DEAR DR. FOX: In a recent column, you mentioned a safe flea control for cats. I don’t like using the chemical ones such as Advantage or Revolution. My cat does go out, supervised, for about 15 minutes a few times per week, and has an indoor/outdoor catio that he uses occasionally.

Although I’ve not seen fleas, he does have small scabs around his neck that I think are flea bites. He’s very jittery if I investigate too much.

I’ve been putting a little garlic powder in his moist food. Is this OK, or is there a more effective way to control fleas? -- C.B., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR C.B.: Cats should not be given garlic or onions because they can cause anemia.

Instead, give him a pinch of organic nutritional yeast, rich in B-complex vitamins, in his food, working up to a half-teaspoon daily. Many people have found this keeps fleas off their cats.

Also, try one of these various spritzes on his fur -- spray onto your hands and then pet him, if he does not like the spray applied directly -- before letting him outdoors (into a safe enclosure). Try soaking fresh lavender in warm water overnight, or sliced lemon in just-boiled water to sit at room temperature overnight. Strain and save the liquid in a tight container in the refrigerator. Use 1 cup of water to a handful of lavender or one lemon. Alternatively, mix 1 cup of organic apple cider vinegar in a half-cup of water.

Rub the liquid between the cat’s shoulder blades, on the back of the neck and behind the ears. Avoid the lower back, since the cat may groom there and the residue could cause mild stomach upset.

Groom the cat well with a flea comb daily, and apply the spritz liquid herbal repellent every three days.

The above advice can also be applied to dogs. Dogs can also have suspensions of essential oils like a mixture of lavender, cedar, pine or eucalyptus in water put into their fur. But these essential oils are not for cats, who lack the liver enzyme to prevent any toxicity from these concentrated plant essences, and could become sick after grooming sprayed fur.

Cedar wood chips in dog and cat beds will also help repel fleas.

DEAR DR. FOX: My family and I have adopted four cats, and they are all sweet and friendly. The only problem is that our youngest cat, Phoebe, keeps defecating and urinating outside of the litter box. We have had her since she was 8 weeks old.

We have tried everything we could think of: changing litter (both brand and type), changing diet, new litter boxes, automatic litter boxes, taking her to be tested for a UTI (or anything else), changing all of the litter every day, natural sprays and treatments to discourage her from urinating outside the box. Nothing worked, and it’s getting worse: She is now urinating on our furniture, destroying couches and defecating in our laundry baskets (which we have replaced with lidded ones).

I have an immunodeficiency, my dad has diabetes and my mom has cancer, and we are constantly getting sick. We have discussed rehoming her with the original adoption agency, but they seem not to want to help us in any way. We are begging you to help us find other solutions; the last thing we want is to lose a family member. -- L.B., Brick, New Jersey

DEAR L.B.: I sympathize with your challenging situation as the primary caregiver in your home, a situation of which I am no stranger myself. This house-soiling young cat may be picking up on all the household stress, and/or not bonding well with the other cats. Some cat-rehoming experts tell me that some house-soiling cats never fully recover and use the litter box. Other cats do better when given their own box, a timeout in a separate room, and a short course of gabapentin and lorazepam, after being checked out and cleared of cystitis by a veterinarian. In rare instances, a twice-daily pinch of dried catnip herb can resolve the issue, and is worth a try.

My wife and I rescued a young stray cat recently, and all our socialization and rehabilitation efforts failed: He was a fearful soul, so we had to put him in a cat sanctuary. He was a house-soiler, even urinating on our beds! At the sanctuary, he has a better quality of life and is beginning to enjoy the company of other rescued cats -- 85% of whom are eventually rehomed. He will probably join the remaining 15% as permanent residents for behavioral reasons: being fearful or aggressive toward people, or spraying and not using the litter box. I consider these to be temperament- and genetic-related tendencies, exacerbated by stress and various traumatic experiences earlier in life.

You are captive of your own compassion with this cat, who could thrive in a sanctuary or single home after cage- or room-confinement for litter box training. So do not berate yourself for parting with this poor cat for whom you did your best.

(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: My New Year’s message for 2020 was to wish America 20/20 vision. And now, we have 20/20 vision of a nation -- and, indeed, a species -- divided on how best to live in the midst of the climate, population and COVID-19 crises. There can be no more “business as usual,” putting short-term profits for the few over public and environmental health and food security.

There is much human suffering, death, grief and socioeconomic chaos during this pandemic. The cause of this plague and other zoonotic (animal-to-human) diseases lies in our relationship with and treatment of other species, wild and domesticated. We would not be victim of our own inhumanity toward them if we did not raise pigs and poultry in disease-promoting factory farms, or poach wild species for food, encroaching on and disrupting their habitats.

Some may deny the climate and extinction crises, but none can deny we have a global pandemic, which could put us on the right path -- not America First, but Earth First! The path to disease prevention -- and our redemption, under the ethos of the One Health philosophy -- is in becoming humane planetary stewards, respecting the rights of all living beings.

In his book “Earth Keeper,” Pulitzer Prize winner and Kiowa tribal elder N. Scott Momaday declares: “Those who deny the spirit of the earth, who do not see that the earth is alive and sacred, who poison the earth and inflict wounds upon it, have no shame and are without the basic virtues of humanity. And they bring ridicule upon themselves.”

Collectively, we cannot be shamed into right action, as we learn in raising children. But this pandemic is a time for humankind to take a moral inventory and consider how we can best avoid harming others and the environment in meeting our basic needs. Justice that does not serve and honor all our relations can never serve the common good.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 7-year-old wheaten terrier, who had anti-rabies vaccinations in 2013 and 2014. Then she came down with what the dermatology vet diagnosed as an autoimmune disorder, leading us to reconsider future vaccinations. She lost coloring on her ears, nose and paws and still has inflammatory flare-ups. Her last vaccination was in 2014, and her rabies titer in 2017 indicated adequate immunity.

I am concerned with the state regulations that insist on regular anti-rabies vaccinations. My dog is always with me, and never gets out to be at risk from any rabid animal. What do you suggest I do so I do not get into trouble with the authorities, since I do not ever want to revaccinate my dog again? -- K.T., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

DEAR K.T.: The condition you describe in your dog would at least be aggravated by additional vaccinations, if not brought on in the first place as vaccinosis: an adverse reaction to the vaccines. As with other vaccines for both animals and humans, those with allergies to substances in these vaccines are advised not to take them. This same principle applies to companion animals who have either acute or chronic autoimmune vaccinosis.

Your attending veterinarian should provide you with a letter stating that giving your dog a booster rabies vaccination is not needed because the dog has a good blood titer reading, and that since the dog is immunocompromised, giving any future vaccines would jeopardize the animal’s health.

Let me know if the veterinarian refuses to do so. (If so, I recommend that he or she read my article at drfoxonehealth.com/post/animal-vaccination-concerns-vaccine-associated-autoimmune-and-other-diseases.) I hope this helps.

NESTLE USES SUSTAINABLE INSECT PROTEIN IN NEW DOG FOOD

Nestle is launching a new line of Purina dog food in Switzerland based on unconventional protein sources, including black soldier fly larvae. Consumer preferences are trending toward protein sources with lower environmental impact, and the British Veterinary Association has endorsed insect protein as a livestock-free diet choice for pets. (Full story: Reuters, Nov. 5)

(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 DR. FOX: I live in a senior community where TNR (trap-neuter-release) is practiced. The cats feed in our dump, and some residents also choose to feed them. The house next door to me is unoccupied at this time. Several cats reside under the house, where they come and go at will.

They use the garden alongside my home as their personal space, urinating and pooping. I never realized this until my husband brought it to my attention while I was pulling weeds. His concern was COVID: We had just read your article stating that TNR programs by animal shelters should be curtailed during this pandemic.

I brought this cat issue to our community’s general manager and to the board. The GM said he contacted some health agency, and was told this should not be a concern. Please inform me of any information you have regarding this issue. -- L.S., Cape Coral, Florida

DEAR L.S.: You are referring to my warning about keeping cats indoors, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is crucial because they can get the viral infection from humans, and then possibly carry it outdoors and infect other cats and susceptible wildlife. This precautionary measure is one of many reasons cats should never be allowed to roam free.

Cat feces can contain pathogens transmissible to humans and other species, wild and domesticated, be they around farms or in rural, suburban or urban communities. There are several diseases that can be passed to humans from cat feces, detailed by Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine -- notably salmonellosis, toxoplasmosis, and diseases caused by hookworms and other parasites called Toxocara.

As yet, no cat with COVID-19 has been reported to have infected people. However, a mutated strain in mink, contracted from infected workers in fur farms, has infected people. Thousands of mink routinely escape from these fur farms, and virologists are concerned that infected mink could pass the virus on to other wildlife. It is also notable that cats can get some strains of the influenza virus from people, and in turn, pass the infection on to other people.

So I am simply calling for the commonsense application of the precautionary principle: Keep owned cats indoors. Those living outdoors should be trapped, neutered, enclosed and either rehomed or placed in sanctuaries. Wear gloves while gardening and wash your hands afterward, as well as after cleaning litter boxes for indoor cats.

I hope this clears up any confusion for you and others during this time of disinformation and of the harmful politicization of preventive public health measures.

DEAR DR. FOX: Can we catch poison ivy from the fur of our cats and dogs? -- H.A.R., Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR H.A.R.: Yes, the oils from poison ivy can indeed be transferred from our pets to our skin. Several years ago, my son got poison ivy after playing with our malamute mix, who had been out running with us earlier in the woods.

My basic advice for all dog owners is to keep them on the trails when outdoors, and away from vegetation where they can pick up not only poison ivy oils, but also a much worse threat to public health: ticks. Especially worrisome is the rapidly spreading Lone Star tick, which can transmit Lyme and other diseases to humans, dogs and other animals.

Always check your animals with a flea comb and look between their toes and ears after an outdoor venture where there is natural vegetation and known tick infestation.

(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.)