Animal behavior can sometimes become frustrating as we've seemingly tried just about everything, and no matter what we do, they still sometimes do things we don't want them to. But that's what separates animals from human beings: fact that they are indeed animals. Our expectations can sometimes be set too high and we come to think of Rover or Mittens as a 'little person.' It's when we do this, that they will ultimately 'fail' our logic every single time. One cannot allow himself to set behavior standards so high that we no longer accept our animal counterparts for what they are. When behavior becomes an issue, and lead and kennel have not produced adequate results, next step is seeing an animal trainer or animal behavior consultant who may be better able to assist you.

Finally, but not leastly, animals are forever. Love your animals. When you open your home and hearts to animals, you have instantly become their lifetime mentor and surrogate parent. They look up to you for your time, patience, compassion, understanding, food, shelter, healthcare and everything else in between. Without you, they are helpless. The worst thing someone can do is abandon or willfully neglect his devoted dog or cat.

Below are some alarming statistics and vital information (1) from Humane Society of United States:

* One female dog and her offspring can give birth to 67,000 puppies. In seven years, one cat and her young can produce 420,000 kittens. * Every year, between six and eight million dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters; some three to four million of these animals are euthanized because there are not enough homes for them. * Living creatures have become throwaway items to be cuddled when cute and abandoned when inconvenient. Such disregard for animal life pervades and erodes our culture. * Abandoned and stray companion animals who survive in streets and alleys of cities and suburbs pose a health threat to humans and other animals. Each year communities are forced to spend millions of taxpayer dollars trying to cope with consequences of this surplus of pets. These public costs include services such as investigating animal cruelty, humanely capturing stray animals, and sheltering lost and homeless animals. * Free-roaming cats--owned cats allowed to go outside as well as stray and feral cats--often are hit by cars or fall victim to disease, starvation, poisons, attacks by other animals, or mistreatment by humans. * Leaving a dog outside for long periods, especially if he or she is chained or otherwise tethered, can be physically, emotionally, and behaviorally detrimental. Dogs need companionship, care, exercise, and attention. Leaving a dog outside for an extended period without supervision not only deprives animal of these things, but can also lead to behavior problems (including aggression).

For further information about pet adoptions and Humane Society of United States, go to: What to Consider before Adopting a Pet

In their short but special time they share with us, it is important to remember that animals belong in forever homes. Are you up to challenge? Some thoughts to ponder.

References: 1. The Humane Society of United States

© 2005 Animals are Forever By C. Bailey-Lloyd aka. Lady Camelot Public Relations Director & Staff Writer www.HolisticJunction.com www.MediaPositiveRadio.com

Fact: world does not need MORE cats. But how can you prevent new litters?

Simple. Get your cat castrated or spayed.

The answer may seem obvious, but still many people don’t have their pet neutered. Some believe it is too expensive, or they think it will harm their cat. Or people just don’t know how easy cats make babies.

But neutering is not as expensive as raising kittens. And although it may change your cat’s behavior a little, there is no real harm done. Cats will only become more loving.

Fact: neutering is solution. But what if your cat gets pregnant before getting spayed?

It happens. You left door open for a minute, Molly went out, met Tom and returned with 65 days of cat gestation ahead.

Now you have a responsible task. Take care of your pregnant queen as good as you can. Get right advice about what to expect coming months.

Love your kittens. Make sure they get a good home once they are old enough. Because a nest of meowing and crawling little kittens leaves only fiercest cat hater indifferent.

Journalist, site builder and cat lover Marc de Jong is the editor and owner of http://www.cat-pregnancy-report.com, a website about cat pregnancy, kitten care, cat health and other cat related subjects.