Kittylitter: My friend in the country has about five barn cats that run free in the wood and fields. I'm concerned about these animals suffering from things like fleas. Do cats suffer as much from flea, ticks and mites like dogs do? What should be done to protect them?

Linda Wilson Fuoco: Barn cats are generally hardier than house cats and house dogs. There are flea and tick preventatives for cats. Some barn cats are "tamer" or more domesticated than others. Often you can't get them in a carrier and a car to get them to a vet. If this barn has horses or cows, the large-animal veterinarian who makes house calls (or would that be barn calls?) can tend to the cats -- if the cats can be caught and handled. Ear mites can be very annoying and painful. Some cats and some dogs are visibly "bugged" by fleas and ticks -- they act itchy and twitchy. Others act like they don't even know they're there.

DogWalker: Can you get rabies from road kill? There is a dead animal where I walk my dog.

Linda Wilson Fuoco: Theoretically you could get rabies from a recently-killed mammal. Rabies is spread through bodily fluids -- usually the saliva of the rabid animal. Anyone who handles dead animals should wear fluid-proof gloves. And keep your dogs and cats away from dead animals.

Kittylitter: Thanks. Among these five cats are three young males. My friend is concerned one will be the alpha cat and drive the others away or even hurt them. Is this the case?

Linda Wilson Fuoco: Well, sadly, once male cats reach puberty they do tend to fight. And they're fighting for turf, so your friend may be right.

k9pal: I know we've had two cats test positive in Hampton from rabies. Have there been any more positive cases? Of course, I'm getting more concerned.

Linda Wilson Fuoco: I haven't heard that there have been more "positive" rabies tests, k9pal, but I'll check with the Allegheny County Health Department and see what they have to see. We should all avoid close contact with wild animals and with domestic animals that we don't know -- because we don't know if they've been inoculated. And this is another good reason that pet cats and dogs should not be out running "loose" and unsupervised.

Kittylitter: She does have two horses and they live in a barn. I'm hoping the cats will take shelter there when the weather gets cold. A place like that should be sufficient shelter, right?

Linda Wilson Fuoco: Barns are very good shelter for cats. The horses, the straw and the hay will all keep the cats warm. Barn cats are usually pretty happy -- they get to hunt rodents. Most horse people feed their barn cats. Some people used to think that if you feed them good cat food, they won't hunt. Most of us think that isn't true. They're either good "mousers" or they're not, and they'll be healthier if they're fed. Horse and cow barns really need barn cats -- or else good terriers. Rats and mice are attracted to the grain fed to horses and cows, and barns would be overrun with vermin.

k9pal: I agree. My problem is with all these stray cats and cat colonies. I mean it's great that there is spaying/neutering, but what about rabies?! I don't want any stray cats anywhere around my yard/pets; I'm getting a box trap!

Linda Wilson Fuoco: Homeless Cat Management Team, which neuters feral cats in Allegheny County, also inoculates them -- at least one time. They "notch" the ears, so the cats aren't put under for a second round of surgery. Of course you probably don't want to get that close to strays. If you can trap the cats, I'd suggest you call your local animal control.

Kittylitter: What's tremendous about these farm cats are that they live peacefully among several dogs. I'm amazed at how the cats and dogs play together and often act like one another.

Linda Wilson Fuoco: Isn't it nice when they all get along like that? Speaking of the farm/barn cats: When we were talking about the males getting older and fighting, that's less likely to happen if they are neutered. That operation may actually give them a longer life span in terms of fighting among themselves.

k9pal: I always use animal control. That's what they're there for, right? Besides, it's better they pick up the raccoons/groundhogs that end up in the box traps, too

Linda Wilson Fuoco: You are lucky to live in a municipality where animal control will respond. Yes that's what they're paid to do and they have heavy gloves and other equipment to handle the animals.

k9pal: Do you know if they ever found that dog that bit that little girl in her yard in Westmoreland County? A couple of people said it may have been a coyote, but I have no idea. I know we have them by the airport.

Linda Wilson Fuoco: The Post-Gazette has not heard from authorities that they "got" the dog -- and the description merely said "brown dog." But I'll make a call on that, too, to double check. State officials say there are coyotes in every county in Pennsylvania, including Allegheny. I hadn't heard that this was a coyote -- they're supposed to be very shy and are said to avoid humans, though more and more people have seen them, in recent years.

k9pal: The coyotes are getting bolder and bolder, and with rabies concerns, I thought it could be possible. They are opportunistic, though, and have been known to attack small pets and kids in the West.

Linda Wilson Fuoco: Wild animals with rabies act "different" than usual, including coming closer to people and pets. Yes, it would be possible for a coyote to bite a person or a pet.

Kittylitter: I know the coyote population is growing. Might they be a threat to these "barn cats?"

Linda Wilson Fuoco: Coyotes, foxes and raccoons would all be threats to barn cats, especially kittens. Barn cats know how to hide, for the most part. Or to put it another way, it's survival of the fittest -- and the smartest.

Linda Wilson Fuoco: Well, chat time's up. Thanks to everyone who participated. See y'all in two weeks -- Linda