Okay, so I don’t dislike them. Well, maybe I do like them. But I couldn’t eat a whole one!

How can you resist a little kitten who is all soft and cute, who looks at you with big bright eyes, and who doesn’t ask for anything except food – constantly.

Just what a good wife should be like!

I’ve always regarded myself as a doggy person; a man’s best friend. We have two in our house, and they may not be soft and cute. But they are always overjoyed to see me; they roll on their back to have their tummy rubbed, and they always do what they are told.

Maybe that’s what a good wife should be like.

But dogs have to be house-trained, that is if they live in the house, have their own armchair and sit down to dinner with you.

When they’re puppies, you need to watch them all the time. If they start to get a bit restless, or look like they’re going to wee-wee or pooh-pooh (excuse the technical terms) then you need to scoop them up and rush outside. It’s not the first time a puppy has peed all over my hands or done something worse! Do this enough times, and they eventually get the message.

But cats are different. They just need a regular place to go, such as a litter tray. Even if they are outside, they will usually go to the same bit of dirt.

They will dig a little hole, do what they have to do and then cover it up.

This is obviously an inbuilt cat program. Eat, drink, rip up the furniture, wee-wee and poop in dirt or cat litter, and cover it up.

The only thing is, the cats in our house are not very good at that; the covering up bit. They tend to do their business, and then fling cat litter everywhere but not on the poop.

Yes, there are four cats in our house now. A friend handed in two kittens, explaining that if we didn’t take them, they were about to have a drowning accident. No choice there; I’m not being party to cat murder!

That was okay, but a few nights later, the two boys in our house (and I might just drown them) found two kittens beside a busy road. They had obviously left a cruel home and were about to commit Hari Kari under the wheels of a truck.

So they are here now, and getting bigger every day as we get poorer every day. Boy can they eat!

They are all girls and they answer to (well they don’t really) Tiger, Rocky, Ming 1 and Ming 2. The Mings are twins and they answer, or don’t, to Ming-Ming!

I’m from the UK, and of course, we love our animals. Not so keen on our children, but we do love our cats and dogs.

But when I’m travelling in Asia, it’s a different thing. In most Asian countries, dogs are treated like wild animals, and if you have a wild animal, then you need to lock it in a cage.

Some people have a Shih Tzu and they don’t lock that in a cage. But then again, they are not really dogs. I’ve seen people carrying them in the mall and they are wearing a nappy; the dog that is!

I’ve seen beautiful pedigree dogs kept in cages where there is only enough room for them to turn around. Labradors, Dalmatians, and German Shepherds all locked up 24 hours a day.

They never get out for a walk or spend time with their family. I haven’t a clue why the owners want them. If it were the UK then the owner would probably be up in court for animal cruelty.

The Dog Whisperer TV programme with Cesar Millan, is shown on TV in many Asian countries. The “lock up your dog brigade” must watch the programme and wonder why on earth this guy is walking around with a dog on a leash. They must be totally incredulous that a dog can be in the house, and even have its own bed!

But I’ll keep loving the cats and dogs, they give so much fun just watching them destroy our house.

Yeah; I’m barking mad!