DEAR DR. FOX: We have an almost-1-year-old kitten who is both a terrible bossy little thing and a much-loved addition to our home. We live in a small town with a large wild animal population that we w... more
DEAR READERS: A rise in zoonotic (animal-to-human) diseases is being driven by environmental degradation, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Program and the International Livestoc... more
DEAR READERS: In a report in the May 13 New England Journal of Medicine, on the topic of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in domestic cats, Peter J. Halfmann, Ph.D. et al. state:... more
Pedigree dog critic and welfare advocate Jemima Harrison (pedigreedogsexposed.blogspot.com/2020/05/dutch-ban-short-nosed-dogs-prompts.html) posted on May 30, 2020, that the Netherlands had banned the ... more
DEAR READERS: Philosopher and priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin famously wrote, “Everything that rises must converge.” There is a convergence today in the United States, and around the world, of ethic... more
DEAR READERS: Chicago Alderman Brian Hopkins wants to cap the fees pet stores can charge for shelter dogs, in order to close a loophole in an ordinance that allows commercially bred dogs to be sold as... more
DEAR READERS: My memory of seeing cattle handlers restrain young bulls for branding and castration was triggered when I saw the footage of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. He nonchalantly kep... more
DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you for correcting some of the misinformation about feral cats out there. I would like to see more information about the diseases that cats pass along to people, especially toxopla... more
DEAR READERS: Cats infected experimentally with SARS-CoV-2 transmitted the virus to other cats, researchers reported in The New England Journal of Medicine. But the cats did not develop clinical signs... more
DEAR DR. FOX: My daughter adopted a 6-month-old cat from a local charity in Asbury Park, New Jersey. From day one, the cat had weepy eyes and was sneezing and wheezing.... more
DEAR DR. FOX: We have noticed a change in our pets’ behavior during this “stay at home” period, and have talked to others who say the same. Our cat is more vocal and always wants to be near us, wherea... more
DEAR DR. FOX: I applaud your recent article on COVID-19. You have rightly identified one of the root causes of this disease, as well as many other zoonotic diseases: our invasion of the natural world,... more
DEAR READERS: Chinese scientists investigated the susceptibility of ferrets and other species that have close contact with humans to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. They found in laboratory expo... more
DEAR DR. FOX: I had a Lhasa-mix dog named Buster for 17 years. He was the child of a rescue dog I had adopted earlier, who I believe made me a puppy to replace himself right before he died.... more