What is Alexa Page Rank Check? How to Increase Alexa Rank

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

Alexa

ATTENTION WRITERS! GET ALEXA WIDGET TO INCREASE BOOK SALES!

“Content is King!”

That was Rule #1 just a few years ago.

When I first began searching for Freelance Writing jobs (thanks to RealWritingJobs.com!) I found that many new websites were in desperate need of “factual, original, well-written articles to give on-topic content for these websites.” The reason, of course, was that the Search Engines rewarded Original Content by putting those websites higher in their Search Results.

So I found plenty of writing assignments: writing keyword-rich and info-packed articles (always called “content”) for new companies wanting to quickly build an online presence (and hence profit) for their websites.

But even at that time, the Shift had begun. There was more demand for content for the new or revamped online magazines and information providers like eHow and Ask.com and less for smaller websites. Luckily, I was accepted by Demand Media Studios and sold more articles through them — much shorter than previous efforts, but paying well for the time required to research and write them. Still writing for money.

The Shift continued. Suddenly the idea that Content is King was panned. Now it was all about Social Media. Get a highly perceived position on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc — and you would generate traffic to your sales pages. For a while, Freelance writers were finding fewer assignments. “Not needed anymore!”

But now, top SEO people are saying “Content is King Again!” From responding to ongoing changes in Search Engine algorithms to Google’s anticipated “Mobilegeddon” — Search Engine Optimization is hot again.

Google Ranking is back! And so is Alexa Ranking. In fact, many of the newest webpages to rise up from the crowded bottomlands and pull in traffic and followers are using Alexa as a major tool on their work benches.

What’s going on with Alexa?

Here are the basic facts:

1. JUST ABOUT EVERY DOMAIN IN THE WORLD IS SPIDERED & RATED BY ALEXA.

2. IF YOU GET AN ALEXA TOOLBAR, YOU CAN SEE THOSE RATINGS, INCLUDING YOUR OWN.

3. IF YOU ADD AN ALEXA WIDGET TO YOUR SITE, ALEXA CAN MORE EASILY FOLLOW YOU AND INCREASE YOUR PAGE RANK.

4. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GO ON ALEXA.COM TO GET THEIR TOOLBAR & WIDGET. FOR FREE.

WHY ALEXA?

Here, from SEO writer Doherty Martin, is a Guest Blog giving us a comprehensive answer to that question, explaining why these Ol’ Bears have taken his advice (at no cost at all):

How to Increase Alexa Rank

Now owned by Amazon.com and tied directly to Google, Alexa is back!

1. Why are Alexa and their Ranking important?

Alexa Ranking helps to quantify the popularity of a blog or website and to assess its value in dollars. In addition to indicating its popularity, your website or blog’s Alexa Ranking can also let you find out how much money you can earn through Make Money Online programs such as ReviewMe, Text Link Ads and others that use it to evaluate your ad strength. In summary, if your aim is to profit online, your aim should be to focus on better Alexa Rank for your blog or website.

Alexa pays attention to the traffic that a site receives, rather than its incoming links. Thus, this might be a good strategy for websites that usually have a heavy flow of targeted traffic that brings business. If the goal is to monetize your website, then improving your Alexa Ranking could probably be the way to go.

The lower your Alexa ranking the better for your website. The common belief is that if you feature in the top 100,000, this is a clear indication that your site experiences substantial visitors.

Webmasters and advertisers understand your website’s capacity to generate revenue through your Alexa ranking. It can decide how much advertisers will be ready to pay for space on your website. The lower your Alexa ranking the higher the bid.
The procedure for blogs and personal web pages is the same as the one used for websites. Blogs and personal pages are awarded a “*” mark to distinguish them.

As it is considered one of the main indicators of your website’s success in terms of making money, you must make it part of your search engine optimization strategy.

Why do webmasters need enhancement?

A better Alexa Rank, as in lower rank, can bring a website several valuable benefits. The important ones are:

* Better Site Image
If an e-commerce business website does not have a good Alexa rank, it reflects on its credibility, negatively affecting sales and profits.

* Attracting Advertisers
It is a useful method for prospective advertisers to decide where they want to advertise. Advertisers prefer to place ads on sites that have an Alexa Rank under 100,000, the lower the better. Your website may not attract any advertisers if its Alexa Rank were not known.

* Enhanced Earnings Through Advertisements
If your website sees heavy traffic, the ads you feature will obviously earn you more money. Thus, the lower you rank on Alexa, the more you would earn through the ads on your site.

* Attracting Investors
A lower Alexa Rank for your website makes it easier for you to attract investors or raise funds. Your site would also be worth more.

2. What kind of sites needs high Alexa Ranking?
Here are the types of websites that should work on high Alexa ranking:

* Online businesses
* Businesses that want to have a better conversion rate
* Businesses that want to make more money from advertisers
* Businesses whose goal is to raise funds or bring in investors

3. How can a site increase its Alexa Ranking?
To being the process of raising your Alexa traffic ranking, here is what you do:

a. download and install the Alexa toolbar
b. Browse your site
c. Get in touch with YourAlexaRanking for guidance

Not all website owners and webmasters are SEO gurus or have the expertise to know everything about achieving the ideal Alexa ranking.

Some websites do not see adequate traffic or even know website owners who are already using the Alexa Toolbar on their sites. Promoting your website through blogs or articles to drive traffic can be a tedious affair. The other option is to hire an agency to manage forum posts, or buy banners and advertisements. This could turn out to be quite expensive.

However, we present you with a hassle-free and low-budget method to resolve this issue. One does not need client websites to achieve this. We can use this method effectively to help you reach your target rank even if your website is new and yet to be ranked. All you have to do is give us your URL.

4. What should a new site do to increase its Alexa Ranking?
To begin with, go to download.alexa and download the Alexa Toolbar to increase your website’s Alexa rank. Once you do this, your next step is to surf your website on a regular basis.

After you download the Alexa Toolbar, you will be able to view your site’s Alexa Rank on the Alexa Toolbar. In case you don’t yet have it, this toolbar will show the message “No Data”. However, you don’t have to be concerned about this, since in just two days you will be able to see an Alexa Rank result for your website.

Get in touch with YourAlexaRanking for further steps. The concept of it and how to increase it is not something everyone is familiar with. Also, not everyone is an SEO expert. It is not uncommon to find that many website visitors or clients do not have the Alexa Toolbar installed on their own sites. Moreover, trying to drive traffic to your site through blog post promotion and article writing can be quite a lengthy process.

Forum posting costs money, and so does purchasing banners and advertisements on other sites. But you need not worry about all this or spending a lot of money. We have designed an effective and simple method that is ideal for those on a tight budget. You do not need client websites. We will help you reach your target rank for any type of site, including a new website that is yet to be ranked. To get started, just give us your URL.

5. What are some of the top strategies for quickly increasing your Alexa Ranking?

i. Start by downloading and installing the Alexa Toolbar for Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. Then, in your browser options, select your website and set it as your homepage so that each time you start up your browser, your site appears as the home page. Since Alexa awards one hit for each unique IP address, you do not have to repeatedly keep going back to your blog. If you use Firefox as your browser, download and install SearchStatus which is the Alexa Ranking extension for Mozilla and Firefox.

Apart from its primary function of showing you the Alexa Rank of a site, an additional feature of the Alexa Toolbar is a pop up blocker. It also lets you view more information about the website you browse and this includes contact information, a search bar and related links.

ii. The Alexa Redirect is a search engine friendly feature that gives the search engines permanent redirect. This means that while going to your blog’s home page, it also does an Alexa redirect, resulting in Alexa recording it as a hit, increasing your Alexa Rank regardless of whether your visitors also have the Alexa Toolbar on their browser.

iii. As mentioned earlier, content rules and your focus should be on writing quality content frequently. Users love information they can use and so do the search engines. When you post valuable information, your visitors will want to link to it and this will drive traffic to your website. Chances are, the visitors who arrive on your site also have the Alexa toolbar installed and this is an added bonus. Sites that refresh their content regularly are also ranked higher by the search engines.

In addition to the above, you are likely to be submitted to popular social bookmarking sites like Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, etc. resulting in even more traffic.

During the time Digg ranked higher than Slashdot, a number of “Diggers” installed the Alexa Toolbar and they probably continue to use it.

With it, the equation is an easy one. When you post quality content frequently, you get more visitors and thereby boost Alexa ranking.

Iv. Popularize Your Url
It is a fact that web 2.0 is the new internet. Therefore, browse forums in your niche and related niches and sign up. Post comments, participate meaningfully in the conversations and ensure that you include your website URL each time. Take care to post your URL through the Alexa Redirect described in the previous tip.

V. Consider Using Professional Alexa Services
To improve it quickly, you can also used specialist services from YourAlexaRanking.com for a simple and cost-effective way to resolve issues. This does not require client websites.

Even the age of your website or rank do not matter. All you need to do is provide your website’s URL to start seeing results.

6. What is the biggest problem site-owners face when trying to increase their Alexa Ranking?

Perhaps the most difficult obstacle faced by website owners when they work to increase it is when their website traffic does not proportionately increase. A related issue arises when traffic increases, but it does not change.

7. What should they do to avoid or overcome that problem?
If you are worried about how to master the Alexa system on your own, relax. We have invested valuable time to develop the experience and expertise to improve it so that we can help you accomplish it you are aiming for. We make sure that we are always up to date with the current trends in Alexa algorithms and our solutions are never outdated.
We stay abreast of the latest developments in Alexa algorithms. Right now, the Alexa algorithm has introduced parameters such as Keywords, Clickstream, etc. and because of this, it is not enough to just drive more website traffic in the hope of increasing Alexa rank.

However, we have customized solutions to help you improve Alexa rank. Our services come with a performance guarantee, backed by several man hours of research and hard work to save your precious time and money so that you can enjoy better return on investment.

8. What is the most difficult part of increasing the Alexa Ranking of a brand new site?
For a website that has just been launched, the main concern is to attract a lot of traffic and achieve an Alexa number, so that it can rapidly improve Alexa ranking.

9. What can site-owners do to overcome this difficulty?
The most effective solution to speeding up your Alexa Ranking is to download and install the Alexa Toolbar. This works on Internet Explores. If you use Firefox or Mozilla, download and install SearchStatus which is the Alexa Ranking extension for these browsers. Then get in touch with YourAlexaRanking to take it up from there.

Obviously everyone cannot be familiar with the Alexa Ranking process and how to improve it. It is not easy to become an SEO guru either.

It’s also possible that you do not have adequate friends and visitors who have installed the Alexa Toolbar on their browser.

Posting blogs and articles to promote your site and attract traffic could be tiresome. If you are thinking of outsourcing forum posting or purchasing banners and ads, that could mean a big investment. But do not worry about all that because we have a tried and tested simple method that is also cost-effective to help you achieve the Alexa Ranking you want.
10. What is the most difficult part of increasing the Alexa Ranking of sites higher than 100,000?

Website owners and webmaster worry about how to boost Alexa Rank when the inflow of traffic is not adequate. Sometimes, when the number of visitors increases, Alexa Ranking continues to be stagnant and this is a cause for worry.

11. What can site-owners do to overcome this difficulty?
That is the easy part. Winning this challenge does not involve investing time or effort on your part to master the Alexa Ranking techniques. Instead, you can rely on our extensive experience and expertise backed by the latest knowledge to help you boost Alexa Rank and achieve the rank you target. Recently, Alexa algorithms have begun to include factors like Keywords, Clickstream, etc. that require more than an increase in traffic to increase Alexa Rank. But you can rely on us to ensure that you improve Alexa rank for your site with our quality services backed by a performance guarantee that will save you time and money and give you the best return on your investment.

12. How should a site-owner design a site if they want to increase their Alexa rank?
You can leverage your site design to increase Alexa rank. Here are some ways:
* Design a professional layout
* Post valuable quality content with focus on webmasters. This will also bring more links from visitors who have the Alexa toolbar and increase search engine traffic. Content also helps you get stumbled upon, submitted to Digg, Reddit and similar social media sites. Many members of Digg installed the Alexa toolbar when Digg became bigger than Slashdot and this can also help you. Thus, quality content brings more visitors and improves Alexa rank.

13. What role does good content play in increasing your Alexa Ranking?

Design content that appeals to webmasters. With more and more quality content, your visitors as well as the search engines will love your site. Visitors with the Alexa toolbar installed are likely to link to your site. The search engines will drive more traffic to your site. Your site or blog will get submitted by more people to social media sites such as Digg, Reddit, etc. and this will increase your traffic. Members of Digg who installed the Alexa toolbar when Digg ranked higher than Slashdot might still have the Alexa toolbar and this can be an added bonus. The equation you need to bear in mind is: post quality content, enjoy more visitors and increase Alexa rank.

14. What role does traffic play?
According To Alexa, The Alexa Traffic Rank Is Described As Follows:
“The traffic rank is based on three months of aggregated historical traffic data from millions of Alexa Toolbar users and is a combined measure of page views and users (reach). As a first step, Alexa computes the reach and number of page views for all sites on the Web on a daily basis.

The main Alexa traffic rank is based on the geometric mean of these two quantities averaged over time (so that the rank of a site reflects both the number of users who visit that site as well as the number of pages on the site viewed by those users).”

15. How do search engines, like Google, help someone increase Alexa Ranking?
The good news is Google is now tied to Alexa! There is also a positive connection between better keyword ranking on the search engines, Google page rank and improved Alexa ranking.

16. When you go on Alexa.com, you’ll see “an Amazon.com company” proudly displayed next to the Alexa logo. As Rense.com reported: “It’s no wonder the internet giant Amazon.com bought Alexa. In fact, the Alexa toolbar is now used by Amazon to direct customers to them if they’re searching for a product online…” The tie-in is good news for Amazon-based sellers, especially publishers and authors.

About the Author: Doherty Martin is an expert on domain ranking and writes in affiliation with RankStore.com, a domain-based service that provides resources to improve your Alexa rank.

==>> Get Your FREE ALEXA TOOLBAR & WIDGET At ALEXA.COM Now!

What is Alexa Page Rank Check? How to Increase Alexa Rank. Attention writers! Get Alexa Widget to increase book sales.

Keywords: alexa page rank, alexa rank, amazon.com, freelance writer, google alexa rank, google rank checker, increase book sales, low book sales, seo, what is alexa, write articles for ehow livestrong

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TOP 6 CELEBRITY DOG HOUSES: Paris Hilton & More Dog House Plans

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

TOP 6 CELEBRITY DOG HOUSES: Paris Hilton & More…

Brian-alan-burhoe-and-king

All but one of our dogs have lived indoors, just going out for fun, walks and exercise. But we’ve still, over the years, built dog houses out back just to give ’em an easy shelter if they wanted it when they’re outside. A hideaway in the winter, shelter from the sun in summertime. Dog houses are just part of the family landscape, eh?

But in the case of Yukon King, our husky mix, we needed a real dog house. King loved coming in to hang out with the family. He’d greet me happily when I came home from work and we’d have a hike through the woods. Snowshoeing with him in winter. After a while, he became a one-man dog — but that’s another yarn.

Thing was, King couldn’t stand the heat. Panted overtime on warm days, especially indoors. A true Northern animal.

And he wanted to sleep outside, even in the harshest winter night. A real husky — dude even howled like a wolf on occasion, which was unnerving to the neighbours. Loved the snow. Death on mice — we’d watch him spring up in the air like a cat to catch them.

So I built him a dog house: big enough for him, comfortable flooring and insulated. Designed just for a husky. Size makes a difference and there are differences in the designs of big dog houses and small dog houses. King’s was one of the best dog houses around, I say with pride.

Dog houses can be a necessity for many families. For others, just a whimsical act of their human love.

Here, from one of our fave pet experts, is a Guest Blog from Ron Ayalon on some of the more unusual dog houses…

Top 6 Celebrity Dog Houses

“Building your own dog house is not as easy as hammering some wood and nails together. You need to take into account materials, insulation, ventilation, positioning, openings, as well as things like what materials and paints are safe to use.” – Bill Keene

Some dogs get all the fun, and some just get to live in really weird houses. From the insanely stylish to the bizarrely comfortable, here are six of the most interesting doghouses I’ve come across.

1. The Cool Pet House: This one is for dogs or cats, or any other animal that weighs up to 26 pounds. It comes with a built-in webcam so that you can watch your pet and let other animal lovers see what they are doing while they sleep, eat, and do the things that animals do when they are alone. The air humidifier and temperature regulation can be controlled remotely, as can the LED lights, so you can maintain a constant environment for your dog, even when you are away.

2. The Celebrity Brick Estate Dog House: For dog lovers with a bit of spare cash, this mansion comes with running water, electric lighting, heating, and air conditioning. Priced at $25,000, the house is custom-made after consultation with the owner, and the total paid varies according to the final design. The builders will even choose materials based on your pet’s allergies or other sensitivities.

3. The Town House: How about an indoor doghouse that doubles as a side table? That is exactly what this heavy wood house does. It fits a removable cushion for easy cleaning, as well as a medium-sized dog. Meanwhile, it is sturdy enough to keep your flowers, lamp, coffee, or books on top, without you having to worry about anything falling over when your dog jump up or moves suddenly.

4. The One Jackson Square Dog House: As a one-off structure, this one sold at auction with a starting bid of $15,000. It was designed to mimic the real luxury condos One Jackson Square in New York. It has a planted roof and looks like a nautilus shell. The proceeds from the sale went to the Animal Medical Center of New York in 2008.

5. Paris Hilton’s Dog House: This one does not have an official name, because it was built specifically as a smaller version of Paris Hilton’s own house. She spent $325,000 on it, and it covers over three hundred square feet. To be fair, her dogs Tinkerbell, Marilyn Monroe, Prince Baby Bear, Harajuku, Dolce and Prada share the space, but they definitely have enough of it, between the living room, balcony, bedroom, and lawn.

6. The World’s Most Expensive Dog House: Even Paris Hilton doesn’t take the cake on this one. In the middle of the Great Recession of 2008, one UK-based dog owner spent about half a million dollars on a dog house for two Great Danes. It comes with a spa, temperature-controlled daybeds, a sound system worth over $200,000, and many more luxuries that most people can only dream of. The house even has a retinal scanner to make sure that other dogs can’t get in.

Love it or hate it, some dogs really do have it made, and so do their owners, apparently. But at the end of the day, there’s nothing wrong with being a bit creative with your canine’s doghouse, and surely there are less pricey alternatives that can be just as fun.

Whether or not your dog ends up in a luxury condo or a house with a spa, or you build a doghouse just for him or her, the heart of the matter seems to be that you can meet your dog’s basic needs for food, health, and comfort without resorting to extravagance that it seems very unlikely that the dog will appreciate.

And remember during the scorching days of summer to keep water out for your dog to prevent dehydration. [1]

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

[1] Ron Ayalon is an accomplished Internet marketer and educator, focusing on the pet industry and unique websites for building successful pet businesses on the Internet at www.Petwebdesigner.com.

TOP 6 CELEBRITY DOG HOUSES: Paris Hilton & More – Best Dog Houses – From Top Celebrity To Backyard Dog House Plans

Keywords: best dog houses, Brian Alan Burhoe, build a doghouse, celebrity dog houses, cheap, designs, dog house plans, husky mix, kits, large dog house, small dog house, the doghouse.

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Posted in An Earth Spirit, Otherkind | Tagged best dog houses, brian alan burhoe, build a doghouse, celebrity dog houses, cheap, designs, dog house plans, dogs, husky mix, kits, large dog house, Paris Hilton dog, Paris Hilton dog house, small dog house, the doghouse | Comments Off

Rescued Dogs, Cats, Farm Animals & Others – Fostering Or Homing Rescued Animals

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

Rescued Dogs, Cats, Farm Animals

Rescued Dogs, Cats, Farm Animals & Others

cat-dog-rescued-animal

“Tears welled up in both of us when we saw them — all wagging tails and puppy kisses even after being so abused by our ‘superior race’. They were still willing to love us and trust us to keep them safe. No other species on earth has such a capacity to forgive and to love like a dog. It never ceases to amaze me the ability of humans to inflict pain on such innocent creatures.” – Deborah Eades, EVERY RESCUED DOG HAS A TALE: Stories from the Dog Rescue Railroad

“Give a Rescued Animal a Home!”

The whole idea of taking in abandoned or unwanted animals has taken on a life of its own. And it’s great!

Dogs are the most common rescued animal taken in temporarily as fostered pets or as lifetime family members. Cats are second. Although other popular species are also being taken in and given loving homes, including rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, assorted birds, fish, reptiles and so on. Even farm animals — though most families aren’t in the position of accepting horses, cows, goats, pigs, chickens…

To a degree, we’ve been doing it forever. It’s part of a sharing nature so many of us have (or at least folk like you who find themselves visiting a site called CIVILIZED BEARS). The precepts of Animal Rights may have helped the idea spread.

Here’s a Guest Blog from two experts in homing rescued animals, Maria Elena and Ron Ayalon…

ACCLIMATING YOUR RESCUED DOG by Maria Elena

Opening your home to a “rescue dog” [1] is one of the greatest gifts you can give to a dog. Whether it’s a puppy or a senior dog, providing a home for them is not only great for them, but it has an awesome effect on the owners.

However, now that they’re in their new home, how are they going to act? The one characteristic about rescue dogs is that you seldom know their history. While kennels and shelters do their best to investigate your pup’s history (medical, housing, previous lifestyle), they aren’t always accurate. In fact, dogs that live in shelters or kennels for long periods of time will often develop different habits that you might not be familiar with. They may have been potty trained, but probably haven’t had the opportunity to practice it.

Old habits die hard

One of the most serious issues with a rescue dog is that they may be hyperactive when you interact with them and they won’t quite be able to settle back down like most dogs would. It could be because they’re just happy to be free and have a home, but the condition often resonates long after they’ve moved in with you.

Additionally, their new environment may cause them stress. Many shelter dogs have accommodated themselves to living within a small area. Consider making them comfortable by surrounding them with something familiar and then gradually introducing them into a larger home. One of the most effective methods is the crate, and while it might seem contradictory to getting them out of the shelter, it does provide them with a place that is familiar while they are adjusting to their new home.

Another situation is the potty issue. Keep in mind that dog shelters aren’t focused on training and working with a dog, especially in this department. Many dogs will potty in their own housings (contrary to their own instincts), which can quickly and unexpectedly become a difficult habit to break. Be cautious about letting your recently rescued dog navigate your home unattended. If you aren’t with them, it’s best to keep them isolated in a certain location, such as a crate or their own room (make sure they can’t jump over doggy gates).

Comfort

Comfort is a big thing for a dog.

While we laugh because they can sleep just about anywhere (and in the strangest positions), dogs are often just looking for what makes them comfortable. The question is: where are they going to eat and sleep? Many shelter dogs are going to be accustomed to eating in the same spot where they sleep, and change can confuse them quickly.

It may be necessary to start feeding them close to their crate or sleeping area, then gradually moving their food back to a designated location (kitchen). This should allow your pup to ease into their new lifestyle, rather than just surprising them with a whole lot of change.

One thing to consider is that shelter dogs are often going to be surprised by new objects, sounds, and even people. In order to provide the ideal comfort zone while they adapt, it’s generally good to check your home for anything that would surprise your new dog. This might include loud noises, such as vacuum cleaners, clocks, and other strange noises, that could stress out your dog.

Stress on your dog and how to address it

Keep in mind that stress has a physical effect on a dog as well. The introduction to a new environment combined with a change in diet often results in an upset stomach and even diarrhea. This is simply a fact, so don’t be surprised or upset with your pup if he is having stress-related issues, since you’ll only make it worse.

The best way to address this is as soon as your dog is introduced to the home, it’s time to begin potty training. Take them to a pre-designated location (indoor or outdoor) and allow them to take care of their business there. Be sure that this area is obscured from any outside stimuli, such as the neighbor’s barking dog or even elemental factors. The more comfortable and secure they feel in their potty location, the more quickly they’ll begin to accommodate themselves to your house rules.

Providing a home, even a temporary one, for a rescue dog is a wonderful thing. You’re making their life better by simply giving them a chance to make yours just as good. It might be a puppy, a big pooch, a tiny rascal, or even a senior dog, but what matters the most is that they now have a home and a place in your heart.

Keeping up with your pet supplies can be just another thing you don’t want to have to remember. After a long day at work and going to the store, the last thing you want to do is have to go to the store again. Consider home delivery of your pet supplies! [2]

FOSTERING RESCUED ANIMALS – A GROWING TREND RIGHT IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD by Ron Ayalon

Foster parents are often people of great strength, caring and sacrifice who understand the need for temporary havens while permanent homes are being found. Perhaps you know a child or two in the foster system. These kids can’t seem to catch a break, but sometimes the right foster situation just clicks.

This is certainly the case when talking about kids but we’re not talking children here, we are talking dogs, cats and other household pets. Every year thousands of animals are rescued from abusive homes, freed from lives of terror and starvation, disease and neglect. The effects of such horrors are evident and deep, but not necessarily permanent, thanks to the “now” mindset of most animals or the inability to worry about the future or dwell in the past.

These animals often receive treatment for their physical ailments and find comfort in the patience and great care administered to their damaged psyches, but most shelters cannot contain the sheer number of animals rescued; the costs are too high and the amount of space needed for proper housing is insurmountable.

A foster home helps to defray those costs by individuals and families simply offering a warm bed and healing love to an animal that may have never known a kind human touch or long since forgotten it.

While some shelters can help with rehabilitation of mind and body, many foster homes will also take up that challenge, work to socialize an animal that has been isolated by displaying kindness and, most of all, love, perhaps never before shown to an abused creature. Without foster homes, many more of these unfortunate animals would have to be put down for lack of physical space. Fostering rescued animals is a genuine way to give back to the community and gain a sense of accomplishment.

A Foster ‘Parent’s’ Responsibility:

The number of foster homes is directly correlated to the number of animals that can be saved and many shelters will even offer health management, guidance and supplies. They truly need just a place for the animals to live until homes can be found. Animal rescues will often match foster dogs and cats to families in the foster system, working as closely with that family as possible to give them exactly what works best.

Some foster parents take only a single puppy or an entire litter, while others may desire only grown dogs or just cats, or any mix between. Also asked of foster families is the flexibility to allow potential adopters to see the animal or make the animal available for viewing. Sometimes good descriptions for web sites will be asked for, in order to make the eventual adoption process run more smoothly.

Foster families may need to transport the rescued animal to the vet when medical care or shots are needed, to let the shelter know if there are any behavioral problems that need to be addressed, and in the case of dogs, some light training may be requested. More often than not, foster parents are asked to show the rescued animal a little extra attention, a lot of patience and heaps of healing love.

As a foster family, you provide a wonderful ‘in-home’ rather alternative to ‘in-shelter’ transition between life then and life after adoption. You provide time for an animal to be placed with a forever home and you provide an invaluable service to your animal shelter and to the animal itself.

And what happens if you fall in love with your foster ‘child’? Usually the foster family is afforded first choice of adoption and it happens. This mutual love between foster parent and dog forges a bond that ends up with foster home turning into forever home. While dogs and cats comprise the vast majority of needy creatures, there may be call for housing rabbits and birds, too.

The amount of poor stewardship, abuse and neglect that occurs annually in this country concerning often harmless animals is staggering. You are indispensable in the battle for humane treatment of this planet’s furry citizens; they need you to take action for them. Make a difference in your life, the life of a rescued animal and even the life of the family who adopts sweet Rover: consider becoming a foster family for animals and shelters in need. [3]

==>> A WILD WOLF, A HALF-WILD HUSKY, A WILY OLD TRAPPER! If you want to read my free story in the Jack London Tradition, Click Here to Read My Popular Online Northwestern WOLFBLOOD!

[1] Note: The term “Rescue Dog” can refer to either a rescued dog given a new home, or a trained Search & Rescue dog, depending on context. Here, we’re talking about endangered or unwanted animals who are rehomed.

[2] Maria Elena has written in affiliation with www.porchpotty.com, a niche product site for dog owners.

[3] Ron Ayalon is an accomplished Internet marketer and educator, focusing on the pet industry and unique websites for building successful pet businesses on the Internet at www.Petwebdesigner.com.

Rescued Dogs, Cats, Farm Animals & Others – Fostering Or Homing Rescued Animals

Keywords: animal rights, cats, dogs, dogs to foster, foster care animals, foster for dogs, fostering animals, homing, rehomed, rescued dogs, rescued farm animals, senior dog, the rescued

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Declaw Cat – Humane Alternatives to Cat Declawing A Must!

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

Cat Declawing? No!

Humane Alternatives to Cat Declawing

“PLEASE DON’T DECLAW US!”

“I will never declaw my cat no matter how many times I get scratched. Lol” Beckah Beare @78beare

“And I love my cats way more than I love my furniture.” Julie Harris @sabela13

Cat Declawing is actually illegal in many countries. Including Merry Olde England and the rest of the enlightened UK: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, France and the Republic of Ireland have banned it outright. And have supported the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, which prohibits the procedure’s use for any non-medical reason.

In Australia and New Zealand, where it never was popular, it’s been labeled “a cruel and unneeded procedure.”

“Cat declawing near me” is still a common search phrase in the United States. But there’s an active campaign in the U.S. for its ban.

As of this writing, Cat Declawing is still legal in Canada, and I say this with shame.

But a recent CTV Vancouver News report gave us hope when it revealed: “A growing number of Canadian veterinarians are refusing to declaw cats, describing the once-common procedure as unnecessarily cruel — and the equivalent of amputating human fingertips.” [1]

As one Canadian veterinarian explained, “Despite what the name implies, declawing, known as Onychectomy, is actually a series of bone amputations, sometimes also referred to as de-knuckling.” [2]

We’ve never even considered it for our own feline family members.

Although, I’ll admit, we didn’t know until recently that so-called “declawing” actually involved surgical removal of a kitten’s knuckles!

I could give you a replay of my own righteous Animal Rights Rant when I first learned THAT!

Instead, here’s a more restrained Guest Blog from two American animal experts, Kit Marsters and Ron Ayalon, on this disturbing subject:

Cat Declawing – Some Humane Alternatives by Kit Marsters

In many countries Cat Declawing is illegal, and seen as inhumane. I will spare you the details of what it can do to our feline friends. I’m not writing to shock and upset, rather I mean to inform and offer some alternative solutions. If you wish to know more details, see Ron Ayalon’s posting below.

One thing that’s important to know, however, is that declawing is not a manicure. It involves the amputation of the last joint of your cat’s “toes”. When you think of it like that, I think it will become clear why it is not considered a humane thing in so many countries.

As humans, we tend to be proud of our houses and our furniture. The way our place looks is often a manner of expressing ourselves, as well as comfort. Obviously, not many of us welcome our furry friends using our chairs as scratch posts and our curtains as jolly good climbing fun.

So what then?

I am lucky. I live in a tiny village surrounded by hills, and my cats can safely come and go as they please. Of course this means that I receive the occasional “gift” of whatever they thoughtfully decide to drag into my home. But it also means that they tend to get their climbing and scratching out of their systems and treat my furniture pretty much the same way as I — to sit on and sleep on.

For many cats and cat owners this is not an option. In the big city, or when living in any other environment with busy roads and more risks of illnesses, cats tend to live indoors. A good alternative for indoor cats is to teach them to use scratching posts. These come in many shapes and sizes and tend to be very effective. A roughly textured welcome mat in front of the door can do wonders as well.

Options…

Other options to Cat Declawing involve lightweight vinyl caps that can be glued to the cat’s front paws. They come in different colours and last about four to six weeks on average. Alternatively, your veterinarian can teach you how to safely and painlessly clip your cat’s nails. These options are only recommended for indoor cats, because outside your home your cat will need full use of their claws to match their outdoors adventures.

These are just some of the alternatives to declawing that are available.

If your concern is about how your cat will behave around your children, it is best to read up on as much information as possible before adding a feline to your family. Luckily, the vast majority of cats get along great with people of all ages, and you can teach your child how to safely handle their new friend.

If you are very afraid about your home and furniture, and you do not feel anything else but declawing will be adequate, it might be that a cat is not the best companion for you. Although most cats are actually quite careful with their environment, accidents can happen. And what you see as your prized new leather sofa might be seen as a wonderful new toy to play with. That you must have bought just to entertain your cat! They are not human, after all.

But that does not give us an excuse to be inhumane… [3]

Why Cat Declawing Is a Bad Idea by Ron Ayalon

Owners of cats will often consider having their pet declawed when scratching becomes a problem. It’s true that cats can cause considerable damage to furniture or door frames by using these as scratching posts. A favorite scratching spot can be completely ripped up and shredded by a cat exercising his or her claws. Declawing is generally done only on the front paws because the back paws rarely present a problem.

The front claws of cats are retractable. And are always growing, just like our fingernails. In order to remove the outer sheath of the claw to expose the new, sharper claw, the cat must scratch. Wild cats satisfy their scratching need on trees or logs, but domestic cats will use whatever is convenient and at hand.

Besides scratching furniture, cats will also scratch defensively, or in some cases, aggressively. People who own cats, and who also have medical conditions, worry that a cat scratch could cause problems.

Cat Declawing is a serious surgical procedure that will be performed on your cat under complete anesthesia.

Declawing is not the same as trimming the cat’s nails. In order to declaw your cat, it is necessary for the last joint of the cat’s toes to be removed. The nail bed grows right out of the bone so in order for the declawing to be successful, the bone itself must be removed. Some vets use laser surgery to do the procedure, but the same result will occur.

After surgery, the paws must be bandaged.

This is painful surgery! Your veterinarian will usually prescribe pain relievers and often antibiotics to deal with incipient infections. The time that will be needed for complete healing can be up to several weeks, although some cats will be healed within 3 or 4 days.

As with most elective surgeries on pets, there is a great deal of discussion about whether declawing is cruel and unnecessary. Except in certain medical situations (tumors, chronic infections). Studies have been done which exhibit contradictory results. However, several problems seem to arise after a cat has been declawed.

Because the cat’s primary means of defense, its claws, are gone, the cat may be more prone to biting. Cat bites can easily become infected, and are considered to be more dangerous in this respect than dog bites. Many cat owners report that their cats have more of a tendency to urinate or defecate inappropriately after being declawed.

It’s been shown that with the removal of the front claws, cats may object to the feel of the litter in the box.

The cat can never be allowed outside again, once it has been declawed, the cat must be kept in the house at all times. Without claws, not only will the cat be unable to defend itself, it will also be unable to climb a tree to escape an attack by other animals.

There is also the fact that persistent scratching up of furniture or aggressive scratching of people or other pets can lead to the cat being surrendered to a shelter. It has been found that approximately one quarter of the cats in the United States have been declawed. And that most owners are satisfied with the outcome of the surgery but there are ways to solve the scratching problem without declawing.

Those cat owners who object to declawing can work around the problem to one extent or another.

Kittens start getting the urge to scratch when they are about 2 months old. This is the perfect opportunity to train the kitten to use a scratching post. One that has a rough texture will appeal to the scratching instinct especially. Posts covered with sisal, or even a section of log will be attractive to the kitten.

Even adult cats can be trained to use a post if you are willing to spend the time to work with the animal. Vinyl caps that fit over the front claws can keep the cat from damaging furniture or harming others. These caps are glued onto the claws and have to be replaced about once a month.

Some owners have found that trimming the cat’s nails themselves can help to reduce the need for scratching.

However, your cat may not be cooperative during this procedure, and this is also something that should be started while the cat is still a kitten.

Tendonectomy is a surgical alternative to declawing, and may actually be the worst choice of all.

During this surgery, the tendons that control the flexing of the claws are severed. Owners must then trim the claws regularly to prevent them growing into the toe pads. This is not a recommended procedure for our beloved cats.

Cat declawing is not a procedure that any cat owner should take lightly, and in most cases, it’s best to avoid it.

There are other options to this painful procedure and if you take the time to train your cat, you can enjoy each other for many years to come. [4]

Thanks, Guys!

“Live Free, Mes Amis!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

“AUTHORS LIKE CATS BECAUSE THEY ARE SUCH QUIET, LOVABLE, WISE CREATURES AND CATS LIKE AUTHORS FOR THE SAME REASONS.” – Robertson Davies

Have you had a laugh today? Shed a tear? Shared that glowing feeling of purring love?

==>> To See Our “Cats Quotes: Loving & Funny Literary Cat Quotes” CLICK HERE NOW!

[1] “An estimated 95% of cat owners choose to declaw their animal to stop unwanted furniture scratching… Cat declawing is still taught at veterinary schools across Canada, although now it’s accompanied by discussions about what it means, both in ethical terms and for the animal’s wellbeing.” Darcy Wintonyk, Senior Digital Producer, CTV Vancouver, British Columbia — https://bc.ctvnews.ca/declaw-dilemma-some-veterinarians-refusing-to-declaw-cats-1.1207643

[2] The cat declawing rate in Atlantic Canada is around 25%, which matches the reported American rate. That means that one out of every four cats here are de-knuckled, which is just not right!

[3] Kit Marsters has written in affiliation with www.PetLovers.Com, a site for Pet Forums.

[4] Ron Ayalon is an accomplished Internet marketer and educator, focusing on the pet industry and unique websites for building successful pet businesses on the Internet at www.Petwebdesigner.com.

UPDATE: February 11, 2024. As of this update, every province in Canada has banned the cruel procedure of Cat Declawing, except the Province of Ontario.

In the nine years since we posted this, we’ve watched our provinces, starting with Nova Scotia, join the Civilized World. Now we wait for Ontario to join us!

South of the Border, two States have joined the Ban: New York & Maryland.

Declaw Cat – Humane Alternatives to Cat Declawing A Must!

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Posted in An Earth Spirit, Bearkind, Otherkind | Tagged animal rights, cat bad behavior, cat behavior, cat claw caps, cat claw covers, cat declawing, Cat Declawing near me, cat scratch, cats declawing, cost declaw, declaw cat, declawing cats Canada, front claws, humane, kitten declaw, removal | Comments Off

Cats Quotes – Loving & Funny Cat Quotes For Feline Fanciers

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

Literary Cat Quotes…

Writers’ Cat Quotes: Loving, Sentimental & Funny Cats Quotes

Cats Quotes: Loving & Funny Cat Quotes For Feline Fanciers

“BOOKS. CATS. LIFE IS GOOD.” – Edward Gorey

They dance madly around the house, still thinking they’re kittens. And then curl up on a couch or window sill to find sunshine and sleep. Our cats are dignified clowns. And sources of purrs and love.

In the Wilderness, our closest relatives — all the other Primates — avoid Cats with screaming warnings. But we — Humankind — long ago took one little feline species into our ancient rough homes and they’ve been with us ever since.

Bringing their own mysterious brand of comedy, love and sunshine into our lives.

So many of our fave authors have written about the kittens and grown cats in their lives with honesty and (sometimes surprising) love.

A laugh. A tear. Here, my friends, are our favourite Literary Cat Quotes:

“TAILS HITHER, TAILS YON, UPHELD IN PRIDE AND SATISFACTION.” – Andre Norton

“IT WAS ON THE CORNER OF THE STREET THAT HE NOTICED THE FIRST SIGN OF SOMETHING PECULIAR — A CAT READING A MAP.” – J K Rowling

“WHAT GREATER GIFT THAN THE LOVE OF A CAT?” – Charles Dickens

“HOME IS WHERE I HANG MY TOOTHBRUSH AND WHERE THE CATS HAVE THEIR COMMODE.” – Lilian Jackson Braun

“A CAT CAN PURR ITS WAY OUT OF ANYTHING!” – Donna McCrohan

“I THINK ALL CATS ARE WILD. THEY ONLY ACT TAME IF THERE’S A SAUCER OF MILK IN IT FOR THEM.” – Douglas Adams

“BUT FAT CAT ON THE MAT KEPT AS A PET HE DOES NOT FORGET.” – J R R Tolkien

“IF THERE’S ONE SPOT OF THE SUN SPILLING ONTO THE FLOOR, A CAT WILL FIND IT AND SOAK IT UP.” – Louis Wain

“NOTHING MAKES A HOUSE COZIER THAN A CAT.” – Gladys Taber

“DOGS ARE NICE BUT THEIR LOVE IS GIVEN FREELY. WITH CATS YOU HAVE TO EARN IT, AND I’M A GIRL WHO LOVES A CHALLENGE.” – Lissa Warren

“CATS ARE SMARTER THAN DOGS. YOU CAN’T GET EIGHT CATS TO PULL A SLED THROUGH SNOW.” – Jeff Valdez

“IT’S GOING TO FREEZE — THE CAT’S DANCING.” – Colette

“KITTIES HAVE BIRTHDAYS, TOO. MAKE A CAKE FOR YOURSELF AND GIVE THE KITTY SOME REAL LIVE FRESH DEAD SHRIMP.” – Max Thompson

“IN THE MIDDLE OF A WORLD THAT’S ALWAYS BEEN A BIT MAD, THE CAT WALKS WITH CONFIDENCE.” – Rosanne Amberson

“I AM ONE OF THE MOST FANATICAL CAT LOVERS IN THE BUSINESS. IF YOU HATE THEM, I MAY LEARN TO HATE YOU.” – Raymond Chandler

“WHEN A MAN LOVES CATS, I AM HIS FRIEND AND COMRADE, WITHOUT FURTHER INTRODUCTION.” – Mark Twain

“CATS ARE VERY FUNNY, AND HAVE THE ODDEST WAYS OF SHOWING THEY’RE GLAD TO SEE YOU. RUDIMAC ALWAYS PEED IN OUR SHOES.” – W H Auden

“A MOUSE IN THE PAWS IS WORTH TWO IN THE PANTRY.” – Louis Wain

“SHE HAD WHITE CAT HAIR ON HER DARK SUIT. SHE WAS A DEDICATED CAT HUGGER.” – Lilian Jackson Braun

“A MEOW MASSAGES THE HEART.” – Stuart McMillan

“I MADE UP FOR MY DOG-LESS BOYHOOD BY BRINGING HOME KITTENS. ALWAYS THE LONELY, LEFTOVER LITTLE KITTEN THAT NOBODY ELSE WANTED. LIKE HUNTER, A GENTLE AND LOVING (WITH ME) STUB-TAILED GREY MANX CAT, WHO LIKED TO BRING ME MICE FROM THE HORSE BARN NEXT DOOR.” – Brian Alan Burhoe

“WHEN YOUR CAT DROPS A DEAD OR DYING ANIMAL AT YOUR FEET, IT’S ACTUALLY THE UTMOST COMPLIMENT. YOUR CAT IS ESSENTIALLY FEEDING YOU AS ONE OF ITS OWN.” – Daniel Martin

“MY CAT DOESN’T TALK AS RESPECTFULLY TO ME AS I DO TO HER.” – Colette

“FINDING A CAT — OR HAVING A CAT FIND YOU — CAN CHANGE YOUR WORLD AS MUCH AS MARRIAGE, LOVE, DEATH, OR EVEN WINNING THE LOTTERY CAN, AND SOMETIMES MORE.” – Kinky Friedman

“THE FACT OF POONA BEING AT A LOOSE END AND DECIDING TO CLOCK IN AND TAKE POT-LUCK I CAN UNDERSTAND, FOR LONG ISLAND IS FULL OF STRAY CATS WALKING THROUGH THE WET WOODS WAVING THEIR WILD TAILS.” – P G Wodehouse

“YOU WILL ALWAYS BE LUCKY IF YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH STRANGE CATS.” – Old Yorkshire saying

“THE CLOCKS IN OUR HOUSE WERE SUPERFLUOUS; WE MARKED OUR TIME BY THE CAT.” – Lissa Warren

“THE CAT IS THE ANIMAL TO WHOM THE CREATOR GAVE THE BIGGEST EYE, THE SOFTEST FUR, THE MOST SUPREMELY DELICATE NOSTRILS, A MOBILE EAR, AN UNRIVALED PAW AND A CURVED CLAW BORROWED FROM THE ROSE-TREE.” – Colette

“PEOPLE WHO LOVE CATS HAVE SOME OF THE BIGGEST HEARTS AROUND.” – Susan Easterly

“A KITTEN IS THE MOST IRRESISTIBLE COMEDIAN IN THE WORLD. ITS WIDE-OPEN EYES GLEAM WITH WONDER AND MIRTH. IT DARTS MADLY AT NOTHING AT ALL, AND THEN, AS THOUGH SUDDENLY CHECKED IN PURSUIT, PRANCES SIDEWAYS ON ITS HIND LEGS WITH RIDICULOUS AGILITY AND ZEAL.” – Agnes Repplier

Cats Quotes: Loving & Funny Cat Quotes For Feline Fanciers

“CATS LIKE DOORS LEFT OPEN — IN CASE THEY CHANGE THEIR MINDS.” – Rosemary Nisbet

“THE REAL OBJECTION TO THE GREAT MAJORITY OF CATS IS THEIR INSUFFERABLE AIR OF SUPERIORITY.” – P G Wodehouse

“IN ANCIENT TIMES, CATS WERE WORSHIPPED AS GODS; THEY HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN THIS.” – Terry Pratchett

“CATS, AS YOU KNOW, ARE QUITE IMPERVIOUS TO THREATS.” – Connie Willis

“NEVER TRY TO OUTSTUBBORN A CAT.” – Robert A Heinlein

“CATS DON’T FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS; THEY TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED. THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO BE FED, WATERED, STROKED ON DEMAND AND SUPPLIED WITH A LAP AND A CLEAN COMMODE.” – Lilian Jackson Braun

“I WRITE SO MUCH BECAUSE MY CAT SITS ON MY LAP. SHE PURRS SO I DON’T WANT TO GET UP. SHE’S SO MUCH MORE CALMING THAN MY HUSBAND.” – Joyce Carol Oates

“FUNNY FACE IS MY ATTACK CAT, AND ANYONE WHO MIGHT TRY TO HARM ME WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH HIM. HERE, PRETTY KITTY. THAT’S A GOOD BOY.” – Vivian Gilbert Zabel

“THE NAMING OF CATS IS A DIFFICULT MATTER.” – T S Elliot

“THE NAME YOU CHOOSE WILL AFFECT PEOPLE WHO HEAR IT IMMEDIATELY, GIVING THEM A POSITIVE IMPRESSION — WONDERCAT, SWEET TOOTH — OR PERHAPS A NEGATIVE ONE — HELLCAT, SHREDDER.” – Michelle Ryan

“OVER THE YEARS MY SISTER AND I CAME UP WITH HUNDREDS OF NAMES FOR THIS VERY SPECIAL CAT. AND OUR CAT GAVE US MANY INCIDENTS OF LAUGHTER, FUNNY MOMENTS AND HAPPY MOMENTS IN A HOME ENVIRONMENT WHICH WAS MOSTLY NOT VERY HAPPY.” – Joe Caruso

“CATS ARE INTENDED TO TEACH US THAT NOT EVERYTHING IN NATURE HAS A PURPOSE.” – Garrison Keillor

“IF ANIMALS COULD SPEAK, THE DOG WOULD BE A BLUNDERING OUTSPOKEN FELLOW; BUT THE CAT WOULD HAVE THE RARE GRACE OF NEVER SAYING A WORD TOO MUCH.” – Mark Twain

“AS I LISTENED TO HIS GENTLE PURRING IN THE DARK, IT FELT GOOD TO HAVE HIM THERE. HE WAS COMPANY, I GUESS. I’D NOT HAD MUCH OF THAT LATELY.” – James Bowen

“ONE SMALL CAT CHANGES GOING INTO TO AN EMPTY HOUSE TO COMING HOME!” – Pam Brown

“I MADE EYE CONTACT WITH HER, CLOSED MY EYES BRIEFLY, WISHING FOR HER TO COME OUT. THEN OPENED MY EYES AGAIN. AND THE CAT BLINKED BACK AT ME, SLOWLY. SHE ALLOWED ME TO MOVE HER TO SAFETY. YEARS LATER I HEARD THAT SLOWLY BLINKING THEN LOOKING AWAY IS A POWERFUL FORM OF CAT COMMUNICATION.” – Mieshelle Nagelschneider

Cats Quotes: Loving & Funny Cat Quotes For Feline Fanciers

“I WISH I COULD WRITE AS MYSTERIOUS AS A CAT.” – Edgar Allan Poe

“FRIDAY THE 13TH. PICTURES OF BLACK CATS ARE POPPING UP EVERYWHERE. BLACK CATS HAVE BEEN DOUSED WITH A WITCHES’S BREW OF SUPERSTITION. LET’S GET REAL. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LOVE AND SHARE THEIR HOMES WITH BLACK CATS. CATS PROVIDE COMPANIONSHIP, LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE, REDUCE STRESS. TRUTH IS CATS MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. SO IF YOU SEE A BLACK CAT TODAY, CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY.” – Becky Robinson

“ALWAYS THE CAT REMAINS A LITTLE BIT BEYOND THE LIMITS WE TRY TO SET FOR HIM IN OUR BLIND FOLLY.” – Andre Norton

“HOW MANY MORE SENSES HAVE CATS THAN HUMANS?” – Marguerite Steen

“THE CAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOON. LIKE THE MOON, IT COMES TO LIFE AT NIGHT, ESCAPING FROM HUMANITY AND WANDERING OVER HOUSETOPS WITH ITS EYES BEAMING OUT THROUGH THE DARKNESS.” – Patricia Dale-Green

“A BLACK CAT CROSSING YOUR PATH SIGNIFIES THAT AN ANIMAL IS GOING SOMEWHERE.” – Groucho Marx

“DOGS COME WHEN THEY’RE CALLED; CATS TAKE A MESSAGE AND GET BACK TO YOU LATER.” – Mary Bly

“I LIKE CATS. WHEN I MEET A CAT, I SAY, ‘POOR PUSSY!’ AND STOOP DOWN AND TICKLE THE SIDE OF ITS HEAD; AND THE CAT STICKS UP ITS TAIL IN A RIGID, CAST-IRON MANNER, ARCHES ITS BACK, AND WIPES ITS NOSE AGAINST MY TROUSERS; AND ALL IS GENTLENESS AND PEACE.” – Jerome K Jerome

“CATS HAVE INTERCEPTED MY FOOTSTEPS AT THE ANKLE FOR SO LONG THAT MY GAIT, BOTH AT HOME AND ON TOUR, HAS BEEN COMPARED TO A MAN WADING THROUGH LOW SURF.” – Roy Blount, Jr

“TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO PURR IS FELINE.” – Robert Byrne

“AND THE BEHAVIOR OF THE CAT WAS SOMEWHAT PECULIAR. IT WAS SOON NOTICED THAT WHEN THERE WAS WORK TO BE DONE THE CAT COULD NEVER BE FOUND. SHE WOULD VANISH FOR HOURS ON END, AND THEN REAPPEAR AT MEAL-TIMES, OR IN THE EVENING AFTER WORK WAS OVER, AS THOUGH NOTHING HAD HAPPENED.” – George Orwell

“ONE CAT JUST LEADS TO ANOTHER.” – Ernest Hemingway

“A CATLESS WRITER IS ALMOST INCONCEIVABLE. EVEN ERNEST HEMINGWAY, MANLY FOLLOWER OF THE HUNTING TROPHY AND THE BULLFIGHT, LIVED WAIST-DEEP IN CATS. IT’S A PERVERSE TASTE, REALLY, SINCE IT WOULD BE EASIER TO WRITE WITH A HERD OF BUFFALO IN THE ROOM THAN EVEN ONE CAT; THEY MAKE NESTS IN THE NOTES AND BITE THE END OF THE PEN AND WALK ON THE TYPEWRITER KEYS.” – Barbara Holland

“CATS NEVER STRIKE A POSE THAT ISN’T PHOTOGENIC.” – Lillian Jackson Braun

“RUSTY IS ALWAYS UP FOR PLAYTIME, AT TIMES A GOLDEN BLUR, AT TIMES LAZY AND FULL OF LION-LOUD PURRS. HE’S MY BEST BUD.” – Brian Alan Burhoe

“TO BATHE A CAT TAKES BRUTE FORCE, PERSEVERANCE, COURAGE OF CONVICTION — AND A CAT.” – Stephen Baker

Cats Quotes: Loving & Funny Cat Quotes For Feline Fanciers

“IF YOU WANT TO WRITE, KEEP CATS.” – Aldous Huxley

“I BELIEVE CATS TO BE SPIRITS COME TO EARTH. A CAT, I’M SURE, COULD WALK ON A CLOUD WITHOUT COMING THROUGH.” – Jules Verne

“PERHAPS IT’S BECAUSE CATS DON’T LIVE BY HUMAN PATTERNS, DON’T FIT THEMSELVES INTO PRESCRIBED BEHAVIOR, THAT THEY ARE SO UNITED TO CREATIVE PEOPLE.” – Andre Norton

“THE ONLY THING I ENVY ABOUT A CAT IS ITS PURR. IT’S THE MOST CONTENTED SOUND IN THE WORLD.” – Lucy Maud Montgomery

“I LOVE THEM, THEY ARE SO NICE AND SELFISH. DOGS ARE TOO GOOD AND UNSELFISH. THEY MAKE ME FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE. BUT CATS ARE GLORIOUSLY HUMAN.” – Lucy Maud Montgomery

“AUTHORS LIKE CATS BECAUSE THEY ARE SUCH QUIET, LOVABLE, WISE CREATURES AND CATS LIKE AUTHORS FOR THE SAME REASONS.” – Robertson Davies

“THE CAT JUMPS UP ON THE BED AND TRIES TO GET ONTO MY HEAD. IT’S HIS WAY OF TELLING WHETHER OR NOT I’M DEAD. IF I’M NOT, HE WANTS TO BE SCRATCHED; IF I AM — HE’LL THINK OF SOMETHING.” – Margaret Atwood

“THEIR PITIFUL HUNGRY MEOWS MELTED MY HEART. SOMEONE HAD TO HELP THEM!” – Liz Barton

“THE CAT WAS BEING HARASSED BY MONKEYS IN NEIGHBOURING CAGES. SHE LOOKED AT ME IMPLORINGLY: PLEASE! TAKE ME HOME. SHE KEPT HER CLAWS SHEATHED AS I STROKED HER AND AS I WALKED OUT THE DOOR, SHE NUZZLED ME.” – Pierre Berton

“A CAT HAS ABSOLUTE EMOTIONAL HONESTY: HUMAN BEINGS, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, MAY HIDE THEIR FEELINGS, BUT A CAT DOES NOT. – Ernest Hemingway

“IT’S HARDER TO UNDERSTAND A CAT THAN A DOG. BUT IT’S FUN TRYING.” – Brian Alan Burhoe

“I LOVE CATS BECAUSE I ENJOY MY HOME; AND LITTLE BY LITTLE, THEY BECOME ITS VISIBLE SOUL.” – Jean Cocteau

“THE CAT DOESN’T OFFER SERVICES. THE CAT OFFERS ITSELF.” – William S. Burroughs

“MY CAT IS COMPLETELY BLIND. I AM WATCHING HER NOW, SWEET-PEA THAT IS, CIRCLING THE KITCHEN FLOOR AND BUMPING INTO THE KITCHEN CHAIRS. SHE IS KIND OF LIKE A FURRY BALL IN A PINBALL MACHINE…SHE BUMPS INTO SOMETHING AND THEN JUST TURNS AND MOVES ON…IT MAKES ME SMILE — ALTHOUGH I KNOW IT’S JUST NOT THAT FUNNY. I THINK I LAUGH BECAUSE WHAT I REALLY FEEL LIKE DOING, IS CRYING.” – Jann Arden

“WHEN ZOE DIED, IT WAS REALLY EASY TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE HOW MUCH YOU COULD MISS A SWEET, GENTLE CAT THAT WAS NOTHING BUT A BALL OF UTTER LOVE.” – Neil Gaiman

“WHY ALMOST ALWAYS CATS? WHY DO DEAD CATS CALL UP SUCH LUDICROUS TEARS?” – Margaret Atwood

“CATS LEAVE PAW PRINTS ON OUR HEARTS!” – Old English memorial stone

“ANOTHER CAT? PERHAPS. BUT A FAMILY CAT IS NOT REPLACEABLE LIKE A WORNOUT COAT. EACH NEW KITTEN BECOMES ITS OWN CAT, AND NONE IS REPEATED. I AM FOUR CATS OLD, MEASURING OUT MY LIFE IN FRIENDS THAT HAVE SUCCEEDED BUT NOT REPLACED ONE ANOTHER.” – Irving Townsend

Cats Quotes: Loving & Funny Cat Quotes For Feline Fanciers

“AS EVERY CAT OWNER KNOWS, NO ONE OWNS A CAT.” – Ellen Perry Berkeley

“OF ALL THE CATS THAT HAVE OWNED ME, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ONE LIKE MY WHITE TOM KITTEN, FOR SWEETNESS, INTELLIGENCE AND AFFECTION.” – Marguerite Steen

“AH, MY FURRY FELINE LOVES — SHISHI, NIBO AND IRA — JUST THINKING ABOUT ALL THIS MAKES ME WONDER: EXACTLY WHO HAS TRAINED WHOM!” – Rima Savage

“KITTENS BELIEVE THAT ALL NATURE IS OCCUPIED WITH THEIR DIVERSION.” – F A Paradis de Moncrif

“THERE’S NOTHING QUITE LIKE THE PRESENCE OF A CAT IN THE HOUSE TO MAKE YOU FEEL AT HOME, WHETHER IT’S A RUSTIC CABIN OR ROYAL PALACE. ” – Theresa Mancuso

“CATS ARE LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN ON EARTH, THEIR PURRING NOT UNLIKE THE STIR OF ANGEL WINGS.” – Theresa Mancuso

“A CAT DOESN’T KNOW WHAT IT WANTS AND WANTS MORE OF IT.” – Richard Hexem

“TWENTY-SEVEN CATS AT ONE TIME HINTS AT MONOMANIA. BUT IN MANY CASES IT’S SIMPLER. IF YOU LIKE CATS AND HAVE SOME, YOU GET KITTENS. AND IF YOU LIKE KITTENS AND ENJOY HAVING THEM ABOUT, THEY GROW UP — AND YOU GET MORE KITTENS.” – Paul Gallico

“FAR AHEAD, PICKED UP BY THE HEADLIGHTS, ARE TWO OTHER LITTLE HEADLIGHTS, LUMINOUS, LIKE SEQUINS SEWN IN THE DARKNESS OF THE HEDGEROW. CAT.” – Marguerite Steen

“UTTERING HIS HAPPY PRR-OO-OO, HE WILL TROT INTO THE KITCHEN, HANG FOR A MOMENT ROUND THE NECK OF THE BLACK ONE, OR BITE HER EAR, AND FLING HIMSELF INTO THE LAST ANTICS OF THE DAY.” – Marguerite Steen

“AT THAT PRECISE MOMENT TWO BROWN NOSES LIFTED, FOUR BROWN EARS SWIVELED, TWO SETS OF WHISKERS TWITCHED. SOMETHING WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.” – Lilian Jackson Braun

“OF ALL OUR SUNNY WORLD, I WISH ONLY FOR A GARDEN SOFA WHERE A CAT IS SUNNING ITSELF.” – Edith Södergran

“IT IS NOT A GOOD OMEN TO MEET A LOT OF CATS WHEN ONE SETS OUT ON A JOURNEY, SO THE LIEUTENANT SPAT THREE TIMES FOR EACH CAT, AS HIS MOTHER HAD TAUGHT HIM TO DO.” – Selma Lagerlöf

“THE HOT NOONDAY SUN FEELS WARM AS A BIG SOFT CAT COVERING YOU.” – Charlotte Zolotow

“THERE WAS A NERVOUS DISTINCTION IN ALL SHE DID THAT SUGGESTED A WELL-BORN PERSIAN CAT.” – Émile Zola

“IF YOU WANT A LOVING WIFE — FIND A CRAZY CAT LADY!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

“PEOPLE WHO HATE CATS WILL COME BACK AS MICE IN THEIR NEXT LIFE.” – Faith Resnick

“I THINK I’LL COME BACK AS A CAT.” – George Ney

“Self-Portrait With Kittens” by Julius Adam

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

The eight cat paintings on this page are by Julius Adam, a favourite artist of ours. German-born Adam (1852-1913) was known as Katzen-Adam (“Cat Adam”) because of his popular tabby-centered artwork. After an early career in Rio de Janeiro working in the family business as a landscape photographer (his father, Julius Senior, was a renowned photographer), he returned to Germany, settling in Munich, where he created his famous cat art. His most popular canvases featured kittens in a country home setting.

Along with his contemporaries — Holland-born Henriëtte Ronner-Knip (known as the Queen of Cat Artists) and Parisian native Louis Eugène Lambert — Adam created a popular genre that reflected a nostalgia for the passing rural life of the late 19th Century, in reaction to the new ugly industrialized cities.

For more, see Katzen-Adam – Julius Adam.

(Left: Julius Adam’s “Cats Playing in a Basket” Oil on Canvas)

Just SCROLL UP to relive that wonderful untamed playfulness of Adam’s cats!

NOTE: Those who wanted to know the story behind my quote “I made up for my dog-less boyhood by bringing home kittens…” can find it at Happy Birthday, Farley Mowat! Tribute to a Hero.

– Cat Quotes Compiled by Brian & Mary Lee Burhoe

Sources Note: If you haven’t met all of the authors quoted here, most can be found by Googling their name with “writer” after it. Some, who’ve written wonderful works on our beloved felines — such as Lissa Warren, Liz Barton, Vivian Gilbert Zabel, Michelle Ryan, Mieshelle Nagelschneider — can be found by adding “cats” to the name search.

Cats Quotes: Loving & Funny Cat Quotes For Feline Fanciers

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Posted in An Earth Spirit, Bearkind, Book*Reviews, Otherkind | Tagged andre norton, black cat, brian alan burhoe, cat art, cat bad behavior, cat love quotes, cat quotes, cats quotes, cheshire cat, crazy cat lady, cute cat names, cute cats, famous authors quotes, friday 13th quote, funny cat quotes, Jann Arden, Julius Adam, Katze Zitate, kitten girl names, literary cat quotes, lol cats, Marguerite Steen, names for cat, P G Wodehouse cat quotes, writers cat quotes | Comments Off

Bad Cat Behavior: How To Stop The Cat From Attacking Other Animals

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

Cat Behavior…

Bad Cat Behavior: How To Stop The Cat From Attacking Other Animals

We’ve always had cats.

As a boy, I’d happily add to our immediate family by occasionally bringing home a new kitten — always the last one in the litter, the one nobody else wanted. And I loved ’em all. And they gave back a quiet love.

These many years later, we have Tillie and Rusty. And they’re part of the family, for sure.

Rusty is always up for playtime, at times a golden blur, at times lazy and trusting and full of lion-loud purrs. He’s my best bud.

Tillie is the watcher. When we brought them home, Rusty curled up in the cat carrier at my feet to sleep. But his sister Tillie kept looking up at me through the screening, while batting Rusty in the ear, saying, in her own way, “Hey, wake up! Something’s going on here. Who is this human? They’re taking us somewhere.”

Tillie eventually deigned to give us purrs. But she still watches everything. Never saw a cat who figures things out like she does. She’s not a black cat, but she can find the shadows and blend in.

Raising cats has always been easy for us. But not for everyone, eh?

We’ve heard the problems others have had: spraying, peeing where they shouldn’t, digging walls and furniture (well, we’ve had this one — catnip on a home-built scratcher takes care of most of it), aggressive behavior, really bad aggressive behavior…

This last one has been the biggest cause for alarm among people we’ve known.

Here, from Katherine Towers, is an astute Guest Blog on that very topic:

“Aggressive Cat Behavior: How To Stop Your Cat From Attacking Other Animals”

Your cat can show several different forms of aggressive behavior.

Although these behaviors may be alright and even useful in the wild, in a housecat these behaviors are dysfunctional. Animal behaviorists classify different kinds of aggressive cat behavior differently.

When your cat attacks a bird or mouse in the garden, or even your son’s pet hamster in its cage, this is called predatory aggression. Kitty is playing great white hunter, following its instinct to hunt for prey. Unfortunately, you cannot just shut down this instinct, so other measures need to be taken. The simplest one it to put a collar with a bell on your cat to keep it from sneaking up on its prey.

Kitty can also behave aggressively when it is afraid. At first, this seems like a paradox. But you may better understand this behavior if you recall the human fight-or-flight instinct. When your cat is afraid of some other animal, like your pet dog, but cannot run away, it may go nuts and attack the source of its fear in a berserk fury of claws, fang and fur.

So, what to do? The natural reaction of most cat lovers is to try to pet and console kitty. Unfortunately, in the long run, you are conditioning your cat to behave this way. You are reinforcing the idea that it is okay to behave aggressively whenever it is afraid. Generally, the best way to handle fear aggression is to remove the source of the fear, then ignore kitty. Yes, pay no more attention to your cat until it calms down on its own.

The third form of aggressive cat behavior has to do with territory. This is especially common in unneutered tomcats. In this case, kitty will attack your new cat because it feels that the newcomer is invading its territory.

This is yet another natural behavior which can give you a big headache. If this happens, you need to introduce the two cats to each other slowly. Mealtime is usually an important part of this process. In simplistic terms, both cats only see each other when it is time to eat. Otherwise, they are kept apart, out of sight of each other. This lets them associate the other cat with the pleasure of eating.

Another form of aggressive cat behavior is called maternal aggression or protective aggression. This is just a fancy name for when mama cat attacks anyone who approaches her new kittens. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do here. Just be patient, and eventually mama cat may let you play with her kittens.

Generally speaking, aggressive cat behavior is driven by a cat’s natural instinct for food, territory, fear or protectiveness. The first step of treatment is to identify the trigger for this aggression. After that the specific approach varies. Regardless, love and patience is a must.

– Thanks, Katherine

==>> Have you had a laugh today? Shed a tear? Had that glowing feeling of love? To See Our “Cats Quotes: Loving & Funny Cat Quotes” CLICK HERE NOW!

Bad Cat Behavior: How To Stop The Cat From Attacking Other Animals

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Keywords: #TuesdayTabbies, animal rights, best cat book, biting, black cat, cat 2015, cat bad behavior, cat behavior, cat bookshelf, cat books pdf, cat quote, cats, stop cat attacks, talking tom cat, the cat.

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Posted in An Earth Spirit, Bearkind, Otherkind | Tagged #TuesdayTabbies, aggressive behavior, aggressive cat, animal rights, attacking other animals, bad cat behavior, best cat book, biting, black cat, cat 2015, cat bad behavior, cat behavior, cat behavior problems, cat books pdf, cat bookshelf, cat quote, cat quotes, cats, stop cat attacks, talking tom cat, the cat | Comments Off

Aquaponics: Aquaponic Farm Raft System Vs Ebb & Flow

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

Aquaponic Fish & More…

Aquaponics Gardening Basics: Raft System Vs Ebb & Flow

So many folks are actually changing their lifestyles. Back to the Land. Organic gardening. Living off the Grid. Getting free from the Machine.

Some are returning to a simpler way of life. One based on traditional values and workways.

Others are genuinely afraid of the changing world: whether a looming crisis presenting itself as the dire results of Climate Change. Like a super hurricane, unending blizzard, massive wildfire, or cataclysmic flood. Or unnatural disasters brought about by financial collapse, civic breakdown, devastating bioterrorist-released pandemic or modern warfare carried to our own doorsteps.

No matter what, the most important factor in any breakdown is Water. And the second is Food.

Hence the increasing interest in hydroponic farming. In a way, it combines the two. More important, it increases your yield of fresh, organic food TEN TIMES! And gives you a wide range of natural herbal medications…

Certainly, self sufficiency is becoming an essential choice for many of us. A clear choice of standing our ground against destructive forces and re-creating a healthy and safe world for our families. Even if that world is only our immediate home area.

It’s not just a matter of survival. It’s all about returning to the ways of our ancestors — while sometimes using modern technology when it suits us. And Aquaponic Farming is at the frontier of this new civilization.

Here, from long-time Organic Gardener Ethan Mills, is a Guest Blog on this very subject, a Crash Course on getting into Aquaponic Farming…

“Aquaponic Gardening Basics” A Guest Blog by Ethan Mills

>> What is Aquaponics? And Why is it Changing Everything?

What if I said to you that you could have fresh organic vegetables year round in the convenience of your own home?

And if I told you that you can grow food up to TEN TIMES the volume of any other natural, organic farming method?

Well, this is possible by using an aquarium, with ornamental fish and growing beds for crops of your choice. A home system can serve as a beautiful show piece or a food production system, depending on the size.

Many backyard aquaponic gardeners are setting up systems to grow hundreds of pounds of fish and an endless supply of herbs and vegetables a family needs.

These Backyarders quickly produce more fresh food than they can eat. At which time they can either preserve those vegetables, fish and herbs for “a rainy day” or sell it for income and profit.

What is Aquaponics?

The ancient Aztecs did it, among other cultures. It’s simply using fish waste from the fish in your tank or outdoor pool to feed the plants you wish to grow. The nitrogen cycle takes care of the magic by filtering the dirty water in the grow bed before it returns to the fish.

This allows for the best conditions for growth of your plants and fish that you are raising.

An aquaponic system does all the hard work for you, so you don’t have to filter the fish waste and you won’t have to worry about feeding your plants, which makes it easy aquaponics.

Hydroponics is a method of growing crops without using soil. You have to use nutrition solutions to feed the crops, which are elements added to the watering system and delivered to the roots. NO CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS! NO WEEDS! NO TILLING!

With this system, the plants need to be secured with a growing medium such as, lava rock.

The growing mediums not only secure the plants, it provides moisture, and a place for bacteria to thrive! If a growing medium was not used then sprayers would be used and this would be considered an aeroponics system.

The other part of aquaponics is aquaculture: the water is provided all the elements for the plants to grow from the fish waste. Without having crops, this naturally filtration system would not function properly, which would lead to the death of your fish. You need to balance of fish and plants for aquaponics to work properly.

There are great benefits to aquaponic gardening, especially because of the efficiency and space saving methods of fish farming, growing crops of your choice.

It allows hydroponic growers to cut cost of buying fertilizers, and helps fish farmers with the filtration of the fish waste. AND – – NO PESTICIDES.

Commercial aquaponics system operators are limited, however, because (like solar panels) it works best in family-sized holdings. And among them, there’s a strong level of interest in this organic method of food production. With little maintenance of less than 20 minutes a day, you can have fresh fish and vegetables year-round.

>> Aquaponic Raft System vs. Ebb and Flow

There are many different types of aquaponic systems. The two most common are The Raft System and Ebb & Flow.

Parts that are the same are the fish tank and a plant bed. Differences include filtration techniques, plumbing, the type of plant bed, growing medium, and the frequency of water and aeration. Some of the more popular aquaponic methods emerging in the industry are methods based on a hydroponic system design, and raising fish for filtration.

1. The Aquaponic Raft Method

Let us start with The Raft System Method, also known as deep channel, float and deep flow. The idea is for your crops to be grown on top of the water in the Styrofoam boards. Rafts are usually in a tank separate from the fish tank. The water in the raft grow bed is highly nutritious because of the fish waste, plants will eat it up!

Our nutrient-rich water flows continuously from the fish tank, through filtration components, through the raft tank where the plants are grown and then back to the fish tank. The beneficial bacteria that make this nitrogen cycle work, live in the raft tank and throughout the system.

The water in the raft tank provides a buffer for the fish, reducing stress and potential water quality problems, which is one of the greatest benefits of the raft system. Plus, this method has been improved for over 25 years. The raft system is a well developed method that allows for high plant production per square foot. Commercial raft systems can cover large areas, best utilizing the floor space in a greenhouse.

Vegetable seedlings are best placed on one end of the raft tank. The rafts are pushed forward on the surface of the water over time and then the mature plants are harvested at the other end of the raft. Once a raft is harvested, it can be replanted with seedlings and set into place on the opposite end. This optimizes floor space, which is especially important in a commercial greenhouse setting.

2. The EBB (Flood and Drain) Method

Hydroponic Ebb and Flow uses media filled beds that are periodically flooded with water from the fish tank. The water is drained after the water level rises above the bell siphon and flows back to the fish tank. All waste, including the solids, is broken down within the plant bed.

Sometimes worms are added to the gravel-filled plant bed to enhance the break-down of the waste. This method uses the fewest components and no additional filtration, making it simple to operate and naming it one of the best aquaponic system methods. Plant production is less than the aquaponic method described above. The media-filled bed is often used for hobby applications where maximizing production is not a goal.

>> Aquaponic Plants You Can Grow In An Aquaponics System

The aquaponic plants are where it’s at! That’s the great benefit of aquaponics, enjoying the vegetables and fruits when they are ready to be eaten. While the crops are growing, the nitrogen cycle occurs because of the bacteria in the root systems. This is where the water is filtered and cleaned before it returns back to the fish.

Without plants the system cannot function properly.

Research has shown that plants were proven to be an effective means of water purification for aquaculture. Lettuce, chives and other leafy crops were first considered for aquaponics but, more recently, commercial growers and researchers have had great success with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, melons, flowers and many other crops.

Growing plants in your backyard in the soil takes up valuable space and is labor intensive. Dirt farming is kind of a knee jerk response. You see the plants wilting and add water, plants yellowing and add nitrogen or compost. Aquaponics takes care of this automatically, without much thought except to insure the flow of water.

If the electricity quits or a pump fails the plants will survive several days up to two weeks depending on the temperature, but of course the fish will die sooner.

Even plants needing large amounts of nitrogen, like tomatoes, can exist side by side with plants that require little, like lettuce. The nutrient rich water reaches all plants and because it only passes through, only what is needed is used.

Even with good plant coverage there are a lot of nitrates flowing out the drains back to the fish tank, enough in fact to power up another group of grow beds. This is not a concern unless the water is cloudy in the fish tank. We have found that 6-8 grow beds per 400 gallon tank is a good operating number.

Aquaponic Plants

Tomatoes, Peppers, Spinach, Onions, Cucumbers, Pak Chov, Squash, Lettuce, Basil, Begonias, Impatiens Peas Beets, Swiss Chard, Black Seeded Simpson, Water Cress, Watermelon, Chives, Cabbage, Redina, Lettuce, Endive, Amaranth. Celery, Tatsoi, Collard, Garlic, Chives, Zucchini, Okra, Cilantro. Most common household plants: Recao, Cantaloupe. Mustard, Mints, Arugula, Beans, Taro, Spinach, Parsley, Kale, Dill Rice, New Tomatoes.

If you want have the best tasting vegetables, make sure you purchase organic seeds, so that you know exactly that your crops will be 100% organic. This way you will enjoy the real taste of freshly harvested vegetables in the comfort of your home. What can be better than that?!

>> Aquaponic Fish: Fish for Aquaponics

You need fish to have a properly functioning aquaponics system. The reason why fish are required to complete this aquaponics cycle is within the fish waste. Those tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and other plants you are growing require nitrogen, which is produced by the fish waste.

All aquaponics systems must have the nitrates filtered from the water or the aquaponics fish will die. The growing containers act as this filter because the plants roots take care of everything there. Plants and fish must be present in this system for The Aquaponic Nitrogen Cycle to take place.

Just about any freshwater fish can be used in the system although the operating temperature prohibits rearing of species such as trout. If you don’t care about either eating or selling the fish we recommend using half of the fish as goldfish and the other half as common carp.

One fish per 1.5 gallon water is the maximum a system can handle especially as the fish grow larger. Goldfish and common carp can be bought cheaply at bait stores in most parts of the country.

Suitable Fish For Aquaponics are:

Walleye, Tilapia, Yellow Perch, Lake Perch

Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Hybrid Striped Bass, Northern

Crayfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, All Carp, Goldfish

Sunfish, Bream, Crappie, Pacu, Koi, and Freshwater Ornamentals.

Aquaponics Fish Food:

Your fish need food to produce the waste which helps this amazing cycle happen. The pellets or organic fish foods can cost over time, however, there are a few methods for creating fish food. One of the aquaponic secrets is that you can raise fish food that doubles itself every 24 hours under correct conditions. This is a great money saver and fits in with doing less work is more.

Duckweed can easily be made in large barrel halves. The water temperature needs to be 60-70 degrees F. and rich in nutrients. These nutrients can come from manure tea made from donkey dung and other sources. Fish eat duckweed slower than commercial feeds, because they are rich with protein and other elements.

The cool thing about duckweed is that it just floats around and too much does not constitute nitrate buildup like with uneaten commercial pellets.

Eventually it will be eaten and, meanwhile, it is making more duckweed. In nature, duckweed can be found floating in calm waters, either fresh or brackish.

Virtually all the plant is metabolically active and totally useful as a feed or food. Duckweed has high concentrations of essential amino acids, lysine, methionine, carotene, xanthophylls and trace minerals making it one of the best animal feeds available for either fish or animals like rabbits, sheep, goats or cattle. It can be fed wet or dried without significant loss of nutrients.

Nitrogen Ammonium is the preferred form of food for duckweed. This is fortunate for us as the aquaponic system produces an abundance of this material. Therefore duck-weed does great in such systems except for trace minerals Duckweed growing in half barrel which because of the soil-less nature in aquaponics, are sadly lacking. This factor can be solved as it exists for not only the duckweed but both the plants and fish as well.

A homemade hydroponic system allows for family activity which can promote healthy eating and helps stretch the food budget.

This family activity provides a great way to teach children how to grow food and care for living things.

Starting off with a small aquaponics setup may be the easiest to grow vegetables than other systems because of the minimal amount of work you have to do once it is up and running…

So you have been thinking “I want try Hydroponics. But very small at first.”

Check out your local gardening and hardware stores. There are a number of easy to assemble Home Garden Units you can put in any corner of your house or shed!

Thanks, Ethan, for this essential Guest Blog!

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

About the Guest Author: “My name is Ethan Mills and I’ve been an avid organic gardener for as long as I can remember. In that time, I’ve gained a huge amount of knowledge about organic gardening and aquaponic systems. Yes, I’m an aquaponics enthusiast! It’s my goal to see that your garden is properly cared for, so I’d like to share my knowledge with you.” As of this posting, Ethan can be found on Facebook — just login to FB and search for his “Aquaponic Secrets.”

See Us on Our CELL PHONE FRIENDLY Format: BrianAlanBurhoe.com.

Aquaponics: Aquaponic Farm Raft System Vs Ebb and Flow

Keywords: aquaponic farm, aquaponic fish, aquaponic garden, aquaponics, aquaponic system, ebb and flow, farming, greenhouse. Hydroponic garden, hydroponic grow, hydroponics, natural herbal medications, nutrients and talapia.

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Posted in An Earth Spirit, Bearkind, Otherkind | Tagged aquaculture, Aquaponic, aquaponic farm, aquaponic fish, aquaponic garden, aquaponic system, aquaponics, ebb and flow, farming, greenhouse, hydroponic garden, hydroponic grow, hydroponics, natural herbal medications, nutrients, Raft System, stockpiling food, talapia, water | Comments Off

D Day 80 – Netherlands 80 – Liberation of Holland 80 Years Ago

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

D Day 80.

Men of Algonquin Regiment moving toward Hochwald Forest, March 1, 1945

D Day 80 – Netherlands 80 – Liberation of Holland 80 Years Ago

Those of us who are family of the soldiers who liberated Holland 80 years ago will be watching the Netherlands 80 Remembrance with pride and even tears.

We remember them, those men.

In my case, it was my father, who served with his own quiet pride in the Canadian Algonquin Regiment. He was there — with his Regiment — from the storming of Normandy, the beginning of the Liberation of Holland, to the advance into Germany in the frozen days of late February and early March — when a sniper’s bullet took him out in the bloody battle of the Hochwald Gap.

Dad spoke little of the battles themselves. It was only after he passed that other guys who had worked with him (all of them war vets), or served with him in the local Legion, told me some of the darkest details. Veterans tell each other things that they rarely speak of otherwise.

Dad had been in the Algonquin’s D Company when they went into the Hochwald Forest. Carrying shovels to dig deep slit trenches and 303 Lee-Enfield rifles, they found themselves alone except for oncoming German Tiger tanks followed by German infantry…

But Dad did speak of the better times in those late months of ’44 and into 1945. He was there for the Liberation of Holland and rightly proud of the part he and his comrades had played. He spoke of the local men and women who befriended them. He spoke of these people’s stories — of the hardships and acts of courage against the terrible Nazi Occupation.

I grew up with War Vets. So few of them are still with us. Dad was only 54 when he passed from war-related health problems. And those others I knew and admired are gone.

Watching some of our few survivors over there in the Netherlands accepting so much love and praise from the people of Holland and surrounding areas has been an emotional experience, for sure.

D DAY 80: The American vets, the British, the Australian, our own Canadians…

These guys represent an entire generation…

God Bless you all!

To read more, see OUT OF MY FATHER’S SHAVING BOX: Dad’s War, Algonquin Regiment & Liberation of Holland

D Day 80, Netherlands 80, Liberation of Holland 80 Years Ago

WANT TO READ MY STORIES, BOOK REVIEWS & ARTICLES ON YOUR MOBILE CELLPHONE OR TABLET? Go to my Mobile-Friendly BrianAlanBurhoe.com…

Keywords: Netherlands, #VE80, #VEDay80, Algonquin Regiment, Canadian Army, Liberation of Netherlands, 80 years ago, Liberation of Holland, VE Day 80

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Posted in Burhoe Family History | Tagged #VE80, #VEDay80, 80 years ago, algonquin regiment, Canadian Army, D Day 80, Hochwald Gap, liberation of Holland, Liberation of Holland 80 Years Ago, Liberation of Netherlands, Netherlands, Netherlands 80, VE Day 80 | Comments Off

Gardening & YOU: Gardening with Kids – Growing Vegetables Indoors

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

Gardening with Kids – Growing Vegetables Indoors.

Gardening with Kids

Gardening with Kids – Growing Vegetables Indoors

It’s May, and this ol’ cook’s thoughts wander outside with yearnings for fresh organic veggies for our kitchen.

Time to get in the garden, eh?

Gardening is a lifetime love.

My father, born on a family farm, taught me. I’ve been doing it as far back as I can remember. I mean age 4 or younger. Carrying soil in a little wooden wheelbarrow Dad had made for me. My first crop, of course, was radishes. You can’t fail with radishes.

And these many decades later, we’re still putting in a few crops. Potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, pole beans, bush peas, cucumbers, parsnips, carrots… Even in our deck flower boxes, which now grow organic vegetables.

Once you’ve got the gardening bug, you never lose it. And our kids? Yup. We passed the bug onto them.

And when Winter shakes out its blankets of snow, we don’t give up our passion for organic food. We grow it indoors. And there are the Greenhouses, so easily built.

Here, giving us two excellent looks at those very subjects, is a guest blog from award-wining writer Stacy Pessoney:

Gardening With Kids – Beginning

Spring is here and outside everything is greening…

Gardening with children can be so fulfilling, for you and for them. Whether you are a teacher, a friend or a parent, you can enjoy some real quality time with the children that you care for.

Besides, there are a few ways to make it fun for them. Remember to have fun, encourage silliness and be open to the children’s ideas.

Furthermore, our kids really enjoy getting outside with adults and creating something. Try to include things in the garden that the kids will really enjoy.

Have them set up hummingbird feeders, spinning wind catchers, wind chimes, and make vegetable markers or signs. The more colorful and personal they make it, the more they will love it.

Using hummingbird feeders, spinners and chimes will help give the kids some instant gratification. It’s a lot more interesting than simply putting a seed in the dirt and walking away! Set up a craft table in advance and let the kids decorate and design whatever they can think of to stick in the garden. They can use construction paper, index cards, glue, glitter, beads and even seeds to decorate signs. Use some laminating paper or dip in melted paraffin wax to waterproof signs.

Sprouting seeds indoors is fun for kids and lets them see how roots grow towards the water and how leaves open up towards the sun. Simply placing seeds on a wet paper towel and putting them into a sandwich bag will make them sprout rather quickly. Then they can be placed in the dirt and have a better chance of survival than if you had only placed the seeds in the soil.

Kids love the idea of introducing beneficial insects, butterflies, frogs and lizards into the garden.

Do a little research about your area and find out which insects are beneficial. Your local nursery can usually provide you with useful information on which insects to introduce and where to get them.

Using living creatures to protect the vegetables from invaders is not only fun, but beneficial. Teaching children how to garden organically will not only help them to ingest and absorb less chemicals now, but as they grow and plant their own gardens in the future. Organic gardening is more fun, safer and better for their health.

The fun isn’t over when the garden is planted. Kids love to catch bugs and worms and then introduce them into the garden. They can learn about recycling and composting while adding beneficial compost to their garden soil.

It will get richer by the year if you avoid chemical fertilizers. Let them water with interesting containers or spray nozzles for the water hose. One with forward assist and automatic hose retrieval makes it easy for even very young children to feel important and participate in the family fun.

Happy gardening!

Gardening with Kids - home organic vegetable garden

Gardening with Kids – Growing Vegetables Indoors.

Summer is ending and our gardens are wilting…

The season of fresh vegetables just goes by too fast. It is time to grind up those stalks and cover the garden with hay for composting. But does this really mean that we are done eating fresh vegetables until next June? Not really! You can grow vegetables indoors using these tips.

There are two ways to start your indoor vegetable garden.

One, you can transfer your existing plants from outdoor to indoor pots.

Two, you can sprout seeds and plant them. [1]

Some plants, like tomato plants, normally need to be staked. But, if you hang a planter for your tomatoes, you don’t necessarily have to stake them. The stalks can simply hang down like vines.

First, choose large pots that drain really well. Place rocks in the bottom of each container, then potting soil or top soil mixed with plenty of compost. If your summer garden did well outside, you can use the soil from there to fill your pots. Although, sometimes this soil is depleted of nutrients and should be replenished with compost.

All of your indoor vegetables need to have plenty of sunlight and heat.

If possible, put them near a heater vent. They must get as much sunlight as possible, so all plants need to be near a window. You might even consider placing planters in buckets attached to an accordion divider so that all of them have equal sun.

In addition, you can even move the whole apparatus from one window in the morning to another full sun window in the afternoon. Putting your accordion divider on casters will make the move easier on your back. The vertical garden also eliminates the need to bend over to tend to and harvest vegetables.

Another back saving tip is to roll your vertical garden outside to water. If it’s not too cold, you can roll it out onto the deck or patio and spray it down with the water hose.

As the days get shorter, you will have to use a UV lamp to give your vegetables enough light to grow. If you notice your plants doing poorly, increase the amount of heat and/or sun that they are getting every day.

Make sure that you are not over-watering, and that you are pruning off any dead or dying sections that may be stealing nutrients from your healthy vegetables.

Having an indoor vegetable garden can be a challenge and can take up a lot of space.

But, if you tend to it carefully, you could be rewarded with fresh vegetables year round.

Finally, you can always take the next step: build a low-cost small greenhouse.

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

==>> Need MORE Up-To-Date Info on Home Gardening? Go Now To Organic Gardening In Your Backyard – Fun, Healthy, & Easier Than You Think!

[1] About Greenhouse Seeds: You may have heard that you need special seeds for indoor gardening. Nope! “Greenhouse seeds” usually refers to cannabis. Don’t bother!

About the author: Stacy Pessoney studied advertising, marketing and communications at the University of Alabama with a minor in dance. Stacy has garnered numerous awards for her essays, articles and short stories. She is well versed in various topics, including gardening, lawn care and landscaping. In her spare time, she loves hiking, kayaking, fishing, photography and exploring the outdoors with her family.

“Herb gardens can be therapeutic, fragrant, beautiful and delicious. Planting an herb garden is easy and fun. You can grow it indoors or out. Even starting from seed, you can start to harvest your own fresh herbs within about a month.” – Stacy Pessoney

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First published May 2, 2015. Updated July 13, 2021.

Gardening & YOU: Gardening with Kids – Growing Vegetables Indoors

Keywords: gardening with kids, greenhouse seeds, organic food, organic gardening, organic vegetables, recipes, small greenhouse

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Organic Food: Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Brian Alan Burhoe

Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden

home organic vegetable garden

Organic Gardening In Your Backyard – Fun, Healthy, & Easier Than You Think

Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden – Introduction

Gardening is a lifetime love.

Only a hundred years ago, most North Americans lived on farms or fished the seas. In just that short century, country-based living has drifted into the creeping cement cemeteries called The City.

I’m not that old, but I can remember when most families where I grew up tended gardens.

It wasn’t work, but a kind of simple joy, putting in our vegetable garden every spring. Black rich soil dug by hand. Seeds planted. Fertilized with dried manure from the horse barn next door (I grew up in Harness Racing Country — a true blessing).

We were organic gardening long before Prince Charles gave it a name.

Times have changed, of course. Back then, you could still catch a mess of brook trout in fresh water streams…

Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden Is Back!

But Organic Food is back. It’s healthy. It’s delicious. Once you’ve eaten a home-grown tomato, you’ll never go back to those hard, tasteless, chemical-filled commercial things.

We still do it. In fact, we even converted our deck planters to veggie beds. And in wintertime we grow ’em indoors. As well as the Greenhouses, so easy to build…

“Building your own small greenhouse just makes economical sense. You can build a greenhouse at just a fraction of the cost of buying a pre-built one. Most pre-built greenhouse kits you buy need to be assembled anyway. You’re really just paying hugely inflated prices for the material.” – Alex C Linford

You don’t even need special organic recipes. Traditional recipes always used fresh ingredients, or at least properly preserved foods. If you want to cook a traditional meal, just find an old cookbook.

Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden – A Guest Blog

Have you ever wondered about starting your own organic garden, ever asked “What is Organic Gardening?” — here’s a wonderful guest blog.

Here, from author C.J. Gustafson is her essential article: Organic Gardening In Your Backyard – Fun, Healthy, & Easier Than You Think…

Organic gardening, which is sometimes thought of as something out of the 60’s Back-To-The-Land Hippie culture, has been steadily growing in popularity over the years. Not only can you find entire aisles of organics at the local supermarket, the number of specialty stores dedicated to organically grown foods has increased dramatically.

Part of this popularity is due to an increasing understanding of the dangers associated with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Growing organically generally means gardening without these potentially dangerous chemicals. Many backyard gardeners are turning to organic methods as they realize how easy and effective organic growing can be.

Part of the reason chemical pesticides and fertilizers are so widely used is because they work well. In deciding to use organic methods in your backyard garden, you first will need to accept the fact that you will likely have more pest damage and lower yields than if you were employing chemicals. Many people are willing to make this trade off in return for the opportunity to harvest chemical-free foods for themselves and their families.

There are several different approaches and techniques used in organic gardening. You may find that you are using some of them already. If you have selected cultivars that are resistant to pests or drought, you are involved in one form of organic gardening.

If you put out a scarecrow or bars of hand soap to keep animals away, this too is organic gardening. Compost is an organic fertilizer. Organic techniques are around in many gardens already. By utilizing them more and moving away from chemicals, you can improve the environment and lead a healthier lifestyle.

Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden – Reasons

There are different levels of organic gardening and different reasons why people choose organic methods. Some do it because they do not want to harm any animals, even aphids or cutworms. So they try to develop a system where they can cohabit peacefully, keeping insects and other animals out when possible and removing them or learning to live with them when other options don’t work.

Some people are not opposed to pest control and extermination but they don’t want to add any more chemicals to the environment or to the food that they eat. Others go organic as a means of getting back to a more historic, natural, and even challenging way of gardening. You will need to decide which methods match your personal philosophies and reasons for going organic.

Pest control and fertilization are two of the key areas to focus on with organic gardening. In addition to using native, resistant plants, mulching, and practicing crop rotation, the use of other natural methods of pest control and of compost and manure as fertilizer can go a long way toward creating a more organic garden.

Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden – Pest Control

There are many ways that backyard gardeners can control insects and other pests without the use of synthetic chemicals.

Use mesh row covers to keep insects off of plants. They need to be removed from squashes, melons, cucumbers, peppers and other plants that require or benefit from pollination during flowering.
Collars placed around young plants will help prevent damage by cutworms.
Allow natural predators such as ladybugs and wasps to assist you in your efforts by planting vegetation that will attract them to your garden and avoiding pesticides that harm them as well.
Screens, cold frames and fences can help keep some insects and animals such as rabbits out of the garden.
Aphids can be removed from plants with a strong stream of water.
Hand removing insects such as potato beetles can be effective in small gardens.
Weed your garden and turn the soil regularly to help reduce the growth of insects that like to nest in certain plant debris.
Learn to identify the egg clusters of harmful insects and remove them immediately
Use homemade insecticides such as garlic spray or other harmless pest inhibitors.
Try using non-invasive methods of pest control including soap bars, cuttings of human hair, or an alert dog in the yard. These techniques may or may not be effective, but are worth a try before resorting to chemicals.
Some home pesticides such as those that use rhubarb or tobacco plants can be very dangerous to humans and other mammals. Use caution and be sure you know what you’re getting into before you begin.

For more, see Green Bean Buddy.

Organic Fertilizers

Of course you want your plants to grow quickly and produce large yields. However, chemical fertilizers are potentially harmful to those who eat the plants and to the environment, especially if applied too heavily and allowed to run off into water supplies and habitat areas. Using organic fertilizers can decrease the problems associated with chemicals.

Manure is a natural, effective fertilizer if used properly. Not only does it improve soil structure, it provides the nutrients plants need to develop. Manure that is allowed to age and decompose before use is most effective. Pasteurized manure is less likely to include active weed seed or harmful bacteria. Do not apply too heavily.

Create and maintain a compost pile to use as fertilizer. Not only does it incorporate the use of natural organic material such as leaves, lawn clippings and household waste such as potato peels and carrot stems, it also provides a free source of fertilizer and reduces the amount of waste that is hauled to landfills.

If you choose to use chemical fertilizers, use sparingly and choose a slow release variety that is less likely to leech into vulnerable areas.

Companion planting, which is the practice of putting together two plants that seem to benefit each other, has been offered as a means of enhancing organic gardening practices. It is thought that plants such as nightshade and marigolds are natural pest deterrents. However, there is no firm research to support this as yet. Still, many gardeners have reported success with this method.

Prickly Vines

Additionally, planting vegetables with prickly vines, such as watermelon or squashes around the perimeter of vulnerable plants may help keep out rabbits and other animals that don’t like the scratchy vines.

These days, many gardeners are looking for ways to reduce the use of chemicals and rely on more natural and inexpensive means of providing food for their tale and backyard growing enjoyment. Organic gardening techniques provide fun and healthy options.

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden

About the guest author: C.J. Gustafson says that she “would rather lose a few ears of corn than go without wildlife in my garden.” An amateur gardener and a professional photographer from Pine City, Minnesota, she’s written articles over the years providing valuable tips and advice about garden accessories and other vegetable gardening topics. Her over-200 published articles also cover topics from making maple syrup to the history of the North West Company fur post in her area. Her photos include categories such as Nature, Wildlife, Gardens, Flowers and Scenic Travels. She is active in the local arts community and can be found on Facebook.

For more, see Green Bean Buddy.

Organic Food: Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden

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