DEAR DR. FOX: A recent letter about a family who adopted a feral cat who likes to drag a blanket around the house got my attention. It mentioned that the cat didn't purr, and he hissed at them a lot.

In 2000, I took in a family of four feral kittens. I'd never had feral cats before. The three boys adapted well and were quite social within a few months; after a year, they acted like ordinary domesticated cats. The girl was a different story. For four long years, the only way I knew her location was when she would growl, hiss or scratch if I got too close to her, as she hid under or behind furniture most of the time. She rarely purred, would sneak out to eat when she thought I wasn't looking and was not close to the others. I gave her space and affection as much as she'd tolerate, and one day she jumped up on the couch and sat next to me on her own. After that, she purred regularly when I pet her.

Feral cats can be challenging; patience and kindness are often the keys to breaking their natural trust barrier. I hope that family's kindness and patience is rewarded as mine was. -- R.K., Waukegan, Illinois

DEAR R.K.: I appreciate you sharing your experience rehabilitating feral kittens and proving that it is possible but takes time for some to become socially responsive toward humans.

Cats are a super adaptable species genetically, quite capable of living independently as predators (with the exception of mutants such as Persian and hairless sphynx cats), or enjoying life as indoor companion animals. Still, far too many lead a double life as indoor-outdoor predators and pets. I advise never letting kittens and young cats get a taste of the outdoors because this can quickly condition them to adopting a Jekyll and Hyde existence, free-roaming outdoors and being at risk as well as a serious risk to wildlife and public health, often coming back home with dead or half-dead prey, or with some injury or disease.

Animal shelters need more resources and networks of foster homes for cats considered unadoptable to rehabilitate them and make them adoptable. Otherwise, there should be sanctuaries with group housing rather than neutering and releasing them outdoors to fend for themselves. And cat owners should never allow their cats to roam free off their property.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 14-month-old basset hound with two behaviors we'd like to eliminate.

First, she continues to pee and poop in the entryway of our house. She doesn't know how to let us know when she needs to go out. She barks only when the doorbell rings.

The second behavior we'd like her to change is to stop biting our ankles and feet, which she thinks are toys. She chews on my husband and me, and when we tell her to stop, she thinks we want to play more, and she gets too excited.

Any guidance you can give us will be greatly appreciated. -- M.H., Annapolis, Maryland

DEAR M.H.: Your young dog is doing very well voiding near the front door rather than anywhere else in the house.

Lay down a plastic sheet and newspapers and clean up as needed. Attune yourself to the dog's routine, and get her out when she is most likely to want to evacuate, especially after a nap and especially before and after she is fed. Take her to a spot outdoors where there is newspaper already soiled by her, and praise her with a treat after she does her business.

As for chewing on you and your husband, she will grow out of that. Redirect her to chew on a safe strip of rawhide or on a chew toy. If you buy a knotted rawhide bone, be sure to monitor closely, letting her chew for 10 to 15 minutes at a stretch, and remove the knotted end when it is chewed down in case she tries to swallow it whole. I prefer chews that are short tubular rolls of rawhide without the end knots. Some dogs like rubber toys, especially those that squeak when bitten. But our new rescued mutt Kota is afraid of toys that squeak!

(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: Dog breeders and associations in Europe are beginning to address the tragic plight of certain breeds suffering from various genetic or inherited disorders, an issue that is gaining momentum now in the United States. (Read more at unethicalbreederawareness.com).

Now, as certain cat breeds are developed and become popular, they, too, are suffering the consequences of various genetic disorders. Steve Crow, chairman of the United Kingdom's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy said, "We can't put the genie back in the box with the Bengal and the sphynx (because these breeds are already registered), but we will not add any more."

Crow is referring to spontaneous mutations that compromise health -- as with the hairless sphynx, the munchkin suffering from dwarfism and the pixiebob, which has a short or no tail -- and domestic-wildcat hybrids like the Bengal, a cross between a domestic cat and an Asian leopard cat. Hybrid varieties that are domestic cats crossed with small wild cats, such as the serval, Asian leopard or jungle cat, can be fearful, difficult to handle and are prone to develop behavioral problems. They are often euthanized if not put in a sanctuary like the Wildcat Sanctuary (wildcatsanctuary.org). The ocicat is a cross between domestic cat breeds, and it has no wild ocelot background, but inbreeding is an issue with these popular spotted cats. Certainly, some people can rise to the challenge and provide proper care to wildcat hybrids, but as with wolf-dog hybrids, many suffer because they fail to adapt to the domestic environment.

If you are looking for a good cat, visit your local animal shelter first, and if you are drawn to a particular long-established breed such as a Siamese or Persian, you may find one there. If you go to a breeder, be sure to get certification that the parents have no health or behavioral issues of hereditary origin that could break your heart and your savings account.

DEAR DR. FOX: About a year ago, my 14-pound, 12-year-old unspayed female Shih Tzu began to show signs of what I thought was hip dysplasia. Since she's small and very healthy, this surprised me. A friend recommended glucosamine chondroitin treats, and after about a month of these, she seems to have improved a lot. At least she's on all fours most of the time when she's active. She shows no signs of pain or discomfort, and she will make a mad dash for the door to join us outside. But she still has times when she drags her hindquarters behind her.

It puzzled me that an otherwise healthy small dog would develop hip dysplasia. I now have a hunch about what might have caused it: We have an ongoing rat infestation, and for a while I was using rat bait that contained bromethalin. The bait stations were placed in such a way that the dog would never have been able to come into contact with them, but I'm now convinced that the dog did come into contact with the bromethalin. How?

I've seen evidence that the rats are drinking from the dog's water bowl; when they do that, they sometimes leave in the water little bits of whatever they have been eating. And I do remember seeing once a tiny speck of something with the distinctive green color of the bromethalin product on the edge of the water bowl.

I discontinued use of the bromethalin product months ago, and I now take up the water bowl in the evening. The dog seems to improve a bit weekly, and I'm hoping for a full recovery.

I went online to check the label of the rat bait I used. I may have thrown you a red herring by describing the symptoms of bait ingestion as hip dysplasia. What the poison label does say is that symptoms of ingesting bromethalin include loss of hind limb use. I translated "loss of hind limb use" to "hip dysplasia."

Whatever the cause, Biscuit seems to be recovering the use of her hind legs. Obviously, these bromethalin products have to be used with extreme caution. -- J.M., Washington, D.C.

DEAR J.M.: Your experience with your dog evidently being exposed to rat poison of the kind that can cause weakness and paralysis of the hind limbs and lead to fatal seizures is a warning to all who put out rodenticides in their homes -- especially at this time of year, when mice and other rodents are seeking refuge for the winter. Outdoor predators often die after consuming rodents poisoned indoors that then go back outside.

DOG FOOD RECALL

Mars Petcare U.S. announced a voluntary recall of a limited number of Cesar Classics Filet Mignon Flavor product due to a potential choking risk from hard white pieces of plastic that entered the food during the production process.

For more information, visit truthaboutpetfood.com/mars-petcare-announces-voluntary-recall-of-limited-number-of-cesar-classics-dog-food/.

(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 adopted Murphy at 3 months old from a local rescue group that takes in dogs from a high-kill center in the South. My biracial son worked on a cruise ship that docked in our state, and I took Murphy every other weekend to spend time with my son so they'd be familiar when my son came home for the three months between contracts.

During my son's stay, he and Murphy would play outside, and the dog would try to "herd" him, nipping at his heels and enjoying himself. Once they came inside, the dog acted as if he'd never seen my son before. Every time Murphy came inside and my son emerged from the back room, the dog acted like he was an intruder, barking loudly. He was visibly distressed and would run, trembling, into his crate for comfort. He was never aggressive, and he would comply with my command to "go see" my son; once my son stood up, Murphy would bark again. Nothing we did could change this.

Two years ago, my son returned home for four or five months with his girlfriend. During that time, both Murphy and my 13-year-old mixed-breed dog refused to go outside to relieve themselves until I returned from work. They sat on a daybed looking out the windows and waited for my return. This has continued despite the fact that my son has spent the entire year at home recuperating from surgery. Murphy is more relaxed with white men and women and black women. We're assuming he may have been mistreated by a black male in the past. -- S.S., Toms River, New Jersey

DEAR S.S: You do have a problem!

Several years ago, I was a consultant for the U.S. Postal Service in St. Louis, and we developed a brochure to instruct mail deliverers how to avoid being threatened and attacked by dogs. Many postal service employees were of color, and they were advised never to stare into a dog's eyes because their eyes were more threatening to a dog because the contrast of dark skin color made the whites of their eyes more intense. They were also advised to move slowly and talk to the dogs on their rounds in a calm and friendly voice and offer treats rather than relying solely on a repellent spray.

Your son should ignore your dog insofar as avoiding eye contact, and he should move slowly and deliberately in the room. Sitting down on the floor near the dog, taking him for walks, grooming him and feeding him are all socializing, fear-reducing steps to take. Everyone in the home, including the dog, should wear a bandanna around the neck for a couple of weeks with some drops of essential oil of lavender put on twice daily. This may help calm the dog and facilitate bonding. Above all, your son should not force contact with the dog but ideally spend several nights sleeping next to the dog, who can stay in his open crate.

HALLOWEEN ANIMAL CONCERNS

I wish every community a happy Halloween -- the hallowed eve of Oct. 31 before All Saints' Day, which has become a costume and candy bonanza, with children of all ages going from house to house trick-or-treating, unaware of the pagan roots of this night. Halloween's origin can be found in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain conducted by Druid priests. The Celts celebrated their new year on Nov. 1; the day marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, the end of light and the beginning of darkness. Animals were sacrificed to Celtic deities.

During Halloween, be sure to keep your animals safe -- they may get out when you open the door when children come by and spook at the sight of their costumes and sugar-fired brains. Keep dogs away from harmful and potentially fatal chocolate, raisins and xylitol sweetener-laced candies. Apples, dried fruits and nuts would be preferable for the trick-or-treaters anyway.

(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.)