DEAR DR. FOX: My vet, who I like overall, has my 13-year-old cat, Pixel, on two prescription diets: one with lots of fiber and the other because it is easily digestible (my kitty has had hairball, constipation and vomiting issues). The hairballs and vomiting have disappeared thanks to natural hairball paste.

Pixel, who weighs 9 pounds, lost a couple of pounds in the last year, but she has gained 1/2 pound back in the last month because I added more of the digestible food to the fiber food.

Pixel had a serious bout of constipation more than year ago. We had to take her to the vet, where she received multiple enemas. There were no obstructions, and the vet put her on lactulose for a couple of months. It resolved the issue, and she started eating the fibrous food. After a year on the food, she has lost too much weight. She poops a lot, but she seems malnourished.

My vet has recommended Cisapride because she says Pixel has irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease. Kidney disease, pancreatic issues, diabetes and thyroid disease have all been ruled out. I would rather add some nutritious food that won’t constipate her. -- P.W., Ashburn, Virginia

DEAR P.W.: Your cat is getting on in years and has been through the mill diet- and health-wise.

Crohn's disease or inflammatory bowel conditions are all too common; in some instances, there is an underlying gut cancer (lymphoma) issue. High-fiber prescription diets can interfere with food digestion and absorption, so the animal loses weight and overall health.

Chronic constipation and fur balls are also common feline maladies. Both conditions are helped with regular grooming and deep abdominal massage, as per my book "The Healing Touch for Cats." Add a few drops of fish oil and a teaspoon of light olive or coconut oil to the cat's regular diet, then transition to a grain-free, raw, frozen or good-quality canned cat food -- or try my recipe, posted on my website (DrFoxVet.net).

Chronic constipation and so-called megacolon can often be alleviated by giving a daily teaspoon of a mixture of canned sardines and psyllium husks (not seeds) or chia seeds. Allow soaking well before serving. My old cats love this and have no bowel issues.

DEAR DR. FOX: Can you recommend a sonic collar to use at night only? Our 8-pound cavapom likes to bark during the night while in her sleep room, which makes it difficult for us to sleep in our room.

She does not bark during the day except when she sees a cat nearby. -- K.W., Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR K.W.: You might try what one reader found works to stop neighbors' dogs from barking:

P.W.F. from Fredericksburg, Virginia, just wrote to me: "For five or more years, I have used Bark Stopper to combat neighbors' barking dogs. It uses batteries.

"Once dogs become accustomed to it, they stop barking within 20 seconds. The first few uses may take longer, until they learn that barking triggers an uncomfortable high-pitched sound. I use it only when I am on the porch and the dogs become a real nuisance.

"Bark Stopper can be found most easily in catalogs and I assume through Internet, though that's not my preferred way of shopping."

There are also anti-bark collars that make a buzzing sound or other stimulus when the dog barks to startle and condition the dog not to bark. Not one brand fits all. I advise against purchasing electronic remote shock collars, which should be used only by sensitive and qualified canine behavior therapists and dog trainers.

STUDY: HOW CATS HARBOR FLAME RETARDANTS IN BLOODSTREAM

Swedish researcher Jana Weiss published data in the journal Environmental Science and Technology documenting high-brominated flame retardant levels in feline blood samples. BFRs, used in clothing, electronics and furniture, have been linked to endocrine disruptions and are implicated as a significant contributing factor in the widespread incidence of hyperthyroidism in cats. Weiss found cats are exposed to BFRs in dust, something that could also be happening to small children.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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 topic of pet health insurance, in the dark shadow of America’s human health insurance mess, may seem absurd. But as I have emphasized in earlier writings, cat and dog owners should discuss this with their veterinarians -- especially if they have a purebred or “designer” puppy or kitten with extreme physical traits, such as abnormally large heads, pushed-in faces, twisted limbs and extreme infantilism (paedomorphosis) and probable genetic or inherited health problems. Having to euthanize a beloved companion animal for economic reasons is a reality for many people who cannot afford needed veterinary services, especially for cancer and other chronic diseases in older animals. This puts an emotional burden on veterinarians, and as a recent extensive survey by Dr. Barry S. Kipperman and associates published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reveals, is a significant factor in professional career satisfaction and burnout.

The escalating costs of pet health care mean that many cats and dogs are taken to the veterinarian only when they are seriously ill, which means much more cost and animal suffering that might have otherwise been avoided by regular wellness examinations.

To help pet owners understand the complexities and ups and downs of pet health insurance, veterinarian Douglas Kenney has written a helpful guide, "Pet Health Insurance: A Veterinarian’s Perspective." For more details, visit petinsuranceguideus.com.

A pet insurance study by LendEDU.com gives some insights, noting that only 16.9 percent of cat owners surveyed had pet insurance, while 26.7 percent of dog owners had coverage. Of those with full coverage, 85.3 percent thought that their pet insurance was worth it, as did 82.1 of those with accidents and illness coverage. Only 63.6 percent of respondents with accident-only coverage thought it was worth it. Veterinarians informed 67.5 percent of the respondents with pet insurance about coverage.

To help pet owners decide, there are some online information sources:

-- Consumer Affairs, consumeraffairs.com/pets/pet-insurance, and

-- Consumer Reports, consumerreports.org/pet-products/is-pet-insurance-worth-cost.

The North American Pet Health Insurance Association (naphia.org) gives a list of members and coverage costs, which averaged around $465 for dogs and $316 for cats in 2015. Some may be better off setting up their own emergency-care fund for their animal companion to avoid the emotional and financial trap of unforeseen veterinary costs.

Low-cost, basic service and nonprofit animal hospitals, often in association with local animal shelters and humane societies operating in low-income communities, are being established across the United States. The classic model is the United Kingdom’s People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals. Founded in 1917 by animal welfare pioneer Maria Dickin, the PDSA is the U.K.’s leading veterinary charity. Operating through a U.K.-wide network of 51 pet hospitals and 380 pet practices (contracted private practices), PDSA provides free veterinary care to the sick and injured pets of people in need and promotes responsible pet ownership.

DEAR DR. FOX: My Shih Tzu has a big problem with storms. The vet has prescribed trazodone tabs and acepromazine in liquid form, which helps sometimes.

She starts to shake (a lot) before a storm even starts, and sometimes she doesn't stop for a long time after. Is there anything else you would recommend? -- R.B., St. Louis

DEAR R.B.: Many storms are predicted this spring and summer across much of the U.S., no thanks to our collective contribution to climate change. There's no denying that, nor the fact that many dogs suffer from "thunderphobia," which can be difficult to temper.

Draw the drapes or curtains, and turn up the volume on your TV or radio weather channel before the predicted storm arrives. Fit your dog with a tight wrap around the chest and abdomen, such as a child's T-shirt, and make it snug with Velcro strips or duct tape. This calms many dogs. Many people are afraid of storms, too, so be sure that there is no behavioral contagion from you to your dog if you are phobic.

Several dog owners have told me that giving 3 to 6 milligrams of fast-acting melatonin 30 minutes or so before a predicted storm comes can make a big difference. Let me know what works best for your dog. What your veterinarian prescribed can help many dogs. Try the Thundershirt first without medication, then go on from there.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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: Yours is a voice in the wilderness regarding cat problems. Many of us who are trying to address the overpopulation of feral cats appreciate you very much.

I have been doing some research related to cats' effect on bird populations. We often speak only in general terms, but local effects are important. Here are a few paragraphs from an article I have recently had published locally that speak to the situation both nationally and here in New York:

"The effect of the feral domestic cat on wildlife is, to use appropriately chosen words, catastrophic and cataclysmic; it appears on the world list of 100 worst invasive alien species. With evidence gathered from a wide number of resources, researchers estimate the number of birds killed by cats annually in the United States at 1.3 to 4 billion and the number of mammals at 6.3 to 22.3 billion. This represents an average of 750,000 annual bird kills per county, or 800 per square mile. There are, of course, many causes of wildlife mortality, but, compared with other human-related causes, cats represent far and away the major killer...

"... (W)hile we should certainly be concerned about wind turbines, this places their effect in proportion with the effect produced by cats. We have regional evidence that strongly correlates with this drastic situation."

The U.S. Geological Survey June Breeding Bird Surveys are carefully replicated annual counts along designated routes, and they offer a stark population comparison between the 1960s and the 2010s. New York has 99 of these routes. Overall bird numbers for New York state are down 35 percent. Meadow birds that nest on or near the ground and are especially susceptible to cat predation are far worse off, with these specifics: thrashers down 79 percent, towhees 83 percent, meadowlarks 91 percent, vesper sparrows 74 percent, field sparrows 80 percent and grasshopper sparrows 97 percent. Henslow's sparrows are gone; in the 1960s, there were an average of 31 counted each year, but the last was recorded in 2006. It is quite easy to come up with similar data for any state by going to the Survey files. -- G.R.R., distinguished teaching professor emeritus at State University of New York, Buffalo

DEAR G.R.R.: I know that I am not alone in expressing appreciation for your in-field research on the impact of domestic cats on wild bird populations. This has been a long and contentious issue in my syndicated newspaper column. I do not wish to continue to alienate those cat lovers who support releasing neutered cats to live outdoors and kill wildlife, but to help them expand their circle of compassion to embrace all creatures and not just cats, whom I love and respect. In fact, my wife and I have rescued and rehabilitated many to become happy and affectionate indoor cats.

Your findings may help convince cat owners and municipalities that cats belong indoors, just as with our dogs, and apply appropriate laws to help ensure the same. Habitat loss, widespread use of herbicides and insecticides, and climate change are additional factors that harm wild birds and other wildlife, which society must address with nothing less than regional and planetary CPR -- conservation, preservation and restoration.

Social progress demands that we examine the truths we live by, our values, actions and cultural traditions, including the sons of princes, presidents, kings and tycoons who trophy hunt and kill beautiful rare species, the not-so-rich who capture birds and other wildlife for the international market, so many dying in the process, and the English in my original homeland, who put their cats out at night and bring them in with the morning milk and newspaper from their doorsteps, where their cats often deposit the night’s kill -- a nursing field mouse or a mother wren!

HAPPY OWNERS MIGHT MEAN HAPPIER DOGS, STUDY FINDS

A study published in PLOS ONE found that dogs and their owners influence each other's personalities and ability to cope with stress, and humans have a particularly marked effect on dog behavior. Heart rate and cortisol levels were recorded and interpreted alongside survey results, revealing that dogs are sensitive to the emotional states of their owners, and dogs may adjust their behavior in response.

Several decades ago, I termed this phenomenon "sympathetic resonance," and this study confirms how empathic and vulnerable our canine companions really are.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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.)