Free Speech

[MeganLLB]

I was on another forum, and made a few comments about how purebred cats are generally not as healthy as a mixed breed cat, because the gene pool is smaller and they have more genetic and hereditary health issues.

I also made a comment that prepared raw feeding (I did the math) will cost over $100/month and is more expensive that buying canned food.

A moderator did not like those opinions, and banned me from the site for "unwanted spam"

So am I wasting my time here too? Or am I allowed to say what I think?

 

[mokapi]

Hey, Megan!

I'm very new to the forum, but if you take a look around, you can see that the topics in the forums are all over the place. I can only assume you're allowed to say what you think, so long as you're open to other opinions. There are people with mixed breed cats, people with purebred cats...the only constant is that every cat is gorgeous in his or her own way As far as your feeding choices, I haven't seen anyone pressured to feed one thing over another; there's an entire sub-board dedicated to raw feeding only, while the remainder of the nutrition topics tend to focus on dry or wet food.

Your kitty looks very adorable. Which L or B is it?

 

[MeganLLB]

In the picture that's Luna. She's just about a year old now.
I don't care what kind of cat people have or what they feed them. But I didn't think it was fair that anytime I said something about that this moderator chased me around and deleted all my comments, and then blocked me. That really made my blood boil! I wasn't saying raw feeding is wrong or bad- I just said it's expensive!

It was so stupid. I'm just trying to get a feel for if this site is "Raw feed is the best, purebreds are superior- don't say anything contrary to that" kind of forum or if people are a little more open minded.

 

[sivyaleah]

Hi and welcome!
To answer your question, we at TCS come from all parts of the world, and most of us know there is always going to be differing opinions on various subjects. We also are a mostly nice, pleasant group of people, there's very little drama on these boards. I honestly don't think you'll have any problems voicing your opinions as long as you are polite to everyone.

As far as what to feed your cat, there are many on the board that feed their cats in different ways. I think we all agree that feeding anything is still better than a cat not eating. Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out what a cat's preferences are. Whether raw, canned or kibble you will find people who have their personal reasons for doing what they do. Most will try to guide you to the best options within your budget, such as trying to stay away from grains and by-products at a minimum.

For me, I feed canned and used to buy higher premium types but honestly neither of them were nuts about them and, I was throwing out a lot of food. I did, however, pull kibble from their diet and the food I now buy is grain free and no byproducts. I also buy freeze dried raw to reconstitute which they enjoy. My older one is ill with kidney disease so finding proper food for him can be tough, and keeping him eating is most important.

 

[mokapi]

Luna is very precious. I always wanted a black cat. I passed a young-looking black farm cat today with these huge orange eyes, and it was all I could do to not stop my car and pick him/her up.

I definitely don't think anyone cares WHAT kind of cat you have, so long as it's healthy, happy, and loved. I switched my cat to a raw diet a week ago, and this has been an awesome resource for it, but I would feel just as confident discussing any other diet. You should introduce yourself, read around on the boards, and jump into posting!

 

[MeganLLB]

Well good. I'm quite tired of being bullied by moderators that have their own agenda. This seems to be a bigger forum, more people is usually a better thing.

 

[Columbine]

Hi MeganLLB Welcome to TCS!

I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience with that other site. We're certainly not like that here (though topics such as raw feeding and pedigree vs rescue can and do spark strong opinions ). Members have wide and varied opinions here, but we all try to respect each other and stay civil. These articles should clarify things:-
About Us
Community Guidelines & Practices - Frequently Asked Questions

 

[Kat0121]

I was on another forum, and made a few comments about how purebred cats are generally not as healthy as a mixed breed cat, because the gene pool is smaller and they have more genetic and hereditary health issues.

I also made a comment that prepared raw feeding (I did the math) will cost over $100/month and is more expensive that buying canned food.

A moderator did not like those opinions, and banned me from the site for "unwanted spam"

So am I wasting my time here too? Or am I allowed to say what I think?

Hi and welcome!

Wow. I'm sorry that you had to go through that. It is not like that here. We are a diverse group who have love for ALL cats. All cats deserve homes whether they come from a breeder, shelter, rescue, the street, whatever. We are also here to support one another- not judge one another about where we got our cats or what we feed them. We are always happy to see a cat in a good home!

You'll find people here who feed only dry, only wet, both, raw, homemade cooked, etc....
What we feed our pets is a personal decision. People ask for food recommendations all the time and we're happy to make suggestions but at the end of the day, the best food for any cat is what he/she will eat that his/her human servant can afford.

I've visited a forum before that had a lot of the qualities you mention. It's been a while so I don't remember the name of it. I lurked for a bit and then got the heck out of there. I've been here ever since. IMO, this is hands down the best forum on the web with the best staff and the best members. We do get the occasional troll but they get gone fast.

I think you'll like it here. We are a community of cat lovers who are also here to support people who love their cats. Please feel free to stick around. We would love to see more pictures of Luna. She is a beauty!

 

[IndyJones]

Things are pretty civil here unless you mention a controversial topic like declawing or other controversial issues. I've never heard of people being banned from this site for having an opinion though. As long as you don't flame swear or troll you should be fine. They also will lock threads on request if you feel things are getting out of control. If you have any questions about the rules @Anne can help you.

 

[Draco]

I just wanted to say welcome! I'd only be echoing everyone here- it's true!

Hope you find this place more laid back! Feel free to send me a message if you have any concerns!

 

[haleyds]

We are VERY varied here! We have people from all over the world, show cats, barn cats, wild cats, rescued cats and all sorts of other things. Everyone has their own opinions and presets but nobody ever bullies anyone or is mean. There are heated topics and debates- but they're proper well mannered debates not arguments lol.
I have owned purebred cats (my two now are) and moggies my entire life. I think with the health issues thing it's that purebred cats are KNOWN for certain specific diseases/illnesses such as Persians with PKD and moggies have such a wide gene pool that they don't really have specific disorders rather than illnesses that are individual specific, like UTIs and cancers. (That's how we talk about things on this site, it's all just opinions and nobody is going to say "oh my god you're wrong I'm deleting your comment"!)
Welcome to the site, I hope you find a happy home here!

 

[MeganLLB]

I think with the health issues thing it's that purebred cats are KNOWN for certain specific diseases/illnesses such as Persians with PKD and moggies have such a wide gene pool that they don't really have specific disorders rather than illnesses that are individual specific, like UTIs and cancers. (That's how we talk about things on this site, it's all just opinions and nobody is going to say "oh my god you're wrong I'm deleting your comment"!)

That is pretty much exactly how it went down. Someone had a list of different breeds they were considering, and I talked about how certain breeds have a smaller gene pool and are prone to more genetic and hereditary diseases. And the moderator deleted my comment and sent me a rude private message and then blocked me. So stupid.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I think there are some forums here for certain topics (like one sub forum for Raw and Home Cooked Cat Food, and one for Breeding and Showing, to name a few) where like-minded people choose to talk specifically about those topics. You can learn a lot of good things reading those forums, but if you really disagree with the topics for those forums, I think you are asked to respect others there and realize that those particular forums may not be your cup of tea. The Breeding and Showing forum has some guidelines, for example.
Forum Guidelines

I think we all try to be adults here and feel comfortable enough at times to just respectfully say...

Welcome to TCS!!

 

[surya]

I'm sorry the moderator on the other forum was so petty. The moderator's on this forum seem nice to me.

 

[AbbysMom]

Hello! I am the rudest Moderator of them all.

We ask that you follow the Forum Rules - Forum Rules As PushPurrCatPaws mentioned, some of the subforums have extra rules that are listed at the top of the forum, like In My Opinion, Pregnant Cats and Kittens, Raw Feeding and Breeders. For example, we don't want you to go into the Breeders forum, which is where we encourage responsible, registered breeders to have discussions, and say you don't think Breeders should exist. That wouldn't be cool.

If you follow the rules, you shouldn't hear from us.

Why don't you start a thread in the New Cats forum and tell us about yourself and your cats? New Cats on the Block

 

[MeganLLB]

Yes I did introduce myself.
I guess the other forum wasn't very organized, and this person just hated everything I had to say. This seems to be better .

 

[Norachan]

Hi Megan,

Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. I hope you have a better time here.

Welcome to The Cat Site.

 

[kashmir64]

I think I know which forum you are talking about. I didn't like the 'atmosphere', so I left with only 2 posts.
Sorry you had that experience.

I personally would never feed my cat raw. Mostly because I'm not Gordon Ramsey and I would probably poison my cat. (I hate cooking and don't do it well)

 

[MeganLLB]

kashmir64 the problem with most of the world is that if you dont agree with me, you are wrong. And that is how people are. Ive been on facebook groups like that too. I disagreed with their "philosophy" and was blocked. If you dont believe what they believe you are wrong.

I mean i get like people shouldnt troll obviously. But I can have an opinion thats different than yours and we can all be ok. I dont understand people who if its not their way itz no way.

 

[kashmir64]

The only time someone is 'wrong' in their way of thinking, is if it hurts the animal. Example: I give my dog and cat chocolate as a treat. That sort of thing.

My personal opinion on anything in life is...be respectful of what others think and don't ram your (generalized your) opinions down my throat, and you can say whatever you want about a situation.

If you have an opinion, then by all means say it. Someone may actually learn something from it. I know I probably will.