My Pet World: There are many ways to ease your dog's fear of fireworks

1. Pheromonal therapy: Adaptil is an analog of the naturally-occurring calming pheromone found in the milk of mother dogs. One format is a plug-in, which diffuses Adaptil into the room, and the other is a collar.

2. Anxtiane: A chewable that contains L-Theanine, an amino acid that acts neurologically to help keep dogs calm.

3. Thundershirt (and similar products): While meant to calm dogs during storms, this vest, which fits snuggly around a dog, can help with any anxiety-related issue. It may take a week or more to get a dog accustomed to wearing one of these shirts.

4. For dogs who go totally out of their minds with terror, the best and most humane solution is pharmacological intervention. (I'm not referring to a sedative, which makes a dog drowsy but doesn't affect its feeling of sheer terror.) Don't wait until fireworks start to administer the drug. Once the drug takes the edge off, you can employ the above products and behavioral techniques to further diminish stress.

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Q: I realize our kitten is only playing, but she chases us down the hall, sometimes nipping at our pants legs. My husband and I are both over 80, and we're afraid we might trip over her. Any advice?-- P. M., Hollywood, FL

A: It's true that your kitten is only playing. To keep things under control, try keeping a stash of little balls in your pockets, and when your kitten is about to get underfoot, toss the toys in the opposite direction. If this doesn't work, toss bits of kibble from your pockets instead. It will be fun for your kitty to hunt down the snacks. Be sure not to add to her total daily food intake, however, or your kitty will soon be overweight.

If neither technique works, you may need to give your kitty a time out for chasing. It's best to catch her as she's about to chase, pick her up, gently place her in a separate room and shut the door. There's no need to scold her, although you can certainly say, "Bad kitty."

It's important to offer your kitten an appropriate outlet for her energy. Play with her twice daily using an interactive toy. Enrich her environment with self-entertaining toys. These can be simple track toys (available at pet stores and online) featuring balls set in grooves that cats can bat around. You could also make your own toys, such as dropping Ping Pong balls in a tissue box, or creating tunnels by taping paper sacks together.

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Q: We recently adopted a 6-month-old cat. We've bought her about 100 cat toys, and now feel like we wasted our money. She'd rather play with string dangling from a doorknob, or paper sacks from the grocery. She's like the child who prefers the wrapping over the gift. What should we do? -- V.D., Charleston, NC

A: Do nothing. Just as children have individual preferences when it comes to toys, so do kittens and cats. Most love little balls and mouse toys, but not all. I've always contended that the best cat toys can cost nothing, including empty boxes, plastic milk cartons with holes cut into the side where kibble or catnip can tumble out, even toilet paper rolls folded at the ends and stuffed with treats that can dribble from little holes.

What's important is not how many toys a cat has but how many are new. Put some toys away for a week or two. Then, when you reintroduce them, they'll seem new all over again.

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Steve Dale welcomes questions/comments from readers. Although he can't answer all of them individually, he'll answer those of general interest in his column Send e-mail to PETWORLD(at)STEVE DALE.TV. Include your name, city and state. Steve's website is www.stevedalepetworld.com; he also hosts the nationally syndicated "Steve Dale's Pet World" and "The Pet Minute." He's also a contributing editor to USA Weekend.