DEAR DR. FOX: We own a 4-year-old fixed female cat with a pleasant personality. She was a stray, so we allow her to go outside, but she always comes in at night. About a year ago, she returned with several puncture wounds in her tail. We took her to the vet, who shaved the center portion of her tail and treated the wounds.

Due to either her tail's appearance or some other unknown reason, our cat would become disturbed and hiss at and chase her tail. This occurred several times each day without warning. The fur has grown back and the wounds have healed, but she continues this behavior, mainly in the morning and evening.

We have tried calming collars without success. What is the problem? -- J.H., Baltimore

DEAR J.H.: The problem with bites is that they are deep puncture wounds, which can leave bacterial infection in the tissues and bone after the surface of the wound has healed. Your veterinarian should X-ray your cat's tail to see if there are signs of bone infection. If there are, then the tail may have to be amputated. Otherwise, there could be chronic nerve damage, and the veterinarian may wish to try anti-inflammatory medications and possibly acupuncture to help the cat.

It is regrettable that you could not keep this cat permanently indoors; such injuries from catfights and tangles with wild animals are all too common in indoor-outdoor cats.

DEAR DR. FOX: We recently took in our daughter's 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier. The problem is his constant marking in our house and on our car tires. My daughter said he has had this behavior for years, and nothing they did stopped it. Is there anything we can do this late in his life to change his behavior? And what will remove the smell from inside our home and on our tires? We are desperate for help; otherwise, we will need to surrender the dog. -- B.H., Mayville, North Dakota

DEAR B.H.: You mean have the dog killed, rather than "surrender," since no one would want to adopt a dog who marks his territory all the time. Did your daughter seek a professional animal behavior consultant and veterinary advice? What did she try to do to inhibit this behavior earlier on in the dog's life? Now it is a fixed habit. Use a hose on your car tires and an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle indoors.

If he has not been neutered, neutering may help reduce his motivation to mark. Cocking his leg against various objects to urinate on may be related to anxiety-arousal, and a trial treatment with a low dose of anti-anxiety medication would be worth a try. Scolding would just make matters worse if there is underlying anxiety.

DEAR DR. FOX: Recently, you had an inquiry from E.B. about his sadness over losing his cat and his inability to take on another cat due to finances. I am a senior in a program called Senior Cats for Senior Laps in St. Louis. I lived in Phoenix, and I know they had a program there.

In this program, we provide a loving home for a senior cat, and the nonprofit organization that sponsors the program assumes all cost, including food and vet bills. It's certainly a win-win situation! Unfortunately, not many of the people at the Humane Society are aware of this program; however, pet stores like PetSmart and Petco often sponsor events, so that might be the best resource for a senior to find a program in his or her area. -- B.S., St. Louis

DEAR B.S.: Thank you for contributing this information in response to concerns about the plight of lonely seniors -- human and nonhuman -- and what resources there are to help. Certainly we need more as the population of baby boomers ages and animal shelters, which must have more funding and public support, seek to reduce the kill rate of old and unwanted animals.

(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: Recently, I had reason to take Birdie, one of my Havanese, to a vet under emergency conditions. In the 18 hours prior to taking him to the vet, he exhibited signs of intestinal distress, with diarrhea and loss of bowel control.

During the office exam, the subject of diet came up, and I was asked what brand of food I feed my dogs. I provided the brand of kibble I use, Taste of the Wild, a label that I have been told is considered by the veterinary community to be a wise choice. I chose this brand because of its high protein content and the absence of grains. Grains have no place in a canine's diet; I have verified this in numerous sources. Birdie's vet suggested that Taste of the Wild's high protein content could cause harm to my 3 1/2-year-old Havanese, and a change in feed might be necessary.

After an examination, the vet advised me that Birdie's anal glands were not a contributing cause for his distress, but his upper G.I. had lots of gas. The vet suggested that it may be caused by his exposure to deer and rabbit waste in our yard. He prescribed several medications to remedy the problem.

The vet also sold me a bag of Hill's "digestive care" kibble and told me to feed it to Birdie for the next four to five days, and then transition him back to the Taste of the Wild kibble. I read the ingredient label prior to leaving the vet's office, and remarked to the staff that this Hill's Prescription Diet contained, in order as printed on the label: brewer's rice, cornstarch, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, chicken byproduct meal (we know what that is!) and on and on, including pork flavoring and chicken liver flavoring -- but no protein. The staff's response to my query was that I should call Hill's at the number provided on the bag with any questions. I have not called Hill's, as I fully expect their representative to do what is expected of an employee: that is, support the employer's product as complete and whole.

I am at a loss as to whom and what to believe. A protein-based diet for a dog makes a lot of sense to me, as this is what a canine would eat in the wild, not cornstarch, brewer's rice, corn gluten meal, etc.

Do you have any suggestions or guidance that you would share with me? Am I making an informed, wise choice by choosing a meal-based protein kibble? -- T.R., Washington, D.C.

DEAR T.R.: I am glad that you read what was in the bag of prescription food for your dog.

You should know that it was "scientifically formulated," and the attending veterinarian believed that it would be the best remedy for your dog. But where did the animal doctor get the information in the first place, having, at best, a short course in companion animal nutrition before graduation from veterinary school? At least you were fortunate that the veterinarian did not insist on costly diagnostic tests, though you made no mention of any fecal tests for parasites and infections, such as giardia and clostridia. Clostridia is a common cause of diarrhea during changes in the season or stress in dogs; giardia could come from deer feces or contaminated water. In general, dogs probably eat a small quantity of wild animal feces may as a natural instinct.

It is also possible that this batch of Taste of the Wild was not up to par; one way to avoid that is to feed your dog a variety of good-quality canned and dry dog foods. High protein content should not be an issue in an otherwise healthy dog. Try my home-prepared diet -- posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net -- and keep me posted as you transition your dog onto a wholesome diet of known ingredients.

The best medicine is prevention, and a holistic, integrative approach to companion animal health calls for a revision of vaccination protocols, cessation of feeding highly processed commercial pet foods, and reviewing medication practices, especially with so-called preventive medications like those sold to keep fleas and ticks at bay. For further information, contact a holistic veterinarian in your area. A searchable list can be found at holisticvetlist.com. Veterinarians wishing to learn more are encouraged to become members of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association at ahvma.org.

A friend took a stray cat to the local vet here in Minneapolis for appropriate tests, neutering and care with adoption in mind, and requested the cat be given a high-quality protein diet because he was severely malnourished. She was shocked several days later when she found out that the cat had been given Purina's EN Gastroenteric Feline Formula (dry) -- the first four ingredients were soy protein isolate, poultry byproduct meal, corn gluten meal and soy flakes. This is hardly the optimal diet for a carnivore! For more details, see my book "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Foods."

(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 take exception to your response from a reader about feeding a feral cat.

I grew up in a rural area, and we always fed feral cats. Some we actually tamed, and they made great pets; there were others we could not tame, but we fed them anyway. Feral cats earned the food we gave them: They kept our yard clean of snakes, rats and other unwanted critters. I would never take a feral cat to an animal shelter, because all they would do is euthanize them. You say feral cats kill birds, but what is the problem with that? It is called balance of life, or balance of nature. Too many birds are a nuisance, too. -- V.M., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR V.M.: For those people who share your beliefs and continue to feed feral cats without attempting to catch them and have them neutered -- those who support their proliferation by feeding them and ignoring their adverse impact on wildlife -- it is evident that appealing to reason and the facts concerning the suffering and plight of both these cats and wildlife would be to no avail.

That is why we need more laws and education in this country, especially to put an end to the kind of view you have that such cats help maintain the "balance of nature" by killing birds. Feral, stray and free-roaming house cats are the wrong species in the wrong place. Originally a desert species from the Middle East, they do not belong in the ecology of North America, the indigenous species of which are in dire need of protection and habitat restoration.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our 10-year-old female domestic shorthair cat chews on the tip of her tail, up to about 3 inches. The tail chewing is not part of her regular grooming. The tip of her tail looks like a mouse tail growing out from her furry cat tail. This behavior started on and off about a year ago.

We've had no changes in her diet, environment or stress levels; her teeth have been checked, and because of neck lesions, a number of them were extracted. Dental care hasn't stopped the behavior. She doesn't have fleas. She gets regular exercise and one-on-one attention.

She tends to gnaw at her tail at certain times of day, generally after eating, but not necessarily only then.

Certain locations (a particular chair or a spot on the sofa, for example) can seem to act as triggers, but her tail-chewing is not necessarily restricted to those places.

We've tried distracting her with toys or play, or petting when she focuses on her tail, but that's not entirely successful. She is sometimes willing to be distracted, but inevitably returns to chewing on her tail.

The vet who has seen her since she was a rescue kitten is stumped, as is the vet-dentist.

We have a second cat who is a few months older -- we adopted them together, though they are not related, and they generally get along, though the cat who chews her tail seems to defer to the other.

Do you have any suggestions about why she might be doing this, and especially what can be done? She is otherwise an alert, bright, active cat. -- S.M., Falls Church, Virginia

DEAR S.M.: My book "Cat Body, Cat Mind" may give you some insights that might help you improve your feline detective abilities. I describe one case where a cat was so grief-stricken that she bit off her tail! Excessive grooming of one part of the body can be triggered by emotional stress and the desire to self-comfort. Could there be any emotional trigger for this behavior in your home?

Next on the detective list is chronic irritation from some other part of the body, called "referred pain," as from impacted anal glands, injury to the tail itself (they often get caught in refrigerator doors) and arthritis in the hips or lower back. With the latter, my book "The Healing Touch for Cats" may really help. Give her a few drops of anti-inflammatory fish oil in her food daily.

Also consider a possible food allergy or intolerance, notably to dairy products, corn and beef, and in some instances, to fish. For cats intolerant of fish, an omega supplement from algae rather than fish oil is advisable.

Finally, this may be an obsessive-compulsive behavior, which could be subdued with even a pinch of catnip every few hours or a prescription of Prozac for a short period to break the cycle. Excessive grooming and chewing can release feel-good opiates that creates an addictive component to the behavior.

(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.)