DEAR DR. FOX: Responding to your request for ‘pet’ peeves -- or should I say ‘guardian’ peeves? Mine are:

-- Feeding an animal too much so she/he becomes obese.

-- Buying cheap grocery-store pet “food.”

-- Not providing dental care. -- D.A., Falls Church, Virginia

DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you for providing helpful information in your newspaper column. In a past column, a reader asked what the worst mistakes are in pet care. You provided some helpful ideas. May I suggest you add another to the list?

Please stress that pet owners should NOT drive their car with their pet roaming freely in the front seat or sitting in the driver’s lap. It is a danger to the pet, who may be thrown through a windshield in the event of a sudden stop. It is also very distracting to the driver, who may cause an accident that would endanger the lives of the owner, the pet and other drivers/pedestrians.

I have witnessed an accident and have, several times, been nearly hit by drivers who had pets sitting in their laps. I even urge people to write to their congressional representatives to sponsor state laws that pets not be allowed in the front seat unrestrained. It is currently a law in only a few states but, for everyone’s safety, it needs to be a law in every state.

Let’s keep pets and their owners all safe. -- S.B., Burke, Virginia

DEAR D.A. & S.B.: Your “pet peeves” are spot-on, and I need add no more except to endorse your concerns and urge all readers to take your good words to heart.

DEAR DR. FOX: Two weeks ago, I adopted a cat from the Humane Society, and yesterday I had to take him back. I hated to do that, because he was basically a good cat. But MY cat nearly had a heart attack when I brought the new one home. I found that I had to keep New Cat in the basement, and Old Cat upstairs. With bathroom facilities accordingly. Can’t live like that. The few times I tried to get them together required several Band-Aids. For me.

But now that New Cat is gone, how do I convince Old Cat of that without buying another box of Band-Aids? The cat bathroom is in the basement and I’d like to retire the temporary one upstairs. I thought I was doing a good deed, but all I did was upset an already neurotic cat. -- E.J., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR E.J.: It is foolhardy to simply let a new cat into the home and expect the resident cat or cats to accept the interloper like a long-lost friend. The Humane Society is very much at fault for letting you take the cat without any advice about introduction and preparing your home before you took the cat with you. The steps that should be followed when adding a new cat into a home are available in the article “Introducing a New Cat” on my website, drfoxvet.net. These kinds of materials should be provided by all cat adoption agencies.

It may take several weeks for your resident cat to recover and accept going down into the basement to use the litter box. You may want to place the litter box at the top of the basement stairs or at least close to them, with the basement door open, for a few days. Of course, clean the box used by the new cat with water and vinegar before putting in fresh litter, and clean around the floor surfaces in the basement to at least dilute the scent of the new cat. A plug-in dispenser of Feliway, the cat bonding pheromone, in the basement may also help.

(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 have a lap kitty. To be more specific, this approximately 7-year-old rescue cat (mine for four years) is not content to just curl up on my legs when I sit. Rather, she senses when I sit in my easy chair from wherever she is napping elsewhere in the house -- how she knows this is beyond me. She comes running and jumping into my lap, worming and inching her way up to my torso until ensconced like a nursing baby, inches from my chin. There, she will stretch out her forelegs, placing each one as far as she can reach around my neck in a seeming kitty hug. I know she would even try kissing me if she could. Of course, I am moved by this act of kitty love.

The problem: A few months ago, she started jumping up on the toilet seat, probably thinking, “Wow, a huge water bowl!” After that started, my husband now scolds me for allowing the snuggling, pointing out that nasty germs on her paws could move to my neck and face. I said, what’s the difference between that and kitty litter on her paws, then on me? Or a pet puppy who licks his genitals, then someone’s face?

I am not exactly fond of this either, but germs are everywhere. I am told that even my washing-machine tub is filled with germs! Pets are doing the only thing they know to show their love for their owners.

What should I do? Bar her from her habits, or enjoy this act of love? -- B.S., Springfield, Missouri

DEAR B.S.: Your vivid prose will get some readers thinking about this important issue and, hopefully, find the middle way.

Without good bacteria from our animal companions and other natural sources, we and our children would probably have even more allergies, depression, obesity, infections and other health issues. These ailments are high enough as it is, because of our collective ignorance and paranoia over potentially infectious and contagious bacteria, and the misuse of antibiotics and other antibacterial -- anti-life -- chemicals.

Infectious disease experts advise to keep your hands away from your mouth and face when in public places to limit the hand-transfer of potentially harmful bacteria, including the infamous norovirus, and to wash hands thoroughly when you come home and before you prepare food and before you eat. Wash hands after putting out pet food, dry kibble being a potential source of salmonella and other bacterial infections.

DEAR DR. FOX: I always read your articles in the Palm Beach Post and find them informative. I am addressing a matter dear to my heart, and I hope you will agree with me.

When a dog or cat is hopelessly ill and suffering and there is no hope, a decision is usually made to euthanize the animal. I would like to propose the following, from my personal experience.

Our old cat, Tomy, after having kidney problems for a long time, eventually had acute kidney failure. He retreated into his “igloo” bed, refusing to drink or eat for days. We decided to end his suffering.

We called the veterinarian and asked her to come to our house, instead of dragging a very sick cat to unfamiliar surroundings and causing additional trauma. The doctor came and my family (including our grown daughter) all gathered around Tomy to say goodbye. I held him in my arms when he got the injection to sedate him, and then the lethal injection. We could see there was no pain; he just fell asleep. We buried Tomy in the backyard. It was a family affair with all of us crying, but it was comforting knowing we were with him to the end in his familiar surroundings.

On the practical side: The costs for the house call were reasonable, and it was cheaper to bury him than to have him cremated. Most people don’t know about the option for in-home euthanasia and are surprised when I bring it up. Please help make home euthanasia wider known. It makes such a positive difference in the final hours of a pet.

Now, I have two questions (unrelated to Tomy). We have a 2-year-old spayed female cat, a rescue. She is happy, healthy and very active. But when she sleeps, she often snores. I have had many cats over the years and never encountered a snoring cat. Have you?

I am involved in TNR (trap/neuter/release) and we have about six feral cats in our community who are well taken care of. What can we do about flea prevention, since we cannot touch the cats? Is there anything we can put in their food? -- F.W., Delray Beach, Florida

DEAR F.W.: Yes, I frequently advocate in-home euthanasia in my syndicated newspaper column. I am happy to say that more and more veterinarians are providing this service in many communities, along with palliative in-home hospice care for terminally ill cats and dogs who are still enjoying some quality of life.

Many cats snore -- Persians in particular, because of their deformed, pushed-in faces. When it is severe, one must look into possible sleep apnea and increased risk of respiratory infection.

I have written extensively about the pros and cons of TNR (as per the article “Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors” on my website, drfoxvet.net), which I oppose with very rare exception. You hit the nail on the head with one contradiction: claiming the cats in your area are “well taken care of” while admitting you cannot do anything about flea control. This is one of my concerns, especially for ill and injured cats. My other concern is that no matter how well fed they are, they will kill wildlife, and they do not belong outdoors where indigenous wildlife species need protection.

(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 response to the letter about the cat spraying: I, too, had a sudden problem with my cats spraying. A friend suggested putting a bowl of food wherever the cats were spraying. I did this, and it worked spectacularly! Cats will not spray where their food is. It worked for me. -- M.F.K., St. Louis, Missouri

Dear M.F.K., This is very interesting and, in a sense, expected. My guess is that the presence and odor of the food makes some cats feel secure, so they are less motivated at that moment and at that place to spray to mark their territory. This behavior is distinct from house-soiling squat-urination so often associated with feeding a cat high-cereal dry food.

Very often when cats are emotionally disturbed by a house guest, new baby or prowling cat outside, they will select one or more vertical objects or surfaces to back up to and spray with a little urine. For those cats behaving in this way, there is now a possible prevention, thanks to you -- provided it does not mean fat cats eating up all the stop-spraying food-bowl contents!

DEAR DR. FOX: My sister-in-law has a 14-year-old cat who has developed what her vet calls “feline acne.” He has black stuff under his chin.

Her vet gave her medication for it, but apparently this whole situation is so offensive that the cat refuses to drink water anymore (and he always has). My take is that whatever this problem is, it must smell bad to the cat, and leads him to avoid the water dish.

When I asked my vet about it, he suggested some topical medication (I’ve forgotten what it was). Her vet suggested salting his food to make him thirsty. I don’t think so! My vet said some cats are like camels and can go forever without drinking.

Any advice? -- E.J., Sykesville, Maryland

DEAR E.J.: Feline acne is an inflammation of the skin glands that is not uncommon in cats. In some cases, it seems to be triggered by drinking from plastic bowls, because the condition improves when cats are given ceramic or stainless steel water containers.

Some of the ointments used to treat this condition could result in a cat not wanting to drink. So add some water to the cat’s food. Cats are not like camels in the sense that they can do without water for an extended period of time. Many cats who drink insufficient amounts of water will become ill, and may die. What the veterinarian should have said is that cats have a poor thirst regulatory mechanism -- not an ability to survive dehydration.

So be sure your sister-in-law is not using a plastic water bowl, and that she cleans her cat’s chin three times daily with a disposable wipe impregnated with tea tree oil, lavender, aloe vera, or any natural, soothing herbal ingredients with anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

STUDY: CATERPILLAR SOUND DETERS PREDATORS

Recent findings announced at the International Symposium on Acoustic Communication by Animals suggest that the North American walnut sphinx moth caterpillar can make a sound mimicking bird alarm calls, thus deterring predators.

"This is the first instance of deceptive alarm calling between an insect and a bird, and it's a novel defense form for an insect," said study author Jessica Lindsay.

(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.)