate. She will pick up on your tension, which could only make matters worse. Time out to run, play and be active off-leash will help restore normal functions if there is no medical reason behind her urine retention.

BRAVO & NATURE'S VARIETY FROZEN PET FOOD RECALLS

Several varieties of Bravo Pet Foods are being recalled after salmonella contamination was discovered during routine testing. Affected brands include frozen chubs and patties of Bravo Blend Chicken diet for dogs and cats and Bravo Blend Chicken Dinner for dogs. If you have questions about the recall, you can call the company at 1-866-922-9222 or visit bravopetfoods.com/consumerrecall.html.

Possible salmonella contamination prompted Nature's Variety to recall its Instinct Raw Chicken Formula for dogs. Affected products bear a best-buy date of April 27, 2016, and include Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Bites for Dogs in 4- and 7-pound sizes, as well as Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Patties for Dogs in 6-pound packages. Consumers with additional questions can call their Consumer Relations team at 888-519-7387 or visit naturesvariety.com/news/70.

(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.)