DEAR READERS: Taking a significant step toward a more civil and humane society, the British government plans to introduce legislation banning the use of wild animals in circuses.

It is encouraging when governments respond to public concern, rather than continue to kowtow to vested interests regardless of the ethical costs -- and, in this instance, the enslavement and documented suffering of wild animals in circuses.

The circus’s big-cat handlers and trainers may say they love and respect their performing lions and tigers, as well as the other captive wild animals, who live most of their lives in small cages -- including elephants, who are often beaten and live most of their lives in chains. But what do children in the audience learn, beyond accepting that there is nothing wrong in such animal exploitation? Time for America to follow suit and pick up this kind of initiative for the good of all.

DEAR Dr. FOX: I have a 10-year-old Persian who seems to struggle a bit going to the bathroom to do No. 2. While he will go, I heard that pumpkin may help his stool come out better. Before, his stool used to be long, but now it comes out in small chunks.

How should I give the pumpkin to my cat, and how much? I don’t want to give him diarrhea, but I would like to help him. -- M E., Eatontown, New Jersey

DEAR M.E.: Cats are prone to developing constipation when they are fed just dry kibble and get little exercise. This can lead to an unhealthy gut with complications such as impaction and megacolon.

So try to stimulate play with interactive games: Chasing a laser light is the delight of many cats. Abdominal massage also helps many cats afflicted with chronic constipation.

Above all, feed him some canned (or freeze-dried and water-soaked) cat foods, or try my home-prepared recipe on my website.

I would never advise pumpkin seeds because the high fiber content, like in psyllium husks, could aggravate the condition. But some lower-fiber supplements can help, such as a half-teaspoon of canned pumpkin or mashed butter beans in your cat’s food daily. Gradually work up to a tablespoon daily (because cats are often averse to anything new in their food), mixed in with a teaspoon of mashed canned sardines in water.

PROPOSED CAT-DECLAWING BAN IN CALIFORNIA

The California Cat Protection (Anti-Declaw) Bill, SB 1441, was officially introduced. The primary author is California State Senator Henry Stern (D) and the first co-author is Senator Scott Wilk (R). Features of the bill:

-- Declawing is outlawed. No one may declaw cats and no one may procure a declaw procedure. Procedures to treat physical medical conditions of animals are not restricted.

-- Violation of the law would carry a penalty of a fine for the first offense and would be considered a misdemeanor for subsequent offenses.

-- Existing local law penalties and penalties for declawing wild and exotic cats will not be superseded.

It is high time for all states to get this kind of legislation passed, and for veterinary associations to wake up to their responsibility to educate their cat-owning clients. Vets must not engage in this kind of unconscionable and unwarranted mutilation as a routine procedure along with neutering. For details of the harmful physical and psychological consequences of declawing that many cats suffer after such surgery, see my review on this topic posted on my website (drfoxvet.net).

(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: You have on your website some accounts of animals appearing to their owners after death. So do you believe in heaven, where we will meet up with all of our loved ones? Or do animals, like some people think, go somewhere else because they do not have souls? -- R.E., Glen Echo, Maryland

DEAR R.E.: The notion of heaven is different for different religions, and has often been used as a political tool to make people conform to certain values and beliefs -- otherwise, they were told, they would go to hell.

The English poet John Milton contended that “the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of a heaven.” Accepting that there are different physical and mental states of being, then Milton is surely right: Heaven is in the embrace of all we love and suffer for. Ignorance, indifference, fear and hatred of each other and other animals turn heaven into hell. We are living spirits experiencing life in human form, whose lives are enriched and even healed by other spirits in dog, cat and other sentient forms.

As the Australian aborigines say, “Dingo (dog) makes us human.” Indeed, other animals can awaken our humanity and touch our spirits, and we must protect them from those who are not yet so touched. We must help those people connect -- and not treat other beings as objects, having neither compassion nor empathy for their earthly relations, nor respect for their ancestors.

DEAR DR. FOX: My bichon dog, Max, is 16 years old. His heart, lungs and muscle tone are good, according to our vet, but he has been diagnosed with high blood pressure and atypical Cushing’s disease. His hormone test was normal, but ultrasound showed slightly enlarged adrenal glands. He is on trilostane (15 mg a day) and amlodipine (1.25 mg).

He insists on waking us up at 4 a.m. and again at 6 a.m. to urinate and eat, after taking him out at 10 p.m. If we do not respond to his cries to go out, he will lose his bladder control and urinate on the floor. I don’t think he even realizes he has urinated.

My question is, are there any meds that can help his lack of bladder control? He never had any accidents 14 years prior to this. -- G.C., Neptune, New Jersey

DEAR G.C.: Congratulations on keeping this older dog going, which, as you have discovered, can be an ordeal.

Restlessness and even wandering around and waking everyone up for food or to be let out may be related to chronic kidney failure, senile dementia or a combination of such issues. This is often seen in older dogs and cats, as well as people.

I would suggest your veterinarian consider these possible complications, and try a light dose of alprazolam at bedtime. But first, try 3-6 mg of melatonin coupled with a last walk before bedtime, and a good total body massage as per my book “The Healing Touch for Dogs.”

DEAR DR. FOX: I love your stories about pets that initiate play. I had a Siamese who liked to play “chase.” She would peek around a corner and look at me, then step back, then peek around again to see if she had my attention. I would do “monster hands” in the air and start to chase her. She’d run and usually hide under the bed or a chair. I’d turn the tables on her, waiting until she reappeared from under the furniture. If I stood just outside the door, she’d know it and creep forward to see me. I would run down the hall and she would chase me! She wore me out!

She was an “only pet,” and was with me for 18 years. After she passed, I got two Siamese sisters, and they exhibit the same behavior -- hiding, ambushing and chasing each other. I guess I was just one big playmate to the first cat. -- M.D., Shiloh, Illinois

DEAR M.D.: One game I developed with my first cat, Igor, a very talkative Siamese, was to flip him with my foot at a burlap screen about six feet away, to which he would cling, do a backflip and come back for more. I once showed this game to a date to impress her, and she was ready to leave in disgust at what she thought was cruelty, until she saw Igor’s delight.

Igor also walked with me in the close-by Maine woods, and would sneak ahead and ambush me on the trail or arch his back and threaten to attack me. I would crouch down and he would jump on my back, and we would continue our jaunt.

I wish more people would learn how to play like a cat with their cats, and consider having two or more cats rather than just one.

(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: First of all, I wish to say how much my wife and I like your column. Secondly, we wish to convey a message about a happening with two of our cats.

We had two male cats, both black: one 17 years old and the other 2 years old. They were best buddies, hung out together, ate together and played together.

Our 17-year-old developed kidney disease a few months ago, and passed away about two weeks ago. We wrapped him in a small blanket, and had him in our house for two or three days until the weather cleared here so I could dig a grave in our backyard where we could bury him. When the time came, a very amazing thing happened: Our 2-year-old cat instinctively knew what was happening when I picked up our deceased cat to take him outside to bury him. He led us across the yard to the gravesite, watched the burial and watched me fill the grave with dirt, then watched over the spot for several hours.

My wife and I were amazed at the love our cat showed for his buddy and how he knew what was happening. -- H.H. and C.H., Norman, Oklahoma

DEAR H.H. and C.H.: It is thanks to readers of my long-running newspaper column who share some of their experiences about their animal companions that we can truly advance our understanding and appreciation of our fellow creatures, and slay the naysayers who deny them consciousness and basic rights.

I would like to hear from other readers about their animals’ reactions to the death of another animal or person in the family. In my experience with dogs, it is good to let survivors examine the deceased. However, once, one of our dogs became very upset when we placed the body of a beloved dog in the grave we had dug in our backyard; she began crying and digging frantically to retrieve the body. So I do not advise that they be allowed to witness the actual burial.

DEAR DR. FOX: My kitty, Tony, nearly 2 years old, was a rescue. Apparently Tony climbed up in a car motor to stay warm when he was about 2 months old. He sustained an injury and required surgery to close his wound. I got him from a friend who rescues and fosters cats.

Since I brought him home, he has had recurring mouth sores that look painful, but don’t seem to bother him. I’ve taken him to four different vets, who have given him antibiotic shots. I do not give Tony any seafood and he eats out of ceramic bowls, and yet he continues to have this recurring problem. A week ago, Tony started limping and holding up his left paw. I took him to another vet, who thought it might be infected. The vet thought another antibiotic might help the paw as well as calming his mouth sores.

I have spent so much money on vet bills, and wonder if there is a “cure” for his problem, or if, as my cat rescue friend says, “some cats just have this in them.” Can this be true? Can you make any suggestions to help Tony? -- C.C. Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR C.C.: Your poor cat probably has one or more virus infections going on, such as herpes, and should be tested for FIV, feline immunodeficiency virus. Advances in developing anti-viral drugs and vaccines are slow and what may be available is costly.

Try my home-prepared diet (posted on drfoxvet.net), introducing slowly since most cats are finicky with anything new. A few drops of fish oil in the food may help since it is anti-inflammatory. Avoid giving much, if any, dry cat food. The supplement Lysine, 250-500 mg twice daily by mouth (or mixed in the food), may also help. Ask your veterinarian to try VetzLife’s oral care gel on your cat.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA FOR PETS PROPOSED IN NEW YORK

A bill introduced in the New York State Assembly would allow veterinarians to prescribe marijuana, but the bill has not attracted a sponsor in the Senate, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been cautious about expanding the state’s marijuana laws for humans. Similar proposals to legalize veterinary medical marijuana are under consideration in California and Nevada.

(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.)