DEAR DR. FOX: About 2 1/2 years ago, I lost my beloved cat; he was 18 years old.

The house seemed so empty and quiet, so I thought I would go out and adopt two cats (littermates). I found a foster-cat agency, looked on their website and it was love at first sight: There were two cats, a black-and-white tabby and an orange-and-white tabby, brother and sister, 6 months old.

We had a home visit from the agency, and after we were approved, we went to the foster mom’s house. I brought a carrier with me, and told her that I was interested in both cats.

When the time came to put them in the carrier, the foster mom got a blanket, cornered them and wrapped them in it, then transported them into the carrier. At first, I thought nothing about this behavior. But I realized when I brought them home that we could not touch them.

I thought maybe it was fear of the new surroundings, but this has gone on for over a year. I worked with the two cats diligently, and now I can pet them briefly, but as soon as they see my hand come near their faces, they run. I think they were abused and no one said anything to me.

I would never give these two up for any reason. My question is: What can I do to pick these cats up and hold them -- in other words, get them to trust me? Is there anything I can do to correct this problem, or is it something that I have to accept?

My fear is that I will have to take them to the vet for a checkup and I won’t be able to get them in the carrier. I don’t want to do what the foster mom did with the blanket, in case that would make them afraid of going to the vet.

Another thing that I fear is that I won’t be able to pick up the cats in case we have to evacuate the house for any reason. Recently, every smoke alarm in the house went off due to a malfunction. I called the fire department and they told us to get out of the house ASAP, so I had to leave the cats in the house, which bothered me tremendously. Thank God it turned out OK.

This has been bothering me since Day 1. Why was I never told that these cats would not let us pick them up and hold them? Is there anything I can do? -- L.S., Manchester, New Jersey

DEAR L.S.: My guess is that the kittens were never properly socialized to people.

You cannot force yourself on a cat. The cat must come to you. Our latest rescued cat, who has been with us for a year now, does not like to be picked up. Many cats are like that. Most like to be stroked, and I can now stroke her briefly, either when she is eating or occasionally when she is in bed -- that would be my chance to pick her up and put her in a crate in an emergency.

Try just touching your cats when you put their food down. This may help desensitize them with the conditioned reward of food, or some yummy favorite treat. Our cat enjoys chasing a bunch of feathers tied to a 4-foot cane, with which I can gently pat her. I put this wand under a sheet of newspaper and move it around underneath and she goes wild, leaping and “killing” it. Your cats may enjoy chasing a laser light, too.

Cat play in the evening has a bonding function. Also, try them on catnip. Some cats get quite “high” and become very contact-seeking!

KIDS WITH DOGS MIGHT HAVE LOWER RISK OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Children younger than 13 who have a dog in the home might be less likely than their peers who don’t have a dog to develop schizophrenia, particularly if exposure to a dog occurs before age 3, researchers reported in PLOS One.

The researchers say more studies are needed to verify the finding, but the phenomenon could be explained by immune system changes that occur with childhood exposure to pets, although the effect was not observed with bipolar disorder risk. (Dec. 19)

(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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: The predicted extinction crisis is now being confirmed by scientists around the world. There are documented precipitous declines in the numbers and known species of insects, amphibians, reptiles, fish and birds in more “dead spots” around the world, while biodiversity hot spots, notably America’s national parks, are threatened by invasive species.

President Trump seeking to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement is a step back from what is needed at this time in our biological history. The establishment of a United Environmental Nations is called for: a collaborative organization that can resist being paralyzed by party politics; subverted by the corrupting forces of fear, greed, ignorance and denial; and not be divided by wars over natural resources or overwhelmed by the heartbreaking burden of political, economic and environmental refugees.

As a veterinarian and biologist, I see the current politicization of environmental and animal protection issues, and the denial of climate change, as protecting vested interests that have no place in a democracy -- or in any society concerned with the long-term health and quality of life for all. Socialism and capitalism make poor bedfellows, but the challenge of democracy is to live with both to help ensure the common good. Our capacity to become fully human is limited when respect for all life is lacking, and when compassion is just a noun and not a word of action and virtue.

INVASIVE SPECIES IN NATIONAL PARKS

Rats, feral hogs and other non-native animals are making themselves at home in America’s national parks, to the detriment of native wildlife and plants, according to research published in the journal Biological Invasions.

The report’s authors call for a coordinated, system-wide approach to managing invasive species; the approach would include visitors, park neighbors, National Park Service leaders and everyone in between. (CNN, Dec. 4)

DEAR DR. FOX: I know an elderly lady with a huge feral cat problem and, sadly, no way or means to control it.

I’ve just heard about a cat birth control product -- a powder to put in their food -- called FeralStat, which contains Nonovulin (megestrol acetate) and lactose. It is a synthetic progestin and approved by the FDA. Is it available through veterinarians? It appears the developer has passed away, and I have been unable to find any current information on the product.

I hope you can help locate availability of this, as it could end the overpopulation of cats that cannot be caught, and stop the disease, starvation and death of the poor creatures. -- M.A.W., Medford, Oregon

DEAR M.A.W.: I appreciate your concern. Indeed, there are countless numbers of people who put food out for cats which then, if not neutered, multiply -- creating a big problem for neighbors, wildlife and the cats and kittens themselves, who may be in need of veterinary care and are too fearful to be caught for treatment.

Such misguided altruism can go one step further into the psycho-pathology of animal hoarding when people lure cats into their homes, where they continue to multiply until local health authorities, police and animal protection agents intervene.

The product you describe, megestrol acetate, could be supplied by a veterinarian, but my concerns are many. First, getting the right oral dose for each female cat would call for separate feeding stations and careful monitoring. Another concern is that the cats are still out there, probably killing wildlife, even if they are well fed and the females are on this medicine and not reproducing. Cats are super-predators and can live for several years, their impact on local wildlife often being devastating.

For details on this hormone treatment, which I would only endorse as a last resort in low- to zero-wildlife areas -- such as some urban housing, warehouses and developing communities -- visit birthcontrolforcats.com.

At this very moment of writing to you, on the winter solstice, we have yet another stray cat on our deck: a very large and handsome black “panther,” who has set off alarm calls by the squirrels. He is taking a nap, eyeing our dog and rescued cat Fanny through the sliding glass door after consuming a lot of food we just put out for him.

Our next step with him, as with nearly a dozen other cats, will be to catch him and take him to the local veterinary hospital to be tested for feline immunodeficiency disease and feline viral leukemia. If he tests negative, he will be neutered, dewormed, checked for fleas and given anti-rabies vaccinations. Then we will put him in a large cage in our living area with a bed, litter box, food and water; with time, he will most likely become another very affectionate and adoptable in-home companion.

It is amazing how all of the cats we have rescued, and whom animal shelter “experts” would deem feral and unadoptable, can be “reprogrammed” to enjoy life indoors, with some being more amenable to being picked up than others. Not all are “cuddle-pusses,” but none have ever tried to get back outdoors to roam and hunt once they feel secure and are well fed under our roof!

(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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: Dog breeds with pushed-in faces -- a deformity called brachycephaly, affecting pugs, bulldogs, Pekingese, boxers, Boston terriers and more -- suffer from many related health problems. This was confirmed in a study published in PLOS One entitled “Great expectations, inconvenient truths, and the paradoxes of the dog-owner relationship for owners of brachycephalic dogs.”

Disturbingly, the study finds that breeders and owners are generally in denial about the harmful consequences of deliberately breeding and purchasing such animals, or do not appreciate the seriousness of their breed’s conformational problems and necessary surgeries.

The most common diagnoses that respondents shared from veterinarians were allergies (27% of dogs), corneal ulcers (15%), skin-fold infections (15%) and brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS, 12%). In addition, 20% of dog owners reported that their dogs had undergone one or more conformation-related surgeries. The most frequently reported surgeries were nostril widening (8%) and eyelid surgery (8%). One-third of all pregnant dogs required medical or surgical intervention to give birth.

Even so, 71% said their dog was in “very good health” or “the best health possible,” and just 7% said their dog was less healthy than average for its breed. Nearly 40% of the dogs could be experiencing airway obstruction problems, but only 18% of owners thought their dog had a breathing issue.

“These contrasting and paradoxical results support the influence here of the ‘normalization’ phenomenon,” explain the researchers, “whereby owners of brachycephalic dogs may be consciously aware that the dog is struggling to breathe but not consciously accept that this is a specific problem, instead considering it a ‘normal,’ and therefore somehow acceptable, feature of the breed.”

Researchers added that it is “likely that many owners do not recognize sleep problems as a welfare issue, and may instead interpret signs of sleep-related airway impairment as benign ‘normal’ phenomena. For example, sleeping with a toy in their mouth or in a sitting position (strategies to avoid upper airway obstruction) may be considered as just cute quirks of their dog rather than indicators of true pathology.”

Another survey of health issues in bulldogs in the U.K. found that this breed was especially prone to ear, skin, eye and respiratory infections, as well as obesity and gastrointestinal problems. (“Disorders of Bulldogs under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2013,” PLOS One, 2019)

DEAR DR. FOX: I appreciate all your reasoning and advocacy on behalf of animals and the environment, but in my opinion, (the problem) all boils down to capitalism. It is part of our culture, if not our DNA, to make a profit out of anything we can, any which way. How do we change that? -- P.S., Vancouver, British Columbia

DEAR P.S.: I appreciate your response, and agree with you that capitalism -- the accumulation of material wealth -- when unbridled, as it is today, has caused more harm than good to people, animals and the environment. Animals are more than mere commodities, and nature more than a “resource” for our exclusive exploitation and plunder.

I offer a new term for this psychosocial pathology evident in our culture, along with a lack of conscience and empathy: namely, “pecunitarianism.”

According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, the word “pecuniary” first appeared in English in the early 16th century and comes from the Latin word “pecunia,” which means “money.” Both this root and the Latin “peculium,” or “private property,” are related to the Latin noun for cattle, “pecus.” In early times, cattle were viewed as a trading commodity (as they still are, in some parts of the world), and property was often valued in terms of cattle. It is no coincidence that cattle, like chattel, are linked etymologically to capitalism.

I would describe pecunitarianism as the modus operandi of those who follow the path of Mammon with addictive zeal, making a profit regardless of the hidden costs -- what economists call the “externalities” -- be they social, environmental, moral or ethical.

This psychosocial pathology has helped bring on the climate and extinction crises, compounded by human over-population and conspicuous consumption. Christianity and other monotheistic traditions have been corrupted by anthropocentrism, and their gods are andromorphic: in the image of men.

All religions, at their core, embrace the Golden Rule of treating others as we would have them treat us, which must be extended to all sentient beings. But now, with the moral inversion of our times, it is the Rule of Gold that is our society’s foundation!

THE SUFFERIING OF DOGS OF WAR

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security recently stopped sending bomb-sniffing dogs to Jordan and Egypt. The State Department’s Office of the Inspector General recommended suspending the program until the two countries implement plans to ensure the health and well-being of working dogs from the U.S.

The OIG found evidence of negligence and improper care that led to the deaths of several counterterrorism dogs. (Associated Press, Dec. 20)

Thanks to the efforts of a network of animal welfare and rights advocates, this action has been taken by our government, which is evidence of the continuing need to have third-party civilian monitors of military-related activities and their hidden costs and consequences at home and abroad.

(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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)