The rewards of pet ownership pay off in more than sloppy kisses, cuddles and companionship - it may teach you a thing or two about having a successful relationship. At its most basic level, dealing with an animal on a daily basis will teach you patience. After all, even the most well-trained animals run away, have accidents and do things that test you on a daily basis. It's a virtual guarantee that anyone who you get involved with is going to do things you don't like, and while it may not entail peeing on furniture, a potential partner will try your patience, just like a furry friend. And what you'd like a pet to do doesn't always happen, whether it's walk calmly on a leash, stop chewing up your expensive shoes or cough up those hairballs somewhere other than right by your bed where you are bound to step on them.

Likewise, you can't force a person to act a certain way, so a pet relationship can be your first foray into learning to compromise with a mate. Obviously owning a pet is a huge responsibility - you take on emotional, financial and physical responsibility for a pet when you adopt one. Caring for the pet and tending to its every need is key to its survival, and so is tending to the important aspects of a relationship. When you put others' needs in front of your own, however briefly, it teaches you emotional responsibility. And last but not least, there are some, uh, icky aspects of owning a pet. Cats cough up hairballs and need their litter changed, and you have to chase after a pup with a plastic bag everywhere you go. So dealing with these less desirable aspects of pet ownership can help you get over the squeamishness of cohabitating with someone else down the road. Those crazy cat ladies don't seem so crazy now, do they?