Thank you!

I ran into another IRL friend who thinks that I'm crazily OTT with how I take care of my cats.

It's such a true blessing to have a forum where I'm not the weird odd one out. I can post about premium cat foods, cat tooth brushing, harness training, collars/microchipping, pet insurance, scooping the litterbox 2x per day, vet checkups, bloodwork, etc. and everybody else will nod in agreement while posting great advice on those areas and being an encouragement.

When I'm here, I feel normal. It's so great to be around a whole community of people who are all here because they care about the welfare of cats. 

I think that it's probably socially more acceptable to take good care of dogs, than it is for cats. Sadly, society came up with the crazy cat lady stigma. Also, there's a double standard between cat and dog care. If you microchipped your dog and keep a collar on them all the time, people usually agree that it's a good idea. If you do it for your cat, then they act like you're strange or something. At least around where I live. 

So thank you again for being an awesome supportive community! It's great to have a safe spot on the web, filled with cat lovers!   

Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm the site owner and founder and your post made my day - thank you! 

Here here! People think having 5 cats is absolutely insane. I think it's heavenly! I love being able to talk about being draped in cats when I wake up in the middle of the night and know people don't think I'm strange for LIKING it.  Even if they do give me night sweats with their hot little bodies lol. Or not thinking that I'm torturing my cats because I'm merely TREATING them for something. Some folks think administering subqs is a horrible thing to do! 

So thank you from me as well Probably not said often enough. This place has also been a bit of a godsend for me after losing my boy last month to renal failure. I've felt like I've been able to use my experience and try to help people that are as lost as I was when I was first told the diagnosis. And that, somehow, makes it a little bit better.

Well heck, I'm sure glad I don't live where you live.  I certainly wouldn't have many friends.  You have come to the right place, we are all cat lovers here.

Crazy4Strays said:

 
I ran into another IRL friend who thinks that I'm crazily OTT with how I take care of my cats.

It's such a true blessing to have a forum where I'm not the weird odd one out. I can post about premium cat foods, cat tooth brushing, harness training, collars/microchipping, pet insurance, scooping the litterbox 2x per day, vet checkups, bloodwork, etc. and everybody else will nod in agreement while posting great advice on those areas and being an encouragement.

When I'm here, I feel normal. It's so great to be around a whole community of people who are all here because they care about the welfare of cats. 

I think that it's probably socially more acceptable to take good care of dogs, than it is for cats. Sadly, society came up with the crazy cat lady stigma. Also, there's a double standard between cat and dog care. If you microchipped your dog and keep a collar on them all the time, people usually agree that it's a good idea. If you do it for your cat, then they act like you're strange or something. At least around where I live. 

So thank you again for being an awesome supportive community! It's great to have a safe spot on the web, filled with cat lovers! 

 

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I couldn't agree more. Take a look at this forum where the members are supportive, kind and thoughtful and then look at so many others out there and how nasty, vicious and bitter so many people can be. Yet, according to them, WE are the "crazy" ones because our cats are important family members and are treated as such. We rally around each other when one of our pets is ill or passes, we do the same when it's one of us who isn't doing well, we offer assistance to each other with advice, a shoulder to lean on and an ear to vent to.  We pass along the benefit of our experiences/successes/failures, etc not just regarding our beloved cats but with life in general. We want all cats to be safe, healthy, happy and loved- not just our own (and spayed/neutered of course! ).  We also just have fun together. If that's crazy, count me in. They can keep their "sanity"    

well said, @Crazy4Strays !!!

and @Kat0121   --

CRAZY CAT PEOPLE OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!

And do it at TCS, where you will be understood, loved, and nurtured!  As will your cats.

Anne, I hope you have some clue as to how important this site is to so many of us.  SUCH a relief to have a place to come where people's eyes don't glaze over when I'm fretting about some small point of cat care, which food, which treat, the damnable fleas here in North Carolina!  I spend 2-4 hours a day, at least 6 days a week on TCS.  It really is a second home, and its members a second family.

While we are acknowledging all the great things about TCS, I have to mention that this is where I saw the post that Chula and Paul were looking for a home.  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/292221/loving-home-needed#post_3703813  In other words, without TCS, I wouldn't have my babies!  Despite the odds, it turned out they were only 8 minutes away from me and it was love at first sight.  They bring me so much joy every day.

EDIT: My post wouldn't go through on my laptop so I tried from my phone and only part of it went through. Later I will rewrite. For now;

THANK YOU Anne for Paul and Chula. And a big thank you to all the "staff" and members who make this site so very special! [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

Aww!!! That is the sweetest thing. So glad that you got your cat babies through TCS. It seems that it was meant to be!

Crazy4Strays said:

Aww!!! That is the sweetest thing. So glad that you got your cat babies through TCS. It seems that it was meant to be!

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It does feel like fate!

I have learned so much from this site how to care for my IBD kitty tiger he is my avitar. Who loves to cuddle he is a lap cat he also loves to sleep under the covers curled up as close to me as he can. Did not know that cats can talk and make all kinds of noise my boy 9 years old and he is a big talker when it is food time. He also talks to my friend who cares for him if i go out of town. She knows his medical history and wont hesitate to take him to the vet if i am out of town. Most of my friends and family think i am crazy for caring for my fur babies the way i do. Most people don't understand how much love comfort our fur babies give. This form has been a great place to talk and a good place for us to support each other and we all understand each other.

Thank you so much Anne for making this site for all of us crazy cat people and i am proud to be a crazy cat person

Finding this site was one of the luckiest finds I've had. Thank you Anne.

Another Thank You (thanks Anne!!)

My cat is a living breathing creature, and I do agree that there are people who think that taking good care of pets is "wrong." I'm not sure why--is it control? Maybe they're going to take over the world, and are plotting world domination because we're caring for them (huh?). Maybe it's because if we take good care of animals, we'll have to take better care of each other. I don't get it. Animals have been with people for so incredibly long; human civilization developed with animals--they weren't just tools or companions, they were fellows in the world. And so many things humans have learned about themselves from animals.

My cat has emotions and intelligence--how can I not take care of her?

Donutte said:

Here here! People think having 5 cats is absolutely insane. I think it's heavenly! I love being able to talk about being draped in cats when I wake up in the middle of the night and know people don't think I'm strange for LIKING it.  Even if they do give me night sweats with their hot little bodies lol. Or not thinking that I'm torturing my cats because I'm merely TREATING them for something. Some folks think administering subqs is a horrible thing to do! 

So thank you from me as well Probably not said often enough. This place has also been a bit of a godsend for me after losing my boy last month to renal failure. I've felt like I've been able to use my experience and try to help people that are as lost as I was when I was first told the diagnosis. And that, somehow, makes it a little bit better.

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I'm sorry for your loss.

I'm just musing over some societal attitudes. What do you think makes the difference in thought processes about cats? What makes the difference between treating an animal like a replaceable commodity versus a valued family member? 

Recently, when finishing my cat's bloodwork and getting ready to schedule his dental in, my vet commented that he does very few dentals on cats. Because in my part of the country, apparently people don't want to spend money on their cats. He usually doesn't see a cat for tooth problems until the teeth are already abscessed. 

One friend of mine had their indoor/outdoor cat disappear a few months ago. The cat came back a month later and was visibly sick. They had to put the cat to sleep and didn't seem very bothered about it. The sentiment was basically, "Oh well, one less to feed and take care of."

I had another friend whose husband said, "We are NOT microchipping our cats! If they get out and run away, oh well! I don't really care if we find them again or not." 

So this is one more reason why TCS is a great place. TCS is a very treasured haven to share with other people who take care of their cats as beloved family members and not disposable objects. 

It is interesting how different vets have very different opinions on things. I guess that could be expected, but still, even within my vet office the three vets have different opinions! The one vet thought it would be best to pull Sara's tooth, even with all the problems she has (CKD, hyper-t, heart murmur). The other two vets (one being mine) felt the opposite. So I ended up not having her tooth pulled. I think personality plays a part, as well as age, how long they've been practicing, etc. The vet that said she should have her tooth pulled does have the most experience practicing, by far. But, he also has a "do, do, do" attitude which I've noticed other times also.

My vet has a rather... holistic attitude, for lack of a better term. He sees the whole cat, not just the individual pieces. For instance, she has blood in her pee, which he feels is likely due to FIC (after tons of tests). When everything else was ruled out, he decided since it's not bothering her right now, we'll just let it go and keep an eye on it. When she has problems I find bloody pee all over the house, and that's not happened in months. I know, however, there are vets that are quite the opposite, and would want to treat treat treat even if the cat is not bothered by something.