Dear Dr. Fox: I would like to offer a suggestion to C.B.S. of Salisbury, Md., who had the problem of neighborhood cats hanging around the birdhouses and feeders.
Try laying down chicken wire on the ground under them in whatever diameter needed. It's said that cats don't like the feel on their paws; and the birds can still feed off the ground.
My birds have learned to be somewhat aware of my cats -- I have eight. Luckily, the cats have outgrown stalking the birds, but I still try not to encourage ground feeders.
I used the chicken wire a few years ago when a Carolina wren insisted on nesting on my kitchen window ledge. All seven babies flew off safely, so it must have at least helped.
It's worth giving the chicken wire a try; but, truthfully, controlling outside cats is next to impossible.
-- S.R.C, Great Falls, Va.
Dear S.R.C.: Thanks for the good advice. Free-roaming cats that kill birds and other wildlife are an abomination. It isn't their fault, of course -- they are simply following their natural hunting instincts. It is the responsibility of the cat owner to raise cats to enjoy indoor life and perhaps an outdoor enclosure or cat-proof yard.
On a related topic: In colder states, protect birds during the winter by placing 1/2-inch wire netting over their birdbaths, so they can drink but not bathe. Birds have bathed in warm water, which was kept warm by an immersion heater, then flew off and froze to death in the very cold weather. In order to keep warm, birds need to drink a lot of water in the winter because their metabolism is up.
Dear Dr. Fox: Can a person contract salmonella from a dog that eats raw ground turkey and other raw meat? If so, how does this transmission occur?
If I purchased a puppy from a breeder who fed raw meat to all of her kennel dogs, can my vet test and treat it to eliminate salmonella? I would not fare well with such an infection. Thank you.
-- P.N., Fairfax, Va.
Dear P.N.: Both dogs and cats can contract salmonella and other harmful bacteria from raw meat. The bacteria proliferate in the animal's digestive system. Transmission to humans can be from contact with animal feces and feces-contaminated fur, and possibly saliva from self-grooming. Fortunately, this is rare. Recently, some varieties of processed (cooked) pet foods were recalled because of salmonella contamination that caused sickness in humans across several states, notably in small children who may have been snacking out of the pet's food bowl.
People with impaired immune systems are especially at risk. But there's no need to panic: Always wash your hands before eating and preparing food; and have a veterinarian check your prospective pup before you take him or her home. Dried pig's ears and other animal parts sold as dog chew toys are periodically recalled because of salmonella contamination.
To order Dr. Michael W. Fox's newsletter, Animal Doctor, on providing the best care for your animal companion, send a check or money order for $2 and a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Send your questions to Dr. Fox in care of this newspaper. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.
Features
Keeping cat burglars out of the bird feeder
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The mother daughter trip of a lifetime
