Although teaching cat tricks such as sitting, staying and heeling is normally not very often accomplished. Cats can be trained in much the same way as dogs. Cats are intelligent creatures with minds of their own which is why they have become renowned for not being taught cat tricks but with a few cat training tips and a little bit of patience, you will soon find that there is nothing that you cannot teach your cat to do.

If you are looking to teach your cat to sit then a few cat training tips will come in rather useful. First of all you need to have a fair bit of patience and plenty of cat treats but aside from this, it should only take you around ten minutes to teach your cat tricks such as this.

Repetition is essential for training a cat and it is better to train them when they are at kitten age as it will take considerably longer for an adult cat to pick up cat tricks like the sit trick. You should make sure that you have plenty of treats to bribe your cat and also to reward it when it has followed your commands.

Ideally your cat should be on an elevated surface with its back to one wall. Move the treat to just above the cats head in a straight line from the nose to the middle of both ears and then wait for your cat to sit and accept the treat. Praise is essential as you need to let the cat know that they have followed your command and that you are happy about it and one of the most useful cat training tips for cat tricks such as this is to buy a clicker that is the same for when you are training a dog.

When holding the treat above the cats head, you should try to say the name of the cat as well as saying "Sit" in a voice that is friendly yet stern. Do not reward your cat if he or she does not sit but make sure that you do treat them when they have completed the expected action.

Once you have done this a few times, your cat will soon have learned that the sit command from you is rewarded with a treat when he or she sits down and you will have successfully mastered one of the cat tricks!

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There are so many reasons why if you can you really should adopt a pet. For starters, the humane society and the animal shelters are literally over crowded, bursting at the seams. As a result they have to put animals to sleep every day to make room for the new animals that are coming in on a daily basis. Another reason is that animals are a result of human breeding, we put them here, and we need to do our part to assure that they are allowed the best life that they can possibly live. Still not convinced? Here are three more reasons!

Save a life

You save a life when you adopt a pet, a pet that may otherwise have to be put down due to the lack of available funds to care for such animals at the local shelters.

Make a new friend

The companionship that you will be offered and the love, and loyalty that you will get when you adopt a pet are literally second to none.

Do your part

We all need to do our part to assure that every living creature is afforded the best opportunity at survival. This also involves being proactive. Adopt a pet today!

Meditation is usually viewed as a spiritual practice, but research shows that there are innumerable health benefits as well. Most physical illness is caused by stress, and meditation provides stress relief by calming down the mind and body. A regular meditation practice is one of the best things you can do for your mind and body.

I often hear people say “I can’t meditate. I can’t shut down my thoughts.”

You don’t have to. Simply making the commitment to sit quietly for fifteen, ten, even five minutes a day can have beneficial effects. Don’t judge yourself – if you find that you can’t quiet your mind, try and simply acknowledge your thoughts, and then gently let them go.

Your pets can help you meditate. If you can’t clear your mind, try focusing on the purring cat in your lap or the sleeping dog by your side. Focus on the love you share with your pet. While this may not be what some purists consider meditation, I can guarantee you that it will change your state of mind to one of peace and relaxation.

There’s been a recent media buzz about vegan food for pets. ABC News reported that it might be a bit easier for dogs than cats to live the vegan lifestyle. A recent op-ed piece in the New York Times suggested a vegan diet for cats as a viable option to reduce the over-depletion of fish stocks. This was followed a few days later by an article in The Huffington Post titled “Vegan Pet Food – Is It Okay To Raise a Cat Vegan?”, which generated hundreds of comments.

Dogs are omnivores and are able to suvive on plant materials alone, but keep in mind that they are meat eaters by nature and do best with at least some meat in their diet, so a vegan diet is not in the best interest of your canine companion.

Cats are carnivores, and as such, cannot sustain life unless they consume meat in some form. They are extremely sensitive to even a single meal deficient in arginine, an amino-acid that is a building block for protein. A cat’s natural diet in the wild consists of mice and birds, both of which are almost all protein. This is why diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates are best for cats.

People adopt the vegan lifestyle for a variety of reasons, some of them health related, others as a conscious choice to help the planet. While I applaud people who choose this lifestyle, it’s too restrictive for me. I’m mostly vegetarian, but I do eat fish and seafood. I even occasionally allow myself to give in to a craving for some meat or poultry – cravings that probably have very little to do with any physical need and are more emotionally motivated dating back to growing up on the heavily meat-based diet of my native Germany.

However, no matter what your reasons for being vegetarian or vegan, please don’t subject your cat or dog to the same choice. They’ll be healthier and happier if they’re allowed to be the meat eaters nature designed them to be. As for cats depleting the planet’s fish stock, I’ll worry about Amber’s carbon footprint when she starts driving an SUV.