DEAR DR. FOX: My 11-year-old snowshoe Siamese is a real love-bug, except when she suddenly reverts to a feral animal, stalking and leaping on prey: me!

It used to be that she just did this when we were roughhousing. My vet said to distract her when she starts this behavior. This worked sometimes, but then she recently started her stalking when I tip her out of my lap to stand up. Now, it’s like nothing at all sets her off. Should I keep pheromone spray handy?

I’m getting along in years, and am afraid she’ll upset my balance and I’ll fall during one of these unpredictable “attacks.” -- J.A., Leesburg, Virginia

DEAR J.A.: You are wise to be mindful of the potential risk of tripping over your cat and having a bad fall that could put you in the hospital. One friend tried to avoid stepping on her cat, fell sideways, broke her hip and soon died from an embolism.

A cat pheromone spray, in my opinion, will not deter your cat from engaging in the stalking game you two have established. Your veterinarian is right in that you must find a way to distract your cat.

One option is to train her to chase a laser spotlight, which pet stores sell as cat toys. Alternatively, try a wand or cane with a bunch of feathers on the end of a string. Use a spray bottle of water to inhibit your cat from stalking you when you stand up and are walking around the house. The stalking and hide-and-seek games cats love to play should be restricted to the time and place that is best and safest for you -- or, stop such games from now on, and just use the laser and wand toys instead.

DEAR DR. FOX: When my brother died suddenly and unexpectedly, I could not take his beloved 14-year-old cat, Miss Miss, home with me due to my extreme allergies. I was forced to place the cat in a boarding facility.

She was clearly depressed, even though she had my brother’s pillowcase, her own belongings, catnip and a three-tiered enclosure. I visited Miss Miss daily. After four or five days, it occurred to me that my brother’s home almost always had a radio tuned to a special station. The moment that I placed a radio with “her” station playing near her enclosure, Miss Miss visibly relaxed, stretched and started eating.

No one could ever take the place of my brother (both for Miss Miss and me), but having her regular audio environment helped her a great deal.

Miss Miss was adopted into a loving home by a dear friend and is happily ensconced as “Queen of Everything,” just as she was with my brother. I also wrote a note of thanks to the radio programmers for their music and voices, which helped soothe this animal’s nerves. -- R.B., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR R.B.: Thank you for being such a mindful caregiver for your deceased brother’s cat. I hope animal behaviorists and others interested in animal psychology, well-being and quality of life issues will remember your story, affirming that familiar sounds can be comforting for other animals as well as us. Some kinds of music -- generally classical, and instruments such as the harp and flute -- can have profound effects on animals. This is an area where more research would give us further insights into the minds of animals. For more information, I highly recommend these two special edition publications: Time magazine’s “The Animal Mind” and National Geographic’s “Inside Animal Minds,” both available on magazine stands.

JERKY TREATS FROM CHINA CAN KILL YOUR DOG

Many dogs in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia have become ill after eating jerky treats manufactured in China, and have even died from an acute kidney disease called Fanconi syndrome. Some who did recover will suffer chronic kidney disease, with all its complications and costs.

Chicken, duck, beef and vegetable treats from China have been implicated, but the actual poison not yet identified. My theory is a change in protein structure following food irradiation.

My advice: Read the label on dog treats before purchasing. If it says “Made in China,” or “Distributed by (an American company)” -- and not “Made by” -- do not purchase it.

If you are concerned, contact your veterinarian and also one of the following organizations.

-- Pet Poison Helpline: 855-764-7661, or petpoisonhelpline.com

-- ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control: 888-426-4435, or aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control

-- In Europe: Veterinary Poisons Information Service: vpisglobal.com

NOTE FROM DR. FOX

As summer comes to a close across the U.S., I urge all people whose dogs and cats have had adverse reactions to anti-flea and -tick products to have their veterinarians make sure that reports have been sent to the manufacturers and government regulators.

(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. In your professional opinion, what are the worst mistakes people make with their cats and dogs that they are not aware of? -- R.E., Silver Spring, Maryland

DEAR R.E.: What a thoughtful question!

Maybe if enough readers respond with their top peeves and serious concerns, we will have a list good enough to start a book of proper companion animal care like Dr. Spock’s was for new parents! Then some of the harmful relationships that form between people and their puppies and kittens might be avoided.

Munchausen by proxy is a big one; on the dark side, there are the bullies and sadists, with their children and companion animals suffering similar fates and afflictions. Also, unacceptable treatments have become the norm: declawing kittens, ear-cropping and tail-docking puppies, and crating lonely dogs all day in empty homes.

There is an even darker side for dogs and cats: commercial breeding and being subjected to genetic manipulation. The goal is to make them more appealing and loveable, making them live the life of an animated toy, a child-substitute, a decorative item or a fashion accessory. Making dogs physically and psychologically ever more appealing and puppy-like as adults may satisfy human emotional needs, but may not be in the best interests of these animals, who generally require considerable veterinary attention because of their deformities. These dogs most likely have the canine equivalent of Williams syndrome, characterized by hyper-sociability and limited intellectual abilities.

I would like to believe that most dogs and cats kept as companions enjoy fulfilling relationships and healthy lives. Most animals require, at minimum, an annual wellness examination by a veterinarian. I believe this is the right of every companion animal, and should be mandated under laws protecting animals’ entitlement to humane treatment. Community charity organizations should help pay for veterinary services in cases where people cannot afford them; this would improve both the animals’ and their people’s quality of life and emotional well-being.

Many people feel their animal companions are their “soul mates,” but the devotion of humans can rarely equal the unconditional love that dogs and other animals bestow upon us. Human love is rarely simple or pure, as per the woman I confronted on an early Oprah Winfrey TV show: The woman brought on stage one of the American bulldog pups she had bred. The pup could hardly breathe, and was walking with difficulty up the few low dais steps. While petting the dog, I asked the woman how she could breed dogs who could barely breathe or walk. She said, “I know, but I do love them.”

On a lighter note, my top peeves are people walking their dogs and never giving the dogs an opportunity to use their noses, which connect to their minds and spirits; and cat owners, whether forgetful or irresponsible, who let their cats’ litter boxes turn into minefields of excrement. Cats detest dirty paws.

PET INSURANCE RISING -- OR SO THE INDUSTRY CLAIMS

Premiums paid for pet insurance increased 21 percent in 2016 over the previous year, and the number of insured pets rose 11.5 percent, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. More companies are offering pet insurance as an employee benefit, and more millennials and empty nesters are adding pets to their households, the association said.

Rather than purchasing insurance, many pet owners choose to set up a savings account or private account with the veterinary hospital/clinic for installment payments as needed, or contract for basic preventive vet care and periodic wellness exams.

(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 Institute for Humane Education launched its first crowdfunding campaign on Aug. 22 to support its Solutionary Program. It is completing the third year of a three-year pilot of this new program for middle and high schoolers in which students work collaboratively to address real-world problems of concern to them and devise solutions good for people, animals and the environment.

The campaign will go for one month, and the Institute's goal is to raise $50,000. Readers can donate at humaneeducation.org/donate. -- Zoe Weil, President and Co-Founder, Institute for Humane Education, Surry, Maine

DEAR Z.W.: Good to hear about this important project, which I am happy to help promote. I hope readers will support this as much as they can.

As I see it, the need for humane education is ever more urgent, considering how epidemic inhumanity has become in virtually every nation, state and community. This includes not only mistreatment of our own kind but of animals, many being pushed into extinction, and of the natural environment we share and upon which all of life depends.

Along with this ethical and humane crisis, there is an apocalyptic awakening, a tearing of the veil of human-centeredness (anthropocentrism) as more people are beginning to see and address harm-reduction and quality and respect for all life. In this regard, it is surely no coincidence that one of America’s biggest publishers, Time Inc., put out two publications this summer prominently displayed on magazine stands across the country: one under National Geographic’s flag, Inside Animal Minds, and the other, The Animal Mind -- A Time Special Edition, exploring “how they think, how they feel and how to understand them."

I am encouraged to read on your website that you offer the only graduate programs preparing people (teachers, activists, advocates) to be comprehensive humane educators connecting animal protection, environmental preservation and human rights; I am also impressed with your online courses and workshops and award-winning free resource center utilized by tens of thousands of educators at home and abroad. Thank you for your work.

A BIG STEP FOR ANIMAL KIND: MORE CITIES SHOULD FOLLOW

Recently, Cambridge, Massachusetts, banned the retail sale of commercially bred pets.

The ordinance, passed by the Cambridge City Council, prohibits the commercial sale of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians in pet stores. Fish are not included in the ordinance but could be added at a later date.

Despite opposition from Petco and PetSmart, the two main pet shops in Cambridge, deputy director of advocacy for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Laura Hagen wrote, “Cambridge residents have been enthusiastically supportive (of the ban), indicating that they want to see Cambridge leave the inhumane animal supply chain.”

Animals in pet shops are often purchased by people who are unprepared or unable to provide for the animals’ needs. Many of those who are purchased from these stores will be abandoned or will die from neglect or improper care. Several pose a public health risk. Infants and those with impaired immune systems are especially at risk from zoonotic diseases. Countless numbers of animals suffer and die before they even reach the market, and wild populations are depleted as endangered species are pushed toward extinction.

(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.)