Community Guidelines & Practices – Frequently Asked Questions

Whether you're new here or a long-time member, you may find the answers to these questions interesting.

Where can I find the site rules?

We keep the forum rules in a handy place, right in the New Cats on The Block forum.

Here's a direct link to the forum rules. Please do take a minute to read them, and when you get bored and in need of a quick break, you can always read them again!

If I read something that violates the site rules, what should I do?

If you find anything on the site that you think violates the site rules, find offensive, or have any other issue with, please do the following -

1. Click the little flag that's under the post/review/image.

This allows you to flag the post for the site moderators to review. It's the fastest and most effective way to draw a moderator's attention to a problem post.

2. That's it. Please do not respond to the offending post, don't feed trolls and spammers and avoid flaming other users.

Who can provide medical advice and how?

Do not provide medical advice on the forums.

Feel free to share experiences about treatments your own cats received but do not recommend treatments for other members' cats. More about what you can and can't do when discussing treatments.

Can I recommend a specific diet to another user?

We believe there is no one single diet that's a good fit for all cats and so prefer for members to avoid "pushing" any particular diet on other members. Please be respectful of other members' choices.

Specifically, if you wish to suggest a homemade or raw diet click here to read our special instructions on how and where you can do that.

How can I promote my site/business/cause here?

Like most online communities, we really don't like spam. Our moderators are quick to delete spam and ban spammers.

If you wish to promote your site, business or cause on our site please click to read the guidelines on that.

Can I link to a website from a post?

Not if it's your website or if you're affiliated with it in any way. If our moderators find out that you are (and they have their ways...) you may find your account banned. Fast.

If you're not affiliated in any way with a website, you may link to it. However, keep in mind that we have a treasure trove of cat care articles right here on the site. Please check the articles section first and only link outside the site if you absolutely have to. There is no actual rule as to how much you can link outside the website but it's good netiquette to limit your links from a forum to other websites.

Thank you for keeping our members right here on TCS!

Can I copy an article from another website into my post?

No. These articles are almost always copyrighted so we do not allow this here. It's good practice to only copy the first paragraph (or a similarly small piece) and then link to the article in question.

Can I copy an article or image from TheCatSite.com into another website (another forum, or my blog)?

No. You may not copy anything that you see on TCS, articles, images, reviews, or anything else without explicit written permission from the site owner, Anne Moss.

If you want to re-publish content from TheCatSite.com, contact us with a clear request so we can discuss this.

Can I link to an article that I found on TheCatSite.com?

Yes. You don't need a website's permission to link to them, as long as you only link to the content and don't copy any of it.

Catspeak - where and when can I post as my cat?

TheCatSite.com is a forum for cat owners and cat lovers. We expect posts to be from human beings, not from felines.

You may only post as a cat in The Cat's Meow forum. Here are The Cat's Meow posting guidelines.

How can I get more people to answer my question?

The short answer: be a positive active member and post clearly.

The long answer: 13 Surefire Tips for Getting Better, Faster Replies in the Forums

You can read all about these roles here.

As you get actively involved in the cat forums, you may start wondering why some of our members have special badges next to their usernames. Get to know our Moderators, Mentors, Advisors and Forum Helpers. Here's all about these TCS Roles.

How can I become a team member?

We occasionally turn to members and invite them to join the team.

We look for members who are over 18, have been very active on the site for at least six months and have no infractions. Existing team members recommend members who meet these criteria and are also friendly, committed to good cat care and cat welfare, have good communication skills and whom they feel may be a good match for one of our team roles. We then approach these members and offer them to join.

Note: We may get commissions for purchases made through links on this page.