# Upset in forum!!



## Crezzard

I joined the cat forum and the people there are sooooo mean!!!!! I got told I was appalling for not having a litter tray in the house because blacky chan will cry at the door when she wants to go out... They said 'poor kitty' and that's appalling!! Haha how rude!! 


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## Batman

I hate to see what I am my cat prefers to ne outside but he has a cat door to the warm garage for access he comes and goes :screwy:

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## Crezzard

Exactly!! I think it's cruel to keep a cat indoors 24-7 but I didn't call them appalling jeez lol xx


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## Voltage

A lot of people think it's "apalling" that my dogs have free reign of the house 24/7 and they sleep on furniture and get people food often. We let them beg and taught them up up (taught them to jump on us essentially)
They beg because we let them lick our plates after dinner and we feed them what we can't finish. 
Though of course we never ever feed them stuff they can't have like chocolate, bones and avocado for example. 

People are just crazy and closed minded.
There is nothing wrong with a cat having a little freedom.

Hehe can't help but to add that one of them is a chocolate lab named Bones. I thought it was funny cause I listed chocolate and bones

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## Daniel

Voltage said:


> A lot of people think it's "apalling" that my dogs have free reign of the house 24/7 and they sleep on furniture and *get people food often*.


Dogs as garbage disposals is one of my favorite things about dogs. I hate having to waste food, but when I had dogs, I never had to. Popular opinion be damned.

Who are these people? Are they keeping their dogs caged part of the day? I couldn't imagine that.

One thing we all to remember is that this is the internutz. I've heard all kinds of 'advice' and OMG YOU SHOULD NEVER DO THAT that I know are completely false, yet are repeated endlessly.


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## Voltage

Daniel said:


> Dogs as garbage disposals is one of my favorite things about dogs. I hate having to waste food, but when I had dogs, I never had to. Popular opinion be damned.
> 
> Who are these people? Are they keeping their dogs caged part of the day? I couldn't imagine that.
> 
> One thing we all to remember is that this is the internutz. I've heard all kinds of 'advice' and OMG YOU SHOULD NEVER DO THAT that I know are completely false, yet are repeated endlessly.


I don't believe in crating at all honestly. I just moved back from living with my boyfriend's family and they think me and my parents are crazy for letting our dogs roam free. (not my boyfriend but his mom really)
This vile woman keeps her dogs in cages way too small for them for over 90% of the day.
They get out maybe two hours total a day. And that isn't even all at once. They are let out just so they can pee outside then brought back in straight to the cage. No affection, no playing no nothing. There is nothing soft in the cages, nothing to chew on. Just an often empty food and water bowl. One of them is a puppy. And the cage is also where he is punished. 
It's just plain out cruel and she thinks this is normal. I could go on about the many other things she does but I could write a book on that.
I'm thinking about calling animal control or something. But I'm worried she will just replace all of the animals in her house. One of which is a raccoon. And ***** in that area are known to carry roundworm and she has a kid in the house who touches the raccoon and then shoves his thumb in his mouth without washing. She is always taking in raccoons and her youngest is going to end up getting roundworm.

(I'm also nervous to call someone about the animal abuse because she is the most vindictive woman I have ever met. She will try to ruin your life if you cross her or she will hold it over your head and let you know it)

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## Crezzard

I can't feed my dog human food because he's allergic to just about anything. He's a west highland white terrier and his allergies show up as skin
Lesions. He sits on the sofa with us and does whatever he wants. He would come in bed too if he could jump that high, sometimes i pick him up and put him in
So we can have a lie in. Anyway, I've just given the cat forumers a piece of my mind so I'll probably get kicked off. They were all like 'a cat litter box is in
Any cat starter kit' and 'I trained my dog not to eat poo out of the litter box clearly you can't look after your dog either' grrrrr!!! Lol!!! 


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## September

Those people aren't worth your time, I was the worst owner in the world to them because I got my cat vaccinated. _Obviously _that means I hate her.


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## Crezzard

They banned me and their reason was 'rude idiot' 



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## Baru

That was honestly one of the reasons I was weary about looking for a rat community. I'm still learning and there's a lot of information to take in, especially now that people can gather all the knowledge we've learned from around the world in places like this! Having rats in my childhood, I learned a few good tips that still prove true today but I'm finding a whole list of things that could have been very different and considerably better. But I knew going in that people can be not only harsh and judgmental, thinking that their way is the only right way, but there are so many differing opinions being SHOUTED at you at the same time. Not only that, but much of the time, they are shouting misinformation!

I feel like pet ownership should be more of an open dialogue of methods and affection for the animals, not a shaming parade. I mean, yes, there are definitely some terrible owners out there who mistreat their poor pets (a prime example from Voltage! UHG. Vindictive be damned, I would make the call. She can't prove you did it.) But insulting someone and calling them a bad pet parent for doing something out of the "norm" that works for them and their pet? Ridiculous.

Honestly though, isn't that how it is with just about everything? It's like people get into public (well, the internet) and don't know how to have a civil conversation about opinions. You don't need to convert everyone to your method of doing things, you don't need validation from every single person out there that you are right. Just talk about how you do things another way, maybe discuss why, and allow them to make their own decisions on how to go about it. (And this applies to so many things, too. So many things. People can't discuss their favorite song without arguing over who is right.) It's the same with children, for that matter. I don't like to hear anyone telling someone else how to raise their kid in a situation where there is NO abuse going on, just differing methods. There is no proven, greatest approach to anything that involves handling emotional, intelligent beings! Fuzzy or fleshy. Every case is different.

Bah. I'm sorry the cat community was so rude to you! They can stuff their holier-than-thou opinions. (Rude idiot, for real? Talk about a high horse.)

On a side note: What is even the point of having a pet you keep inside of it's cage all of the time? Dog, cat, rat... I mean, fish, yea that makes total sense. But just about anything else, why have a pet at all? Is it a trophy?


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## anawelch

I never understood people who chained their dog outside. Whats the point of having a dog if its going to stay outside chained to a tree? And a lot times people do this in a closed backyard. Its like why is it chained if it already has a fence??


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## agirl65

Well my dog and cat are both inside and outside as they please, and they are both neutered. My cat doesn't have a litter box (gasp) as well!! I must be bad too since they are both vaccinated... I'm sorry they were so rude to you, that's just wrong. This is also why I shy away from joining forums and dealing with other's pretentious attitudes.


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## Xerneas

Exactly the reason why I don't join most pet forums. People think that EVERYTHING they say is exactly right, especially their opinions on controversial issues.  Just ignore the rude people and do what you know is best for your cats. All of our pets are individuals, and things work differently for each one. All three of my cats are vaccinated, neutered/spayed and are allowed to go outside as they please and they've been like that for eleven years and they are all very healthy. I honestly think cat/dog forums are some of the MOST pretentious, anyways.


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## Crezzard

I thought horse forums were the worst but this cat forum is bad lol. My cats rely healthy and had never had to see the vet due to illness or injury (touch wood) 


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## nanashi7

The only problem I have with outdoor cats is when owners don't put a collar on them or tags that say "outdoor cat". I had a neighbor tear me a new one when I thought I was rescuing a stray in the storm. Otherwise, your cat can be however you like. 

I've had cats despise indoors, others fear outdoors. And quite honestly, kudos to you for potty training your cat like that. Seems efficient enough to me. You'd think the inverse would be my dog trained like that is being treated cruelly because she doesn't have a poop box...



Generally, though, this is why I avoid forums. It is discouraging and quite dumb. If I am trying to learn how to be a good owner, why are you going to berate me? For example, our own forum. People come on not knowing rats do best in pairs, need big cages, need time out, etc.. If I was one of those and you guys had said "you are abusive cruel and stupid" I would've never come back. And I would have never changed my ways. This was not the case (either in me not knowing or in the responses I see).


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## Crezzard

View attachment 86177
View attachment 86185

Here's blacky chan xxx


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## Jaguar

I had a cat with diabetes and was a member of a diabetic cat forum... it definitely had some of those crazy elitist folks. As soon as I got the few answers I needed I was OUT of there. Forums are an excellent source of information, no doubt, and it's really sad to see some of them fall victim to elitism and favoritism.

Some thoughts of mine though...

I always see people say "my mom's cat ate kibble for 13 years and was fine" and "my sister's cat went outside its whole life and was fine"... they were the lucky ones. My cat ate dry food for 6 years and got type 2 diabetes and early stage CKD... and I still vividly remember seeing my beloved childhood cat squashed into a pancake in the ditch while walking home from high school. Both could have been prevented, and I've learned a lot from both situations, but I really wish someone would've sat down and highlighted the risks for me BEFORE my cats had to suffer for it. It's one thing to understand and weigh the risks of letting your cat outside (or not spay/neutering, vaccinating, whatever else) and making an educated decision to go ahead with it, and another to do it out of ignorance thinking "it'll be fine". Everything is always fine until something goes wrong. Your cat is always fine without vaccinations until it gets into a fight and gets FIV. Your dog is fine roaming without a leash/fence until it strays and gets hit by a car. Your cat is fine eating dry kibble food for years until it dies of renal failure or blockage. It's about prevention, and you owe it to your animal to keep them safe, even if it doesn't always fit your personal agenda.


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## JBird

Fantastic post, Jaguar. That was what I was going to say. 

To add an itty bit: forum people can be really obnoxious, and I understand that, but do keep in mind that this is their passion. If someone is knowledgeable and well read in a subject, they know what they are talking about and have made an educated choice to stand by their opinions. 
Take their aggression with a grain of salt and understand that if several/many people react in the same way to something, it's worth looking into to try to understand their response. 

I am one of "those" who doesn't think cats should be outside... Like Jaguar said, when keeping pets, it's up to us to prevent them from falling into harm's way. Letting your pet roam does not accomplish that (in terms of physical harm & disease, exposure, behavior, other animals, etc). I am also incredibly tired of the "but I let my cat/dog do whatever it wanted and it was fine!" I hear this excuse SO MUCH in my field that it makes me want to scream; sometimes this is said in front of the dog who is quite obviously negatively effected by the owners' choice. People see what they want to see. What is a "problem" to me, is not important to others. 
It is sometimes difficult to contain my frustration with such a phrase, so I am going to sympathize a bit with the elitist cat owners, but I am sorry you felt attacked by them. 

There is also the whole other can of worms about the damage house cats do to a local ecosystem.... I'd suggest doing a little reading on these things!! It's definitely worth it to have the information in store to make an educated decision about your next kitty!


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## anawelch

I don't let my kitten roam because I live in an apartment complex but I still feel its important for animals to go outside. I bought a harness for her and it's a little big right now so we just carry her but when it fits we are going to start taking her on walks with my dog. We already bring her with us when we take my dog out and she just likes to sit on our shoulders and check everything out. I think as long as you live in a safe neighborhood with low traffic, the cat is vaccinated, fixed, isn't declawed, and has a way to get back in the house when it wants to and needs to its fine.


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## Daisy

I think you should do what's best for your animal, and what fits your beliefs. I don't really support completely freeranging cats considering the astronomical number of stray cats in our area (mostly when said cat is unaltered). I feed a colony of about 12 stray cats and kittens daily, and it breaks my heart when one of them goes missing. One of the neighbor kids likes to shoot at the cats with a BB gun, with full support from his mother :/ I simply cannot expose my kits to that sort of thing.

My bf's family used to be firm believers of indoor/outdoor cats, but after having one too many not make it home, have since switched to indoor only. IMO, if you have a cat that has a strong urge to be outside, I think you should provide a safe, confined area as an outlet for that energy. It's not all that difficult, and gives you the peace of mind that you'll never have to come home to a missing kitty, or God forbid, come across it in the middle of the street. We have an enclosed "kitty porch" and everyone is extremely happy with that  Between the coyotes and large birds of prey, it's just too risky to let our beloved cats outdoors unsupervised (at least in my area!).


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