Let’s Talk About Catster Values

We’re often asked what we believe here at Catster HQ, so we thought we’d share.

At Catster, there’s always talk of the importance of point of view — how without standing up and championing something, a publication ends up failing to stand up for anything at all.

Given this, we’re often asked what our point of view is, but the answer isn’t that simple. It’s not because we have no point of view — we’re fiercely opinionated when it comes to cat issues, so it’s hard to just pick one.

The five things below don’t come close to addressing our stand on every cat issue out there, but they are five things we believe are important.

5 Things We Believe at Catster

1. A cat is not an “it” or a “that.” A cat is a “who.”

We haven’t been wild and flashy about this particular point of view, but it’s the undercurrent in every story you’ll read on the site. We’re not exactly saying that cats are people, but you can’t deny that they’re sentient individuals with distinct personalities.

2. We really care about where you get your next pet, and we think you should care, too.

Our stand at Catster is to educate — not bully people about their choices when it comes to where they get their next cat. But we’re against kitten mills and any situation where cats are in less-than-thrive conditions.

3. We champion adoption, but we also support responsible breeders.

Adoption is woven into Catster’s DNA. We’re totally behind the adoption message. We know people who run some of the most amazing and inspiring rescues out there. But just because we love adoption — and frequently champion it in our articles — it doesn’t mean we’re automatically anti-breeder. Of course, we’re staunchly anti-irresponsible breeder, but we also support those who dedicate their lives to the betterment of particular breeds who have won their hearts.

4. We believe that harming cats is criminal and should be condemned by society as such.

Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” We at Catster believe we still have a long way to as a society based on this alone.

5. We believe we can help you become a better pet parent (or servant, owner or chief of staff – whatever you want to call yourself).

Catster’s editorial is a work in progress. One of the things we try to do daily between the cute photos, opinion items, lifestyle features, behavior and health tips and cat news is provide readers with solid expert advice. We know our readers encompass everyone from beginners to seasoned pet pros, and our mission is to have items of interest to both the enthusiast and the novice.

So, there you have it. These are our values here at Caster. We’d love to hear what your values are when it comes to your cats or pets in general.