It’s spring in Sonoma

Dear Dr. Abbie: For the last two weeks, I have heard someone’s cat yowling out beyond my back fence. I don’t know whose cat it is. I keep mine indoors. Is there a cat deterrent I can use? – Hissing mad and losing sleep

Dear Hissing mad: I know what you mean! I hate being woken up in the middle of the night! The cats you hear are probably feral cats. They don’t belong to anybody. They belong to everybody. I prefer to call them community cats. Like any good euphemism, community cats sounds friendlier, less threatening and more inclusive. But make no mistake, these cats are not friendly, so don’t try to pick one up!

The cats are just doing what the warm weather and longer days are telling them to do. Breed. Cats are really noisy about it! First there’s the boxing match between males with its yowling and scratching and rolling around. After mating, the female will scream because the male’s penis has barbs that point toward him. Ouch!

There are people who can help you get a good night’s sleep. Pets’ Lifeline in Sonoma has a feral cat program. The phone number is 996.4577.  Sonoma County Animal Services also has a voucher program for spays and neuters.  The website is Sonoma-county.org/shelter.

Good luck!  – Dr. Abbie

Dear Dr. Abbie: We adopted a spayed dog a few years ago. Lately she seems to be swollen ‘down there’ and licks herself a lot. Does she have a yeast infection? We’ve noticed a stray dog around our house lately. He is really pushy, and it scares her as much as it does us! – Angelina’s mom

Dear Angelina’s mom: Unfortunately for you, Angelina’s big lips are an attractant to male dogs. Actually, it’s the pheromones emanating from said swollen lips that will bring a male dog from miles away. On occasion, a tiny bit of ovary is left during a spay procedure. Over time it will grow to secrete enough estrogen and progesterone to create signs of heat in supposedly spayed females.  Your vet can take a blood sample and have the laboratory check her hormone levels. She may need exploratory surgery to find that bit of leftover ovary.

Licking can cause or worsen a skin infection, so either way, she needs relief whether it’s from yeast or stray males. It’s the male that has the itch so no wonder she’s scared! Angelina will need to see your vet soon, before someone else’s male dog gets run over trying to get her and sues you for damages! But after that troublesome speck is removed, Angelina will be able to live in spayed peace for good. – Dr. Abbie