Ask most people about cats and the words they’ll likely use are aloof, independent and stand-offish. As an avowed dog person for most of my life, I too believed this “propaganda” – that is until I adopted my first cat. I quickly learned that cats are affectionate, playful and entertaining, and that they can even be obedient.

If you’ve ever owned a cat you’ll know that they tend to bond closely with those they live with. This is not restricted to humans either, cats are known to build strong friendships with other cats, and even with dogs they’ve been socialized with. Don’t believe all the stories you’ve read about cat / dog rivalry, most often they are firm friends. Often, a cat will pick out a particular person to bond with. They’ll follow that person around, rub against them, curl up in their lap when they can, and speak to them in meows, purrs and trills.

Why they form this fixation is a mystery. Perhaps the person in question pays the cat special attention, although just as often, the object of the cats affection is someone who claims not to like cats. Who knows, maybe cats are able to read a person’s aura, as new age thinkers sometimes suggest.

But cats don’t always confine their affections to a single individual. All three of our cats are crazy about our little terrier mix. They can often be found following him around, curling up with him or giving him a jolly good grooming.

They also love our Labrador Retriever and are affectionate to us as well. One of our cats is deaf and perhaps because of it, very vocal. He’ll engage you in long conversations and is also very obedient, responding to a number of hand signals.

How affectionate a cat is may have a lot to do with breed. Some breeds, like Abyssinians, Persians and Siamese are renowned for their loving nature. They hate being left alone, and some are even known to suffer from separation anxiety.

So how do you build up a bond with your cat? The key is to treat your cat fairly. Cats are very intelligent animals and they don’t forget bad treatment easily. Never physically punish your cat or you’ll destroy any bond you’ve built up – possibly forever.

Cats love affection and attention and unlike dogs are not blindly obedient. Someone once said that you “may own a dog, but a cat owns you”, and that is not far from the truth. Be good to your cat and you’ll be rewarded with a loving, affectionate companion.

If you’ve just adopted a cat or a kitten you will no doubt be thinking of names for your feline friend. Cat Names HQ has a huge collection of kitten names, including many excellent girl cat names.

Crate training is the process of teaching your dog to stay in a dog crate, which is basically a wooden, plastic or wire kennel. Some dog owners consider this inhumane when it’s actually quite the opposite, most dogs actually enjoy being in the crate.

The crate simulates the den environment of a wolf, so not only is crate training humane, it actually draws on natural canine behavior.

Start crate training from the very first night you bring your puppy home. By this time, you should have already bought the crate. Buy one that is suitable for your dog’s fully-grown size, but make sure that is has a panel that allows you to adjust the space as the pup grows. Start by setting the panel so the dog has enough space to turn around, but not much else.

Don’t put a blanket and pillow in the crate, rather use a soft towel which is better at absorbing any spills.If your pup was bought from a breeder, see if you can get a strip of blanket with the mother’s smell on it. This will help the puppy accept the crate more quickly.

Put the crate in an area that will allow the pup to interact with the family. Don’t put the crate in a secluded spot as the puppy will feel isolated and take longer to settle. Remember that dogs are social creatures by nature.

In the early weeks, put the crate in your bedroom at night. Expect a fuss in the beginning. Remember, she’s only a baby. She will be confused and frightened by her new surrounds, and most likely missing her canine family.

Don’t over compensate though. If you come running every time she cries, you’ll end up having a lot of sleepless nights.

Within a couple of days she’ll be happily sleeping in here crate. After a few weeks you can move her to another part of the house at night. One again, she’ll probably whine and howl, but provided you don’t come running she’ll soon accept her new accommodations.

Before too long she’ll learn to love the crate and will go there of her own accord.

Crate training is also a real boon for housebreaking. Dogs are instinctively clean animals who don’t ‘go’ where they sleep. For this reason your pup will learn from an early age how to ‘keep it in’, while she’s in the crate.

Remember that your pup will not have the bladder control of an adult dog, so keep her stays in the crate short – no more than an hour at a time.

When she starts barking and whining, take her outdoors immediately. Praise her when she does her business outdoors and she’ll virtually house train herself.

To find out more about crate training puppies, facts about dogs, dog health and other helpful dog advice visit www.dogsanddogtraining.com

Raising chickens benefit you in several ways. This is true especially if you are able to properly take care of your chickens. Chickens that are not cared properly, especially those that have dirty chicken coops usually develop diseases. Nonetheless, if properly raised, you will benefit from your chickens. Diseases are just the disadvantages of raising them. If you take care of your chickens properly, you don’t have to worry about diseases and only think about reaping the rewards. This article will inform you about the benefits that you can gain with properly raised chickens.

The eggs of the chickens are one the best benefits that you’ll be able to reap in raising chickens. Fresh eggs are great tasting and nutritious. The eggs in the supermarket costs more and some of them are not really fresh. Raised chickens in your home are also great in removing weeds and bugs in your outdoor area. You can save from buying chemicals which may not only harm your plants but also your family. With chickens around, you will no longer be bothered by those pests that always bite you and eat your plants. On top of that, you will have a free alarm clock waking you up daily; and you can’t just shut it off like what you usually do.

If you are into business, then you should not only focus about the eggs. A more spacious area is needed if you wish to venture into business with raising chickens. If you want, you can also take care of them so you can have great chicken meat to sell. Their manure are also great to be used for fertilizers so you can sell it as well. Not only will you be able to get free fertilizer and nurture your garden but you can also profit from it greatly.

The produce of chickens are basically the benefits that you can gain in raising chickens. You can sell their eggs, meat, feathers, and manure. You can definitely gain good profit from them. You don’t have to raise chickens for business, you can also keep them as pets and still have fresh eggs and manure for fertilizers. Either way, you should take care of them properly to prevent any diseases. Always clean the chicken coop and make sure that they have enough fresh air.