DEAR DR. FOX: My 2 1/2-year-old cat has spent most of her life indoors. She makes the usual chattering noise when she sees a bird, is very interested in watching the squirrels, goes from window to window to watch a bunny hopping by, doesn't care much about dogs sniffing around and she rarely mews, but chirps.

My son and I were astounded when, while looking out the window, she spotted a cat and started howling and hissing. So, here's the question: How did she know it was a cat and that howling was the way to go? -- J.S., Moorhead, Minnesota

DEAR J.S.: You seem to be asking how your cat knows that it was a cat outside and not some other creature. Animals have self-awareness, and one cat seeing another outside most often perceives the other cat as a threatening invader of territory, but not a rabbit or dog.

Your cat, like most, has a significant repertoire of vocal sounds for different situations to express her emotional states and cognition. When you live with more than one cat, you may find that one does most of the "talking" and that some varieties, such as Siamese, are very vocal indeed.

You may also see how cats do recognize and respond to each other's different vocal sounds. One of my cats would generally ignore the other, who was twittering and chirping at birds and squirrels on the other side of the window, but would come running to see when a low growl-yowl was given at a free-roaming cat or a less intense vocalization at a raccoon or groundhog.

Your cat could have heard the other cat giving threatening calls and smelled the cat's spray, which free-roaming cats often do around the homes of other cats. This can be very distressing for in-home cats and in many instances can make them start to spray indoors, become house-soilers and even attack each other.

MILLENIALS TOP PET OWNERSHIP

Pet ownership is up, according to the American Pet Products Association’s 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey. It reports 68 percent of American households now own a pet, accounting for 84.6 million pet-owning households, up from 79.7 million pet-owning households in 2015. Millennial pet ownership surpassed that of baby boomers by 3 percentage points, and the younger segment includes more than 50 percent of reptile, small-animal and saltwater-fish owners.

I would urge people of all ages not to purchase reptiles or other exotic warm-blooded animals that cannot be provided a proper habitat in unstimulating environments that are facsimiles of their true natures, analogous to zombies. Like many wild bird species, these exotic reptiles are part of a lucrative worldwide industry that causes many to die before they get into the pet stores for uninformed consumers to buy on impulse.

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(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: The other day, my husband was reading your column and when he was finished he threw the paper down and started to cry. He looked at me and said, “Well, it’s pertinent.” I picked it up and read it, and then I began to cry. The subject you wrote about was happening to us right then.

Our beloved 16-year-old cat, Gracie, was terminal, and it was only a matter of time until she would be gone. Your column dealt with a man who had two cats and lost one. The surviving cat suffered with grief for a long time, so when the situation arose again, this time he took the surviving cat with him when the other cat was euthanized.

After reading this advice in your column we decided to take our Koko with us when Gracie was euthanized. Koko had been through this several years ago when his brother, Kiki, died. Koko was depressed after, and we made sure that we touched, petted and played with him extra to help him get over the loss -- and us, too.

Koko did not like being there, but after we got home, he went into a basket that was always Gracie’s. As soon as Gracie took it over, Koko never went into it until she was gone. It’s been only four days now, but he is taking over some other things that were Gracie’s alone. We are heartsick that we lost our very special kitty, even though she had been lucky as she had an ectopic ureter that was diagnosed when she was 2. She dealt with it very well, so did we, so to have 16 years with her was amazing. -- D.H. and J.H., Estero, Florida

DEAR D.H. and J.H.: You have my sympathy; I understand how devastating the loss of an animal companion can be. I am very glad that one of the issues in my newspaper column coincided with your situation and you found it helpful.

Koko's behavior is interesting in that he clearly accommodated or deferred to Gracie when she was alive. Being conscious that she is now gone, he is essentially filling in some of the spaces that she formerly occupied, both physically and psychologically.

Behavioral and neurological sciences have helped advance our understanding and appreciation of animals' consciousness and emotions. Such evidence that warm-blooded animals are more like us than they are different deflates the erroneous belief in human superiority. It forces us out of anthropocentrism to face the realities of animal use and abuse around the world. For instance, consider the suffering of billions of animals raised for human consumption and used for experiments to find cures for human disease.

For the views of some of history's deepest thinkers and social reformers, I would highly recommend a book by an old colleague and dear friend in Germany, Johanna Wothke. She is the founder and director of Pro Animale, an organization that has set up 25 animal shelters across Europe and Turkey and rescued thousands of dogs, cats, equines and abused and neglected farm animals. Her philosophy is captured in the book's title, "Memento," a derivative of the Latin "memento mori," which suggests being mindful of your death. Such mindfulness, she contends, can move us all to examine how we live in relation to the lives and eventual deaths of others, and lead us along the "paths of suffering and the destruction of our fellow creatures -- the animals -- as caused by us humans."

People in America can support her international animal rescue work and learn more by purchasing copies of "Memento" through email at proanimale-sw@t-online.de.

EXERCISE HELPS DOGS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

Two veterinarians in Taiwan have documented the benefits of an exercise regimen in addition to standard prednisolone treatment in small-breed dogs living a sedentary life and suffering from chronic diarrhea. This was after other dietary treatments (hydrolyzed and hypoallergenic elimination diets) and various supplements either failed or only partially improved their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although this was a small study inspired in part by the clinical improvement in human patients suffering from IBD who are able to participate in a regular exercise program, it offers a safe and potentially effective additional therapeutic approach to this all-too-common canine condition.

Living a sedentary life, rarely aroused and often being trained to evacuate inside, especially when living in high-rise apartments, could lead to longer retention times of fecal material prior to evacuation. This may cause inflammation of the bowels, exacerbated by various dietary ingredients and their metabolites with further possible health problems due to bacterial endotoxins. Physical activity may help improve circulation and help alleviate and prevent lymphangiectasia, the accumulation of lymph in the bowels seen in some forms of canine IBD.

Mental arousal with physical activity may increase peristaltic tonus of the bowel’s smooth muscles that may become flaccid with a placid temperament and an unstimulating indoor environment. Megacolon and fecal impaction, commonly seen in under-stimulated and under-active indoor cats, and weak urinary bladder tonus with urine retention and consequential cystitis may also be related to a lack of arousal and physical activity.

So walk more with your dogs and play more with your cats, some of whom may also enjoy outdoor walks in a harness or on a leash!

(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: We rescued our Labrador-mix, Mandy, about a year ago when she was about 5 years old. She was obviously beaten and abused for most of her life, and after a year, we are still unable to loosen her up.

We have never heard her bark, nor will she come or play ball -- ever. She doesn't hear well because she apparently had ear problems that went untreated for years. She will not drink water out of a bowl, but only out of large plastic cups. She stays in our bedroom all day and will come out for a walk only with a treat.

We would never return her and would welcome any thoughts on what we can do to bring her around. She is extremely sweet but backs away from any people and all dogs, no matter how friendly or nice they can be. She will not look anyone in the eye, either, and always looks away and backs off. -- R.K. and B.K., Wellington, Florida

DEAR R.K AND B.K.: Poor Mandy does seem to be a victim of post-traumatic stress disorder, and I applaud your devotion and patience with her. Professional help from a veterinarian specializing in behavioral problems or a referral to a certified animal behavior therapist would probably be your best option to help improve her quality of life.

If there is a safe place, such as a quiet backyard or enclosed area where she can be off-leash and not run away if frightened, I would start from there. Lie on the ground and have her come over to you for a treat with your partner releasing her off the leash some distance away. Repeat and repeat so she gains self-confidence being out in the open and has two people close by whom she trusts.

If possible, find another dog owner with a friendly, easygoing dog with whom Mandy can meet when out walking on the leash. Let them get to know each other and eventually have the "therapy" dog brought in to the enclosed area to meet and hopefully begin to play with Mandy.

Try an elevated water bowl on a stand, which many dogs prefer.

Essential oil of lavender can have a calming effect, so try 2 to 3 drops on a bandanna around her neck two to three times a day. Give her 3 mg of melatonin in the evening. Visit petzlife.com and learn about another supplement, @Eaze, which has natural ingredients that can increase brain serotonin and have a calming effect.

A short treatment trial with medication such as alprazolam prescribed by a veterinarian would be the next step to take if these treatments do not help.

Good luck and keep me posted.

DEAR DR. FOX: I will be on vacation for 18 days, and I want to know how I can make my cat most comfortable during my absence.

I have someone to care for him at least twice a day while I'm away. I worry that he will be lonely as there are no longer any other cats in the house. His littermate passed in June.

I did vacation for a week in February, and all went well. He has plenty of toys. He snuggles with me on the sofa and lies next to me in bed. What more can I do for him while I'm away? Should I worry? -- L.N., Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR L.N.: Be sure the person coming in to care for your cat has your vacation contact information and will stay as long as possible to play, pet and groom your cat. Have the sitter make sure your cat is eating and drinking well and that the litter box is kept clean.

If there is a time in the evening when you normally have the TV or radio on, set up a timer so it goes off at your normal bedtime. Maintaining familiar sounds can help animals feel secure. If you pull the drapes in the evening -- or any other such routines -- be sure they are continued in your absence. Leave two or three T-shirts or other items of clothing that you have been wearing where your cat likes to nap so your scent will be there when you are away.

Have a good vacation!

(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.)