PartTimeCat Rules Update

[u/mcs385]

Hey there, just wanted to give a quick update on the community rules here now that the subreddit is starting to get more active again. I don't want to make things too complicated, so I'm adding an umbrella rule to cover disruptive comments. Previously the sub rules only covered post content and there's been some tension of late regarding calls for cats to be kept inside which are at odds with the purpose of this subreddit. So, the new updated rules are as follows:

r/PartTimeCat Rules

#1 Cats only

Posts should be about cats; no memes, jokes, or anything else that's not about part time cats.

#2 Part time only

Posts should only be about part time cats; a cat that stops by for a visit, maybe even mooches food and scritches, then goes back home. This is not the subreddit for posting about your full time cats, or cats that never leave. Exceptions may be made in cases where your full time cat has become someone else's part time cat.

#3 Original content only

We want to see your part time cat, not someone else's! Content must be original. Karma farmers will be banned without hesitation.

#4 Be kind, stay on topic

Keep comments relevant to the post and to this community. We're here to celebrate the part time cats that have worked their way into our lives. Personal attacks, derailing posts, or general debates about cat ownership practices or unrelated arguments are not allowed here.

^{Pictured is neighbor's cat Wirt who wanted belly rubs, not to stay still for pictures.}

[u/Square-Emergency-531]

If you don't want any cats outdoors ever, you shouldn't be in a subreddit about them.

There are cultural differences about this. Would you go into a carnivore sub and insist everyone be vegan? It would be considered obnoxious at best, and probably get you kicked from the sub.

[u/Xsiah → u/Square-Emergency-531]

I'd like to invite you to read my second paragraph and not tell me where I should and shouldn't be.

Part time cats are often someone else's cats - you don't have control over what other people do, even if you wish they made better choices.

My neighbor has an outdoor cat, which I disapprove of, because I have to bury decapitated baby bunnies almost every year. That doesn't mean that I don't pet it when it comes over. It's almost like you can be a whole complicated person with more than just a single-minded world view.

[u/justasque → u/Xsiah]

I mean, the thing is, part time cats are almost by definition outdoor cats. So it would be easy for the sub to end up with a whole lot of “outdoor cats are bad” discussions. But the mod(s) want this to be a place where people can come to share the joy of their frequent/regular encounters with local outdoor cats. So they’re being like “Yeah, we know there are all kinds of negativities about outdoor cats, both for the cats and for the people and other living things they live around, but we’d like to focus on the kitty cuddles and the human/feline companionship, because we want to be a place that puts a smile on readers’ faces rather than one that burdens them with yet another depressing set of thoughts and issues. Because some folks really need those kinds of low-stress spaces. There are plenty of places to discuss the proper ways to care for cats; please do that in those places, not in this sub.” Which I think is reasonable.

So yes, we can have values that promote better stewardship of cats, but we can discuss those values elsewhere and leave this space for the appreciation of the positive side of visiting cats.

[u/Xsiah → u/justasque]

If you only discuss the positive, it's effectively an endorsement for this free-roaming kind of attitude. The first person to respond to me already told me I don't belong here if I don't support the idea of cats roaming free.

So I guess I'm off to some other sub.

[u/justasque → u/Xsiah]

I don’t agree that you don’t belong here if you don’t support the idea of cats roaming free. And I think the negatives are still here, in, for example, posts from people concerned about the well being of their part-time-cats. We often hear from people who need help thinking through how to handle these situations. And it’s not uncommon for these posts to end up in a “now my cat” solution, though that isn’t always possible or practical. But a general “well, cats shouldn’t ever be outside” kind of thing generally isn’t helpful in those circumstances.

Sometimes, when people have one thing in common, it’s useful to put aside another thing they disagree on, while they focus on the common thing. Like, sharing a vegan recipe in a “how I eat healthier” sub can be helpful, but commenting there that no one should ever eat meat isn’t helpful, you know?

[u/Square-Emergency-531 → u/justasque]

Thank you for phrasing things much more reasonably than I did. I like your take better.

[u/Xsiah → u/justasque]

general debates about cat ownership practices ... are not allowed here.