ANIMAL DOCTOR

C.B.S., Salisbury, Md.

One remedy is to adopt a puppy or an adult dog who is comfortable around cats so your Siamese cats won't be intimidated. Adult cats adjust surprisingly well to having a dog share their home, and they often develop wonderful relationships with other pets.

Letting the dog out at random intervals into your back yard will be a major deterrent to feline intruders.

Alternatively, if your cat-owning neighbors refuse to stop their cats from roaming on to your property, you can put up a "cat fence" around your yard that has the top angling outward so that cats can't climb over. A strip of fine-gauge chicken wire about two feet wide attached to the top of a regular fence and angled outward at 45 degrees from the vertical, with a thick strand of wire to keep the outer edge taut, should suffice.

You may also want to advise your irresponsible cat-keeping neighbors that free-roaming cats not only kill birds and other wildlife, but can bring home many diseases like rabies, toxoplasmosis, ringworm and Lyme disease, and can die from diseases like feline leukemia and AIDS they may contract from other cats.

Michael Fox, author of many books on animal care, welfare and rights, is a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in medicine and animal behavior. Write to him in care of United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

2005United Feature Syndicate Inc.