Dear Dr. Fox:
A dog owner in my neighborhood says his dog is a cross between a fox and a border collie. Similarly, my sister believes her cat is part raccoon. Is either of these possible?
C.T., Falls Church
DF: The genetic barrier between dogs and foxes prevents crossbreeding. A dog might seem foxlike, but it cannot have any fox ancestry.
Foxes are distant cousins of dogs. Close cousins, such as wolves and coyotes, can crossbreed with each other and with dogs. The offspring are fertile.
The ringlike marks on some cats’ tails look raccoonlike, but raccoons cannot breed with cats. Occasionally, there are mistaken news reports of cats thought to be part rabbit because they hop around like rabbits, but that is most likely because of a spinal cord abnormality most common in tail-less Manx cats’.
BABY ON BOARD
Dear Dr. Fox:
My daughter is expecting her first child, and I am concerned about the cat’s behavior around the baby. Should we be concerned about the cat jumping into the crib or other behavior it might display out of jealousy? What should my daughter do to prepare the cat for the new baby?
D.W., Monticello, Minn.
DF: Cats (more so than dogs) can show signs of jealousy when attention is focused on the baby rather than themselves. They should be shown the baby and have an opportunity to sniff and become habituated to the newcomer. Changes in the pregnant and nursing mother’s scent (pheromones) can influence cats’ behavior, often making them more attentive and attention seeking.
Expectant mothers can precondition dogs and cats to a nursing infant by getting a near-life-size baby doll that cries, wrapping it in a baby blanket and cradling it and pretending to nurse it.
The cat’s routine of feeding, grooming and interactive play should be adhered to, regardless of disruptions and altered sleep cycles that the human newcomer might bring upon the household.
To prevent accidental scratching, a protective net over the crib might be advisable, especially if the cat wants to snuggle and play with the infant. The idea that cats can sometimes smother infants trying to find milk they can smell in the baby’s mouth is a myth. And it’s nonsense to think that cats are responsible for sudden infant death syndrome. As a precaution, pregnant and nursing mothers should have another family member clean out the cat’s litter box.
Some cats and dogs become extremely upset when an infant is crying, so it is important to reassure them and not become impatient.
UNFORESEEN DANGER
Dear Dr. Fox:
Our family recently suffered needless heartbreak.
While we were at work, our 5-year-old dog, Nikki, found a bag of barbecue potato chips in one of the bedrooms. There were apparently a few chips at the bottom of the bag, and when she tried to reach them, the bag got stuck on her head. She panicked and ran blindly around our small house, knocking into objects until she finally fell down and suffocated. Our son found her when he arrived home from school.
Please warn your readers about the importance of putting away food and plastic bags. Our hearts are broken because this could have been prevented.
