DEAR DR. FOX: My 9-year-old vaccinated cat died this morning from feline panleukopenia (FPV), also know as feline distemper.

Two weeks ago, he was around a 4-month-old kitten who also contracted this disease and passed away. This kitten, unknowingly to me, had not received the entire three-part vaccine series and had been exposed in a foster home.

My cat did not show any signs of illness until yesterday, when he started to vomit and became very lethargic. I took him to an emergency vet. He did not believe it was distemper due to the fact my cat has always been fully vaccinated, but he ran the test anyway. It came back positive. According to the vet, because my cat was older and was starting treatment right away, he had an excellent chance to recover. Instead, my cat continued to decline rapidly and died this morning.

What are the chances of a fully vaccinated cat acquiring feline panleukopenia? I also have a 7-month-old kitten in my home who has received the entire series of shots and shows no sign of illness. Is she also at risk? Can I have her tested to make sure she doesn't have it? Since this virus lingers for a long time, will it ever be safe to bring another cat into my home? I already bleached or destroyed everything that the other kitten had been in contact with -- even some of my clothes.

I am heartbroken at the loss of my precious Sylvester, who, up until this happened, had been a healthy, vibrant cat. -- D.C., St. Louis

DEAR D.C.: I am so sorry for you and your cat having to experience this tragedy.

First, it is essential that any new, adopted, fostered or shelter cat coming into a home where are other cats has full blood tests for contagious feline viral diseases and is vaccinated and quarantined for three to four weeks prior to being exposed to the other cats.

Your experience shows that vaccinations are not a 100 percent guarantee of protection because, for various reasons, not enough protective antibodies may be produced by the cat's immune system in response to the antigens in the vaccine.

The younger cat in your home was evidently protected, and the hygienic cleanup you have undertaken should make the environment safe for you to consider adopting another cat or kitten, ideally in one to two months as a precaution, and with the above provisos being followed.

DEAR DR. FOX: This is probably a ridiculous question, and I suspect my wife and I are guilty of anthropomorphizing a bit, but we go round and round about this question. We have a 20-month-old beautiful male tuxedo cat, Sparky. He couldn't be sweeter and more lovable; he seems very happy and is inquisitive and active. He's an indoor cat with plenty of toys. I'm retired, so he gets a lot of attention. But I'm usually gone for part of every day, and my wife and I are sometimes gone for a whole day on the weekends, doing whatever. Whenever we're gone, we always wonder if he's lonely, and have talked from time to time about getting a kitten "for Sparky." We live in a two-story house, so it's not like there's not enough room for two cats. But we wonder if he is, in fact, lonely; if another cat would be a good thing; if we're thinking about it for ourselves; etc. He's the king of the castle, of course, so we also wonder if he'd be jealous. Do they care? If we went ahead with it, would a male or female be better? -- V.W., Stevensville, Maryland

DEAR V.W.: It is good to anthropomorphize to some degree in our caring for animals because they share basic emotions with us that can often be satisfied in similar ways. My book "Cat Body, Cat Mind" should help you make up your mind to get another young cat -- healthy, quarantined prior to bringing home, and tested for feline immunodeficiency disease, feline distemper and internal and external parasites. Two cats living together are generally healthier and happier than those who live alone.

It is advisable to follow the steps posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net, on how to introduce a new cat successfully into your home.

(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: The Cornucopia Institute, an organization that supports small-scale farmers, recently published an extensive report on pet food quality, ingredient sources and how to decode pet food labels. Some highlights:

-- It addresses the FDA compliance policies that allow diseased animals and animals who have died in ways other than slaughter into pet food. "Since these materials are processed at very high temperatures, their nutritional value is degraded compared to fresh meat that would qualify for human consumption. Research has demonstrated that carcinogenic heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are formed when muscle meat is cooked at high temperatures."

-- "The primary reason why 'adulterated' ingredients from dead and downer (those unable to walk or who show other signs of disease) animals have not been prohibited from pet and animal feed in the U.S. is economic. Due to the cost of their disposal, and the environmental and human health risks of improper disposal, there is economic incentive for the use of these materials."

-- "There is no denying that there are environmental challenges surrounding the disposal of SRMs (specified risk materials), and dead and downer animals. But putting this material into animal food to increase the profitability of rendering plants, livestock producers and pet food companies is clearly not an ethical solution to the problem."

-- The report names companies that render dead pets, and mentions, "the two largest companies that pick up carcasses from shelters and clinics ... are both owned by rendering companies ..."

-- It also notes, "China also supplies ingredients that go into pet food made in the U.S. and Canada, including pea protein, soy protein, vitamins and minerals."

-- The report provides warnings concerning other common pet food ingredients, including carrageenan, synthetic preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin and proplyene glycol), BPA, sodium selenite, food dyes and grains.

I am glad to see such confirmation of my concerns that I have documented over the past several years in my column and in the book "Not Fit for a Dog!: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Foods."

Thanks to Susan Thixton at truthaboutpetfood.com for this synopsis of the highly respected and credible Cornucopia Institute.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a small 7-year-old female standard poodle who usually loves to walk. Lately, if she is upstairs and hears her leash rattling, she will come downstairs, knowing we are taking a walk. We live in the country, and hunting season started recently. If she hears gunshots in the distance, she stops walking and even sits down. It has gotten so bad that even if there are no gunshots, she will not walk out of the driveway. Even when our toy poodle joins us for a walk, she does her sit-down routine. Hearing fireworks or thunder does not have this effect. When we let her out in our fenced-in backyard, she will run, so there does not seem to be any physical problem. What do you suggest? -- M.M. Woodbine, Maryland

DEAR M.M.: Your gunshot-shy dog is showing signs of phobia in a fairly specific situation and location, considering that she runs happily in the fenced yard regardless of gunshot, thunder or firework sounds. Your dog may be indicating to you that it is not safe to go out any further, and sitting is her way of telling you that she feels it is unsafe. She may be right: There are too many idiots pointing their guns at live targets during the hunting seasons, even shooting each other.

She may feel unsafe and more vulnerable herself while on the leash and unable to flee. Fitting her with a harness may provide more comfort, and for some dogs, a chest harness can act like a comforting "thunder shirt." Perhaps going out the back way and not out front via the usual driveway route may break the conditioned emotional reaction. 

But be alert -- she may be wiser than you think. When I first came to the United States from England in 1962 and lived in Maine, that first hunting season I experienced resulted in a child on a bicycle being shot, a cow-hide hanging on a line to cure on private property being shot at, and a couple of deer hunters injuring each other, presumably by accident!

Regularly Petting Shelter Cats Helps Prevent Disease

A study confirming the benefits of petting cats in shelters who are already human-socialized has been reported by Dr. Nadine Gourkow and Dr. Clive J.C. Phillips in the journal Preventive Veterinary Medicine. They compared a number of tame cats in shelter cages who were given human contact with those who were not, finding that human interaction by petting, playing and grooming improved shelter cats' welfare. Cats so treated were more content and less anxious and frustrated. Treated cats had increased concentrations of immunoglobulin A in their feces. Within 10 days, treatment had substantially reduced viral shedding. Treated cats had less respiratory disease, especially good responders to treatment.

(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 am 74 years old; I live alone and have a chronic disease. I have had pets all my life.

About two years ago, I lost my wonderful cat companion of 17 years. I had been unable to pay for veterinary care since I had to retire. The cost of care, food and other related expenses is beyond my reach now.

I have been extremely sad and lonely since I lost my cat. Is there any service out there that can help me? I am physically unable to care for a cat or dog, so I am now considering budgies (parakeets) when I can save up enough money. --E.B., Norman, Oklahoma

DEAR E.B.: I urge you to call your local animal shelter or humane society; if you are mobile, ask them if you can come and be a "socializer" for the animals. Many facilities realize the benefits of having volunteers come and pet, groom and play with amenable animals.

I wonder if any have the funds and staff to take a dog or cat to spend a day or more with people in situations like yours. I would be a win-win for all.

In Tokyo, a Japanese friend tells me there is a dog-for-a-day rental service that he uses for his son, since his apartment is in a "no pets" high-rise!

DEAR DR. FOX: My question is about a dog we had several years ago. She was a private adoption from some friends who could not keep her. She would not stay in any type of confinement -- no kennel of any type. If they tried to confine her, she would escape and always ended up in "doggie jail." Our friends would bail her out, bring her home and do it all over again. They asked us to take her because we lived in a very rural area where she could be free. We provided her with a nice doghouse that she refused to even enter. She preferred to sleep under a bush in our yard.

Is it possible that, like some humans, she couldn't tolerate confined spaces? -- L.W., High Point, North Carolina

DEAR L.W.: This condition of claustrophobia, in my experience, is more prevalent in cats than in dogs. Its origins are surely complex, with genetics, temperament and early socialization (or lack thereof), and traumatic experience all being contributing factors.

I have seen the reverse many years ago in a colony of research beagles used in a government study of long-term effects of radiation exposure. I was called in as a veterinary behavioral consultant to help these poor dogs who had been kept confined in small cages their entire lives. Many of them simply froze into catatonic immobility when given larger indoor-outdoor living quarters.

So the fear factor can work in different ways, depending on an animal's early life experiences. I was able to help most of these research dogs with a resocialization and gradual environmental exposure and enrichment program. Your dog found her own solution and preferred to be semi-feral, possibly feeling more secure under the bush than in an enclosed space wherein she could not flee if alarmed. Most dogs prefer a kennel, crate or cage with the door always open, using the enclosure as a secure "den" in the home or yard.

DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you very much. I doubt that our dog had much socialization before we got her -- her previous family was too busy. We tried, but I guess the damage had been done. Our current dog loves her kennel or our den. She just wants to be where her people pack is, and that's exactly where we want her. -- L.W.

(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.)