DEAR DR. FOX: I have adopted two 1-year-old rescue cats, and I am overwhelmed by all of the conflicting advice one reads regarding cat food.

I am realistically not going to be able to make the food myself. I buy premium-brand dry food; I feed them 1/4 cup in the morning before I go to work, and then I give them another 1/4 cup plus half a can of premium-brand wet food after work. I was buying grain-free only, but my vet said that cats get grains in the wild -- for example, they'll eat birds that have grains in their stomachs, so the cats are also ingesting the grains -- so going completely grain-free is not necessary.

I stand in the pet food aisle completely confused by all the choices. Should I switch them to wet food only? How much? Are there brands you recommend? -- M.K., Washington, D.C.

DEAR M.K.: Your veterinarian is only half right -- the amount of cereal grains and cheap soy protein in far too many cat foods is very much more than wild cats would ever consume if and when they eat the gut contents of their prey. For more details, visit feline-nutrition.org.

Canned foods are generally low on cereals and better for cats than conventional kibble. Look out for and avoid grain-free dry foods that are high in other starches such as potato, pea flour and tapioca. Newman's Own canned cat food has some organic ingredients now, and Wellness canned cat foods are quite good. Dry Orijen cat food is acceptable, and I do like some of the new generation freeze-dried and frozen cat foods available in some pet stores.

I hope this helps, and yes, it is overwhelming when you go into a large pet supply store and see all the different varieties of cat and dog food to choose from, and it's confusing when veterinarians are still selling biologically inappropriate pet foods, high in cereals and soy protein, to their clients.

DEAR DR. FOX: I lost my dog, a chocolate Lab, to old age, and I was deeply hurt. I had this dog from his puppyhood until maturity (14 years), and I trained him very well as a guard dog.

Ever since his death, I've searched for a new dog, wondering if I would even like to have another. I signed up at the Humane Society of Missouri here in St. Louis, and I have fostered eight dogs, one at a time, to heal myself. I am still hesitant to adopt one. Right now, I am fostering a dachshund who was a stray dog that someone turned in to the pound. Due to my working hours, I spend nine to 10 hours out of the house at a time, depending on the traffic.

You've commented before on leaving dogs alone for long periods of time. What do you think about my situation where I am away for many hours? The dog is already well behaved, well trained and knows to control his poop and pee. I am feeling bad about this. -- H.C., St. Louis

DEAR H.C.: Good for you for being a dog foster parent; it's so helpful for many dogs to get out of noisy animal shelters and into a safe home environment, where they can recover from abandonment issues.

Being away for up to 10 hours during the workweek could be very problematic for some dogs, possibly triggering separation anxiety. Keeping the dog in a crate during that time, as many people do, is an act of cruelty. Leave on the radio or TV while you are gone, and ideally have someone come over to walk the dog during the day.

Consider having two dogs in your foster care so they can have each other for company, or keep one that really connects with you as your permanent companion and canine ambassador to welcome future dogs needing a temporary home prior to adoption.

(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: Feral cats are disgusting. Within six months of my county instituting a trap-neuter-release (TNR) program, the feral cat population exploded. These vermin gravitated to my backyard, which abuts a wooded area. Now my yard smells like a litter box, the lawn is spotted with feces and most importantly, the health of my wife and child, both asthmatics, has been jeopardized, as the cat stench permeates everything. One day it was so bad that a neighbor's kid, another asthmatic, wouldn't leave our house unless I walked him home.

I understand the intention of TNR, but animal rights shouldn't trump public welfare. -- R.C., Bowie, Maryland

DEAR R.C.: As one of the first advocates of animal rights and as a veterinarian committed to improving the human-animal bond of compassion and understanding for the health and well-being of all, I am deeply disturbed by reports like yours.

Such examples of releasing neutered cats in relatively large numbers into unsuitable residential areas under trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs is animal abandonment, an act of cruelty contrary to most state and federal animal protection laws. Simply dumping unadopted cats (too often with no provision of food or care of any kind) because shelter staff and management are sick of euthanizing healthy animals is likewise a violation of anti-cruelty laws. Read my article "Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors" on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

Reach out to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (aldf.org) to find a pro bono attorney who may be enlightened enough to set this local TNR organization on the right path. Perhaps you will clean up the nationwide TNR movement -- a major topic in my newspaper column for some time. At the very least, you should contact the local police and public health authorities.

Personally, I find all cats, feral or not, very beautiful -- they are super-predators, not "vermin." But when people let their un-neutered cats roam free, problems arise. The cats kill wildlife, and they multiply -- and we all suffer.

Keep me posted about what happens.

JERKY TREATS STILL SICKENING AND KILLING DOGS

Pet owners and veterinarians are still reporting cases of canine illness associated with jerky pet treats; however, reports have decreased, according to the Food and Drug Administration. There have been 6,200 canine illnesses and more than 1,100 deaths reported to the FDA, along with about two dozen feline illnesses associated with pet treats containing chicken, duck or sweet potatoes, most imported from China. In the last quarter of 2014 through the end of 2015, only 200 cases were reported. The reported signs of kidney illness are sometimes similar to those seen in dogs with Fanconi-like syndrome.

(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: We have a purebred Jack Russell terrier we got from a rescue 15 years ago. The rescue recommended we use Frontline on him, as did the vet we took him to. We used the medicine, and he had a seizure within about a week, at which time we took him back to the vet. The vet told us that small breeds sometimes have seizures, and there was nothing we could do about it.

After a few months of the seizures, I noticed that they always occurred within about a week of when we gave our dog the Frontline. His stool would loosen, he would be lethargic and then he'd have a seizure. All this from a dog named Ziggy because he couldn't stay in one place.

I stopped giving him Frontline and gave him a pill I found in a local pet supply store that contains brewer's yeast, garlic and some other herbs; he hasn't had a seizure since. Taking this new pill also seemed to increase his strength and exuberance. He's had only one case of fleas, which we got rid of with a Dawn dish detergent shampooing. He has an occasional tick every few years. Ziggy is going blind and a little deaf, but he still runs around like a very happy dog.

The vet told us years ago that Ziggy would need to have two knee operations on his back legs because he had been kept in a crate and his knees would lock up. I tied a piece of yarn to a fishing pole and made him chase it doing figure eights in circles just about every day for about two years. He built up stamina, and he never had the knee operations; his knees don't lock up to this day. -- R.D., Eatontown, New Jersey

DEAR R.D.: Your letter is one of my more bizarre ones. I would never repeatedly prescribe any product known to cause seizures. I can't believe the veterinarian dismissed these seizures as a common problem in smaller dogs. Totally nuts!

Brewer's yeast (NOT baker's yeast) and a little garlic on a full stomach can be good for dogs in many ways and can help repel fleas. For some excellent natural, herbal products in this domain, check Petzlife.com.

Your physical therapy exercise to help correct the kneecap (patella) dislocation issue, which was probably in part an inherited problem, is commendable.

DEAR DR. FOX: My wife is gone three or four days a week. My 8-year-old cat naturally shows preference to and positive behavior around me, and she hisses and is otherwise negative toward my wife.

I have suggested that my wife scruff her and shake her gently to let her know about the pecking order here; that seems to work for a while, but we are not consistent with this. Is Rocky just being a cat, or is there some way we can help her to be more positive toward my wife? -- D.L., St. Louis

DEAR D.L.: This is a good question, especially considering the backlash against so-called dominance training and disciplining of dogs and the favoring of positive reward training for desired behavior. But sometimes giving a reward can reinforce the undesired behavior, like giving a dog a treat to stop barking, believing that to be distracting or redirecting -- in reality, you're actually rewarding the dog for barking!

Cats hiss primarily from fear, and it is best to ignore the behavior. Have your wife spend time grooming the cat and feeding her and calling her by name to give healthy treats. Also, have your wife engage in interactive games with the cat, such as chasing a laser spotlight or a feather on a wand.

Seizing and holding a cat by the scruff of the neck (but not shaking) can have a calming effect; the action is a mixed signal of domination and control: a tomcat's love-bite -- seen during courtship -- is usually directed to the queen's nape of the neck, and a mother tenderly carries a kitten at the back of the neck. I use this scruff-hold briefly to settle a cat and then start brushing the cat or begin gentle massage, as detailed in my book, "The Healing Touch for Cats." But be warned: Your cat may soon become addicted to the latter and quite demanding!

BOOK REVIEW: "What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins" by Dr. Jonathan Balcombe

This book is a scholarly and engaging review of what scientists have discovered about fish behavior and intelligence. Balcombe documents the commercial exploitation and suffering of fish, about which most consumers know nothing.

The author takes readers through the objective eye of natural science's disciplined focus and discovery to reveal the extraordinary and surprisingly highly evolved physical, social, cooperative and yes, emotional and cognitive abilities of fish, which in many respects far surpass our own.

With unblinking eyes, no facial expressions or cries of pain and fear when caught and cold to the touch, they are of a species difficult for most people to empathize with. But with other animals, especially the warm and fuzzy who are kept as pets and companion animals, we develop close attachments, often deeply mourning their passing and suffering their pain when they are in distress. In deepening our understanding of the whys and ways of fish, this book informs and expands our empathic embrace of other sentient beings from an aquatic realm almost alien to our sensibilities.

Thank you, Dr. Balcombe, for presenting scientific evidence that fish feel and are highly sentient beings with intrinsic value, interests and rights as well as ecological purpose. I hope this book will make people pause -- in the blink of an eye in evolutionary time, the last of the great and diverse communities and world-spanning shoals and intelligences of fish life will soon all be gone from the waters of the Earth, along with the ocean mammals and birds dying of starvation, and increasingly impoverished native fishing peoples from shore to shore.

(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.)