DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 10-pound tabby cat and just got him back from the vet. He had a case of impacted poop. This cost me $400; $55 of that was a case of Pro Plan gastroenteritis cat food, which I had to feed him through a syringe, liquefied with chicken broth. Now that he is eating and drinking on his own, he refuses to eat this cat food. (I am not feeding him dry food anymore, and even when I did, he also got canned wet food.)

What can I do to make him eat the Pro Plan the vet recommended? I do not want to go back to feeding him like a baby bird. -- T.A., Trinity, North Carolina

DEAR T.A.: You and your cat have been through a costly ordeal. Who would ever have imagined, a generation ago, paying $400 for veterinary services to treat a constipated cat? But a generation ago, when cats were more active and not over-fed, this problem was less prevalent.

Dry cat food, with all the modern taste, odor, texture and food-addiction technology applied by manufacturers to make cats crave their manufactured kibble, is a major contributing factor to the epidemic of feline obesity and associated constipation. Organized veterinary medicine has remained relatively silent on this and other companion animal nutrition issues.

At the very least, your veterinarian should give you your money back for the unpalatable prescribed cat food, which is simply a profit-driven spinoff, intended to solve a problem created by bad cat food to begin with. This point was emphasized by veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth M. Hodgkins, formerly Director of Technical Affairs at Hills Pet Nutrition, in the book “Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat & Dog Food,” which I co-authored with her and veterinarian professor Dr. Marion E. Smart.

Feed your cat a regular, good-quality canned cat food or my home-prepared recipe (posted on my website), get her to play more, and massage her tummy regularly.

DEAR DR. FOX: What organizations working on behalf of animals would you suggest as possible beneficiaries when I write my will? I love all animals, but am especially fond of birds. -- K.A., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR K.A.: Nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting animals wild and domesticated change over the years, and not always for the best.

Some put more moneys into executive salaries on an equivalent scale to for-profit corporations that I find questionable. A few organizations, especially in the wildlife and conservation sectors, employ lawyers and other professionals who demand salaries equivalent to what they would earn in private practice. They also put millions of dollars into TV advertising and other media outlets, which they justify as “educational expenses” rather than pure self-promotion to raise more money. Since that money often comes from a limited donor pool, this effectively robs smaller, local organizations of potential funding -- especially when donors feel that they have given enough already to a good cause.

To find the better organizations that put most of the funds they raise into direct action and specific programs, not into salaries and money-generating promotions, visit charitynavigator.org.

Visit your local animal shelter and wildlife refuge and see their facilities. Assess them: Are they locally reputable? What are their needs? As the saying goes, “think global, act local.”

Considering your affinity for birds, I would highly recommend the American Bird Conservancy. Also check to see if there is a local chapter of bird watchers, possibly with the National Audubon Society.

(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: I’ve had a compost pile for decades for natural disposal of leaves, grass clippings, eggshells, peelings and all kinds of rotten vegetables. Years ago while living on a farm, my mother also added chicken and rabbit manure to her compost (horse and cow manure, mixed with straw, had their own pile). This “black gold” made a huge difference in our gardening efforts.

Dumb Question of the Day: Is it safe to put cat feces and urine clumps in my compost pile? I use unscented, clumping kitty litter. -- I.E.E., Danbury, Connecticut

DEAR I.E.E.: The compost pile, when we worked our kitchen gardens and grew some of our own food, was indeed a source of “black gold.” I would not put cat poop into a compost pile unless I knew that it generated sufficient heat to kill off any potentially harmful bacteria and other organisms in cat feces.

It is good that you are using a fragrance-free cat litter. We are all better off without synthetic chemical fragrances, from laundry products to toiletries, in our homes, and our gardens would be better without herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. Such chemicals are likely to be present in a corn- or wheat-based clumping cat litter, and I would not use that kind of litter in my garden. Cat litter made of clay would probably not turn into good compost, nor be good for any kind of soil.

DEAR DR. FOX: When I whistle, my dog is able to quickly locate where the sound is coming from, and looks at me. When I whistle at my cats, they look all over and can’t seem to locate where the sound is coming from. They even run into another room, trying to locate it. It’s like the Monty Python skit called “Confuse a Cat.”

Is there something different about the way cats and dogs locate sounds, or are my cats messing with me? -- S.P., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR S.P.: You have made an intriguing observation comparing the reactions of your dog and cats to your whistling.

I am a fan of Monty Python -- and not just because I am English, but because we need to laugh at the absurd aspects of human nature, which is often too far removed from authentic nature. Crazy cats can help us bridge that gap.

Cats aren’t stupid, nor are yours (necessarily) “messing with you.” Rather, in my opinion, they are having difficulty understanding why you are whistling. Could you be mimicking a bird outside or in another room, setting them off on a search for it? Or do they simply think that whistles do not come from people, so it must be from a bird somewhere else? I recall that every time I used to play a birdsong CD, my wonderful Siamese cat Igor would run up to the windowsill and look out, rather than running to the speakers.

Dogs have spent thousands of years longer with humans than have cats, so they have evolved a greater ability to read our body language and signals with greater alacrity and accuracy. They know through early experience that a whistle is a signal to get their attention, or to come, or to execute some other particular behavior. Given time and patience, cats will learn to respond to a person’s whistling -- especially if it is used to signal that their food is ready.

ANIMALS AT CARNIVALS, FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

I am one dog owner who would never take my dog to a county fair or carnival because she would experience more stress and anxiety than enjoyment. But many people do take their dogs, regardless of crowd size, noise, temperature and humidity. I wonder how many do it just because they like the attention of so many passersby stopping to comment and asking to pet their dogs.

Other animals at such events -- including animals in petting zoos and farm exhibits, and animals used for children’s rides -- need special oversight and established health and animal-care protocols, ideally with an animal welfare or veterinary expert consultant and monitor. Pigs and poultry can and do transmit diseases, especially influenza, to humans. Infections such as salmonella and E. coli can be a risk from calves, goats, reptiles and other animals on exhibit with close public exposure.

All states should follow the protocol of Red River Valley Fair in West Fargo, North Dakota, which recently stopped one vendor from giving rabbits away as prizes, citing state law. In my mind, this is a significant step forward in animal rights and protection. Next is to put an end to the nationwide sale of millions of chicks, ducklings and bunnies as Easter festival gifts every year. Most of them die, turning this Christian celebration of life into one of sadness for many families.

(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: My mother's farm dog, a 7-year-old mostly black Lab, is a very friendly, gentle animal -- except when a strange car, pickup, SUV, etc. shows up at the house, when he tries to bite the moving tires.

It is next to impossible to get him to stop. He runs in circles around the vehicle, barking and attacking. I think he believes we are joining in the chase when we scold him and try to get him to stop. Any suggestions? -- D.J., Maryland Heights, Missouri

DEAR D.J.: At least the dog does not run out into the road and chase unfamiliar vehicles, which was common in the farm country when I lived in rural Illinois. Your mother's farm dog has his own ritual, which I interpret as capture-kill behavior when he bites at the rubber tires as vehicles are pulling in. He has no need to chase, like most other farm dogs I knew -- he waits for his prey to come right to him!

Since he is part retriever, I would try redirecting his attacks to a few cut strips of old tire that you keep close in a secure container. Throw them away from the approaching vehicle in the driveway so he will go after them rather than the car. But first, he must be motivated to retrieve, so some playful and instructive activity to get him to eagerly retrieve would be wise.

DEAR DR. FOX: Can you give me any advice on how to install trust and calm in a 1-year-old female cat, who, according to adoption paperwork, appears to have been caged in one shelter or foster facility after another?

They told me she was "very shy" and took time to warm up to people. But the fact is, when I got her home, I realized she's not shy, she's terrified. I'm a woman; the paperwork mentions that she prefers men. I can't imagine what must have happened to create this psychological damage.

The first couple of days I had her, I managed to get her to sleep in a large bed on my bed, then with her bed on a chair pulled up to my bed. She let me pet her, stayed curled up the first couple of days and by the third day, she was stretching her long legs, letting me lean over and pet and stroke her -- and even rub her belly!

Then, four days after bringing her home, I had the mobile vet come to examine her. She freaked out, and since then will not come near me; she looks at me terrified and runs, spending the day and most of the night under the bed. Only recently has she started wandering the rest of the house, finding soft cat toys I purposely put out for her, playing with them during the night and napping in little cozy areas I set up for her.

I'm heartbroken that she no longer trusts me; she was doing so well until the vet visit. I'm giving her free access to all but one room in the house. I am being patient, not trying to pick her up, talking to her gently and hoping soon she'll trust me.

Do you have any tips on animals who have been caged so long? She could not have ever been in a home or apartment -- she stares at the walls, lamps, the TV as if she's never seen such things before, including windows. -- M.M., Naples, Florida

DEAR M.M.: Your shy cat was beginning to bond well with you, but her flight response and terror were triggered by the "invasion" into her new territory by the veterinarian.

It will take time for her to recover, and she may always be shy of visitors. One of our ex-feral cats still runs and hides when we have visitors, but soon comes out of hiding once they are gone.

You may accelerate your cat's recovery with a plug-in dispenser of the calming feline pheromone product Feliway in your bedroom and any room she frequents. A few drops of essential oil of lavender on a blanket or pillow where she naps may have some calming effect, as can soft classical music, which can serve as a sound barrier as well as a calming auditory stimulus.

Early evening is when cats are most active, so try to engage her in interactive play with a laser spotlight to chase. Also, try to brush or pet her with a soft brush or a big feather tied to a cane so you can reach her easily.

RAWHIDE RECALL OVER CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION EXPANDED

The recall of rawhide chew products by United Pet Group has been expanded to include private-label brands such as Dentley's, Essential Everyday, Good Lovin' or Petco and Priority Pet. Some foreign manufacturers of the products used quaternary ammonium compound mixture, which is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and can cause gastric irritation in dogs, in the production of the rawhide chews.

(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.)