DEAR READERS: With many communities now experiencing the brunt of extreme climatic events, from forest fires to floods and killer temperatures, we must all be prepared to care for our animal companions. The American Veterinary Medical Association has stepped into the breach with some excellent informative resources.

"We should always be prepared to take care of our animals, especially during disasters such as fire, flood or other emergencies," reads the AVMA website. One of the best ways pet owners can be prepared is by having a pet evacuation kit assembled and ready to go. Store it in an easy-to-carry waterproof container near an exit.

What should be included in your kit? Visit the AVMA website to learn more: avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/emergency-care/pets-and-disasters.

DEAR DR. FOX: In response to your column on wild horses, I just wanted to recommend that you look into Skydog Ranch and Sanctuary. I've been following them on Instagram, and they are truly amazing. Claire is a British woman who started the sanctuary and dedicated herself to reuniting wild mustang families. She has also rescued other animals from "canned hunt" organizations.

You know I respect and admire you for speaking out as you do, but I've been doing cat TNVRs (trap-neuter-vaccinate-release) weekly these last couple of months. I see the horror of life on the street -- believe me, I do. But I just can't trap cats and kittens only to deliver them to their executions. That's monstrous! I have no problem considering euthanasia for injured and sick feral cats, however. -- G.B., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR G.B.: Thanks for telling me about Skydog Ranch and Sanctuary. There are a few good people taking in mustangs and various abandoned equines, and without public support, few can continue.

Many people do care, sending donations to worthy causes rather than taking a luxurious (and polluting) cruise or far-flung vacation. It is high time for us all, collectively, to begin to give back to the animals and nature for all that we have taken and destroyed over the centuries. The climate crisis is one consequence, along with the next inevitable pandemic.

I appreciate your concerns about homeless cats, but in my professional opinion, feral cats should not be released once trapped. Rather, they should live in enclosed colonies, which will protect the cats as well as the wildlife they would otherwise kill. They must also be given veterinary care as needed, especially revaccination against the rabies virus.

Several scientific studies underscore these concerns. An excerpt from one such study states that TNVR programs' "ability to adequately address disease threats and population growth within managed cat colonies is dubious," and calls rabies transmission via feral cats "a particular concern."

The study continues, "TNVR has not been shown to reliably reduce feral cat colony populations because of low implementation rates, inconsistent maintenance, and immigration of unsterilized cats into colonies. For these reasons, TNVR (programs) are not effective methods for reducing public health concerns, or for controlling feral cat populations. Instead, responsible pet ownership, universal rabies vaccination of pets and removal of strays remain integral components to control rabies and other diseases." (Full story: "Zoonotic disease transmission associated with feral cats in a metropolitan area: A geospatial analysis," published in Zoonoses Public Health, 2018)

Do visit this website for full documentation supporting my advocacy to end TNVR and give proper care for all cats: humanecontrol.com.

STUDY REVEALS BLEAK PICTURE OF BIODIVERSITY

Populations of 48% of the world's nonhuman species are declining, and fewer than 3% are increasing, according to a study in Biological Reviews. Extinction is occurring 100 to 1,000 times faster than in the pre-industrial age, according to the U.K.'s Natural History Museum, and 33% of species considered stable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature are experiencing population declines. (Full story: "More losers than winners: Investigating Anthropocene defaunation through the diversity of population trends," Biological Reviews, May 15)

(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: A January report from the Commonwealth Fund, entitled "U.S. Health Care From a Global Perspective, 2022: Accelerating Spending, Worsening Outcomes," should serve as a clarion call for reforms and correctives.

Two striking quotes from the report:

-- "The U.S. spends nearly 18% of (its) GDP on health care, yet Americans die younger and are less healthy than residents of other high-income countries."

-- "Not only does the U.S. have the lowest life expectancy among high-income countries, but it also has the highest rates of avoidable deaths." (Full story: CommonwealthFund.org, Jan. 31)

Addressing this problem from one angle is the FDA, which, for the first time in nearly 30 years, is changing its requirements for foods to be labeled as "healthy." A group of 15 organizations is urging the U.S. government to disclose any "potential financial conflicts of interest" among those involved in creating the next dietary guidelines.

The ancient quote from Hippocrates, "Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food," acknowledges the importance of healthy eating and how the nutrients in various foods have healing properties. Few medical and veterinary colleges provide adequate courses in nutrition, nutraceuticals and nutrigenomics. But this may soon change, as research has opened the door to provide a better understanding of how nutrition influences the gut microbiome: the diverse population of bacteria that collectively play a vital role in our physical and mental health, immune system defenses and longevity.

Eating lots of ultraprocessed foods could even increase your risk of dying from cancer. A U.K. study of self-reported dietary data from more than 197,000 people showed some evidence of a link: "After the researchers adjusted for sociodemographic factors, physical activity, smoking status and dietary factors, it was found that a 10% increase in consumption of ultraprocessed food was linked to a 2% increase in being diagnosed with any cancer and a 6% increase in dying from cancer of any kind." (Full story: Forbes.com, Jan. 31)

The adverse health consequences humans can experience from eating highly processed foods mirror those in companion animals fed conventional pet foods. The good news is that many veterinarians are now addressing this issue and advocating more healthful, whole-food diets for dogs and cats.

I have long questioned what I see as an unhealthy alliance between various government regulatory agencies -- responsible for public health and nutritional education -- and the agribusiness, food and pharmaceutical industries. Often, the agencies' sins, both of omission and commission, ultimately benefit the industries they oversee (as per my book "Eating With Conscience: The Bioethics of Food"). All veterinarians going into companion animal practice should, prior to graduation, have read "Canine Nutrigenomics" by W. Jean Dodds, DVM, and Deana Laverdure-Dunetz.

Finding nutritious alternatives to animal products and embracing a plant-based diet is good for animals, good for the planet and the best for our health. Those looking to change their own diets should check out Veda Stram's menus and ideas at all-creatures.org/what-to-eat.html.

THERE IS MORE TO CATS PURRING THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE

Cats purr when they are contented, but also when they are anxious, fearful and/or soliciting food. Animal behaviorists theorize that purring may promote bone and muscle health. The frequency of the vibrations that cause the telltale sound range from around 20Hz up to 150Hz. "Purr frequencies correspond to vibrational/electrical frequencies used in treatment for bone growth/fractures, pain, edema, muscle growth/strain, joint flexibility, dyspnea and wounds," reads one article on this issue. (Full story: "The felid purr: A healing mechanism?" published in 2001 in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America)

Cat owners whose feline companions lie on their chests or tummies and purr away may indeed be receiving relaxing, and even healing, vibrations. Several readers have told me about their cats seeming to know where their human companions were hurting -- often lying down on or near a sore shoulder, for example, and starting to purr!

(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: We all have a fear of certain animals, a response that is partially innate and partially learned. Regrettably, our response to this fear, all too often, is to kill the creatures we dread, whether insects, snakes rodents or otherwise.

Such extermination, when widespread, disrupts the environment and can make us more prone to diseases and famine, as when we kill pollinators with insecticides. When we destroy bat roosts, we eliminate allies who control disease-transmitting insect populations. Snakes are welcome in many countries since they help control invasive rodents.

Finding the path of avoiding harm calls for an ethic of care based on respect and understanding, even for the most venomous and invasive. One example of convenience and market-promotion over caring and understanding is the use of electric bug-zappers outdoors: These kill many beneficial insects, in turn starving bats and other insectivores. Better options are citronella candles, a good bug-spray deterrent and mosquito netting.

We must all be vigilant with the spread of nonindigenous species and various diseases associated with climate change. The case of dengue fever reported recently in Florida's Miami-Dade County brings the total number of cases in Miami-Dade and Broward counties to 11 this year. And two cases of West Nile virus have been reported in the state's Escambia County. (Full story: Outbreak News Today, Aug. 15)

Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation famously stated, "If you talk to the animals, they will talk to you, and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them. And what you do not know, you will fear."

Biological scientists, ethologists and ecologists, all of whom "talk" to animals via objective observation, have documented why we should take the path of least harm to other members of the animal kingdom. In biodiversity lies the regenerative potential of the Earth community upon which our own health depends.

Making the lives of animals raised for consumption more humane is all very well, provided we all eat less animal produce in general. The agricultural livestock industry is a major contributor to the climate and extinction crises, at significant cost to public health.

The various cultural and religious rules about which animals we can and cannot eat are not without merit, but need to be modernized, as do the traditions behind them, most of which have yet to honor the rights of every creature and the sanctity of all life in the natural world.

All animal caregivers have considerable responsibility for their animals' health and well-being, as well as to the environment. Too many cat owners are delinquent, allowing their cats to roam free, kill wildlife and become a potential threat to public health from diseases they can harbor and transmit to us.

DUMPING OF 'THROWAWAY ANIMALS' ESCALATES

Animal shelters rejoiced as people adopted pets at record rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. But shelters are now filling back up rapidly due to several factors, including financial challenges faced by owners and behavioral issues cropping up as owners return to their offices. Stephanie Filer of Shelter Animals Count suggests donating to shelters, fostering and/or adopting animals, and volunteering for animal-related causes to help mitigate the problem. (Full story: Vox, Aug. 16)

This is a sad reflection of how little some people care for the animals they adopt, an attitude that is a small step away from child abandonment and abuse. Lack of money is no excuse. Pet owners can take several steps to be prepared for the costs of their animals' care, including buying pet insurance, designating personal savings or seeking second opinions on recommended medical procedures and their costs. The American Veterinary Medical Association provides a list of accredited veterinary programs that may charge an adjusted rate for low-income pet owners. (Full story: NextAvenue.org, June 22)

(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.)