DEAR READERS: The Minnesota Star Tribune recently published a letter from Matthew DeBoer, principal of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, to Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife. In the letter, DeBoer detailed his reactions to the Aug. 27 mass shooting at his school, in which two students were killed and many were injured. His words are an eloquent call to “build our future filled with hope -- hand in hand, rooted in love, together.”

There is a connecting thread between these all-too-common mass shootings and the actions being taken by President Trump and his administration: the closing of USAID; the defunding and de-staffing of federal agencies and programs that help the needy, and communities at large, in times of emergency; the deployment of masked, armed ICE agents to round up refugees and other immigrants; and the deployment of military forces in a fabricated “war on crime” in select cities. The connecting thread is empathy -- specifically, the lack of it.

From the executive branch down to the next mass shooter, empathy is in shreds. DeBoer’s letter is a call for more empathy, and for more compassion-in-action, from all sectors of government and society. We must empathize with everyone -- even those who commit violence, as well the victims and all who mourn them. Only then will we find solutions in these deeply dystopian times.

For more on empathy, see my post here: humiliationstudies.org/documents/FoxEmpathy2025.pdf

A (NONPOLITICAL) FAT CAT ISSUE

DEAR DR. FOX: My 4-year-old neutered cat, Tommy, has gotten fat, even though I play with him a lot every night. He is very affectionate and active, but the vet says he must lose weight.

Up till now, most of his meals have been Meow Mix and an occasional scoop of canned cat food. The vet suggested giving him IAMS Healthy Weight cat food. What is your opinion? -- B.K., Washington, D.C.

DEAR B.K.: Approximately 60% of cats in the U.S. are estimated to be overweight or obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.

This is what IAMS says is in its Healthy Weight cat kibble: “(The) ingredients start with chicken, followed by ingredients like chicken by-product meal, corn grits, corn protein meal, and ground whole-grain corn. The formula also contains fiber sources like dried plain beet pulp and powdered cellulose, along with essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, like fructooligosaccharides and taurine, and is preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.”

I question the inclusion of chicken by-product meal in dog and cat foods. I especially question corn products for cats, as corn could be contaminated with the herbicide glyphosate. This could also be a contaminant in beet pulp, disrupting cats’ gut bacterial microbiome.

Instead of this product, I recommend that you transition your cat to a moist canned food, like grain-free Friskies or Wellness. Add a few drops of fish oil or marine algae; cats need omega fatty acids in their diets, and these are lacking in dry kibble. Cat owners who are away from home all day can purchase wet cat food containers that open at timed intervals for their cats while they are away.

This is an important issue that needs wider coverage, so I invited fellow veterinarian Dr. Jean Hofve to comment. She states: “The best way to help a cat like Tommy lose weight is to stop the kibble and feed only wet food. Dry kibble is very dense in calories. It’s like potato chips: soaked with grease, and full of empty carbohydrates that cats rapidly convert to fat. Dry diets lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, GI issues, diabetes, arthritis and many other health problems. Dry food is also dehydrating.

“‘Weight control’ dry foods are no better,” she continues. “Unless portions are strictly limited, cats just eat more of it to get the protein they need. Dry diets can lead to bladder crystals and stones, as well as constipation and other gastrointestinal issues. Canned foods are higher in protein and much lower in carbs. The increased moisture is also much better for their digestive and urinary systems.

“Since Tommy already eats some canned food, this will be a simple transition. Feed as much wet food as he wants, but only in timed meals: 20 to 30 minutes, three times a day (morning, after work/school, and bedtime). He will adjust to the schedule quickly, and the extra weight will come off gradually in a safe and healthy way.”

I agree, and believe that if all kittens were weaned onto a moist canned or fresh-frozen cat food and never fed high-carbohydrate dry kibble, to which many cats become addicted, obesity and many of its related health problems in cats could be prevented.

(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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently identified toxoplasmosis as one of five neglected parasitic infections of people due to its high prevalence," per a report from the Cornell Feline Health Center. "More than 60 million people in the U.S. are thought to be infected."

The solution is for owned cats to be kept indoors -- or at least prevented from killing and consuming infected rodents -- and for communities to better address free-roaming and feral cats. This is because the domestic cat is the definitive host for this parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, and can pass it to other animals and humans via feces, contaminated soil, vegetation and food crops.

"When a cat ingests infected prey or raw meat, the parasite is released from cysts into the cat’s digestive tract, where it reproduces and produces oocysts," writes the CFHC. "Infected cats then excrete these oocysts in their feces by the millions" for about two weeks.

"Most cats infected with T. gondii show no signs of disease. Occasionally, however, a clinical disease called toxoplasmosis occurs, often when the cat’s immune response cannot stop the spread of tachyzoite forms," writes the CFHC. "The disease is more likely to occur in cats with suppressed immune systems, including young kittens and cats with feline leukemia virus or feline immunodeficiency virus."

Cats diagnosed with this parasite can be treated with a course of the antibiotic clindamycin, possibly paired with corticosteroids. Communities need to be more vigilant with regard to free-roaming and feral cats, and anyone adopting cats that have been outdoors should have them tested.

As the article states: “Indoor cats that do not hunt prey or consume raw meat are unlikely to be infected with T. gondii. In the U.S., people are much more likely to become infected by eating raw meat and unwashed fruits and vegetables than by handling cat feces. The possibility of infection after gardening in soil that has been contaminated with cat feces also exists, and this possibility can be mitigated by wearing gloves and by washing hands after gardening.”

Read the full report here: vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/toxoplasmosis-cats.

To break the cycle of infection from cats to farm animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, equines and poultry, cats should not be allowed around farms. This is a global problem affecting the health and productivity of farmed animals and putting consumers at risk. (See the study "Toxoplasma gondii infection and toxoplasmosis in farm animals: Risk factors and economic impact" by S. Stelzer et al., published in Food and Waterborne Parasitology in 2019.)

Dogs can become infected by ingesting contaminated material like cat feces, raw meat or soil. Most healthy adult dogs may not show symptoms, but puppies and dogs with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to developing illness. Infected cats can infect wild carnivores such as bobcats and coyotes, as well as most other wild species that ingest infected prey or contaminated soil.

Medical studies have established a relationship between infection with this parasite and aggressive behavior -- specifically, self-directed aggression. Latent infection has also been linked to behavioral changes, impulsivity and neuropsychosis. (See the study "Toxoplasma gondii Infection: Relationship With Aggression in Psychiatric Subjects" by Emil Coccaro et al., published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2016.)

All owned cats should be kept indoors to avoid possible infection from another cat’s feces or from consuming an infected rodent. They can be walked on a leash in a harness, or allowed time in an outdoor “catio” enclosure. Their litter boxes should be cleaned with due caution, especially by pregnant women. Feeding cats any kind of raw meat is ill advised.

(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: You hit it out of the park with your recent column, "The Spirituality of Nature, Animal Personhood and our Existential Crisis." When people see parts of themselves in nature, and God in all of nature, things can and will change.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for eloquently stating what you did. I hope it touches the hearts of all. -- B.C., Nassau, Bahamas

DEAR B.C.: I am glad that you appreciated my column discussing how we and planet Earth are at a tipping point. We must do more than try to adapt to climate change -- we must evolve in terms of how we relate to all life on Earth. Just as it is bad medicine to address only the consequences of disease and not its causes, it is likewise bad politics to focus only on the consequences of climate change rather than on its causes.

Since its early origins, the human species has fabricated various gods out of awe, respect and fear of natural processes and events, as well as various plants and animals, plus the sun, moon and stars. Then came the deification of kings and emperors, followed by the rise of monotheistic religions with a male God. Now, with the separation of church, state and society from nature, we have rational materialism and objectification, both of which have "disgodded" the world.

So now, we face the consequences of not respecting the numinous: the divine presence in other sentient life-forms. The poisoned wastelands and cruel animal factory farms of industrial agriculture are testament to this state of mind and stage of human evolution. Some regard the climate crisis as nature’s -- or their God's -- retribution.

Humans and nature are one, and when we harm one, we harm the other. Revering the last of the ancient old-growth forests as temples of spiritual healing power and saving endangered species are acts of affirmation, contrition and redemption.

We all have agency and the power to use love to make whole all that we embrace as holy. We can sanctify these things in reverential respect and justice, creating the empathosphere: a boundless circle of compassion. The power of universal love arises from the heart of an evolved humanity, where the love of one is the love of all, and the suffering of one is the suffering of all. Demonizing others -- human and nonhuman alike -- leads to justifications for war, terrorism, authoritarianism, genocide, species extinction and ecocide. But these will all become things of the past as we evolve.

For a deeper dive into this issue, see my book "For All Our Relations: Poetic Visions and Vexations of a Veterinarian."

GLIMMER OF HOPE FOR RHINOS, BUT MORE WILDLIFE AT RISK

Hundreds of rhinos are killed each year for their horns, a common component of traditional Chinese medicine. Only around 40 Sumatran rhinos remain, and black rhinos are at risk from poachers. To combat poaching, a university in South Africa, which has the world’s largest rhino population, recently launched a project to inject their horns with radioactive isotopes that are harmless to the animals, but detectable by customs officials at airports and borders.

Wildlife poaching, international trafficking and “wet markets” for bush meat are decimating populations of many species in areas of Africa, South America and Asia. Every government should prohibit these practices and employ wildlife rangers and protection forces.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and future pandemics from infective wildlife, confirm the global risk of such wildlife exploitation. When we protect them, we protect ourselves. But U.S. cuts to foreign aid have weakened anti-poaching efforts in Africa, with Mexican cartels and Chinese triads ramping up their presence in the illegal trade. According to the Financial Times, around $23 billion in illegal wildlife -- much of it used for traditional medicine in East Asia -- is traded each year.

Many governments and conservation agencies formerly relied on USAID to fund their anti-trafficking efforts, but the sudden shuttering of the aid agency earlier this year has led to a free-for-all.

“The traffickers are loving it,” a conservationist told the Financial Times. “With fewer restrictions, they think: 'No one will catch us, so let’s go for it.'”

Veterinary and public health organizations around the world need to address the issues of poaching and wildlife markets. Such exploitation creates a perfect interface for the spillover of viruses with pandemic potential, as asserted by Dr. Christian Walzer with the Wildlife Conservation Society. For details, and to provide support, visit oneworldonehealth.wcs.org.

RODENT POISON TURNS FAT OF FERAL PIGS BLUE

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, a study in 2018 found that about 8.3% of wild pigs tested had traces of the anticoagulant diphacinone rodenticide. The fat of these pigs turned bright blue, which was linked to their consumption of rat bait poison and the consumption of rodents poisoned with this anticoagulant. As a result, prohibition of diphacinone was introduced in 2024 as part of a law aimed at protecting wildlife from exposure to the poison.

This issue illustrates the pervasive consequences of this class of rodent poisons, which can put other nontarget species at risk. For details, see: dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15009965/urgent-warning-meat-eaters-pigs-blue-flesh.html.

(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.)