Possible Sensitivity Disclaimers?

[WtchyChick13]

Hey guys,

I'm really happy with the addition of this new forum but have a request for y'all...

I accidentally stumbled on the thread below "and there were feathers everywhere" and was really sorry I did. (Please don't think I'm singling anyone out here, it just sparked an idea that's all.)

Being a bird owner, it upset me to no end.

What I'm asking is that if you're sharing a story about your cat or dog or whatever your pet may be, who has a tendency to go after critters or birds, whatever, could you post something at the very top of the thread or post that what you're about to say may upset some of us?

With the new pet forum, I'm sure this kind of thing is going to come up repeatedly with so many pet owners sharing stories and questioning each other on dicipline and such--I know personally, I'd really like to avoid accidentally read about such things.

I'm one for the silly stories and pics and sending energies out to those animals who are in need of a little extra 'health-boost'.

I hope no one thinks that I'm being prudish here. Not the intent. Just wanted to ask for a little warning that I may want to skip the occasional post.

Thanks for the understanding and big happy hugs to all our critters! :D


*BB*

[Ahautenites]

**smiles** Several of us are bird parents, chica.

I don't see anything wrong with adding a warning to posts if they're graffic in nature and I will certainly comply... But to play devil's advocate, "and there were feathers everywhere" kind of already gives an indication that you may want to skip it. (At least, I got that impression from it, as feathers everywhere is *my* worst fear for my bird in a household with four cats.)

Animals will be true to their nature, regardless of whether they seem to be domesticated humans with excessive body hair. If you're going to accept them into your home, people need to accept the grim realities of them as well as the rosier sides.

[WtchyChick13]

Oh yeah, I know that and like I said, I wasn't trying to single out that thread.

Seeing the title just sparked the idea that maybe it would be a good idea if while talking about such things, there could be a little disclaimer at the top of the post is all.

I have enough trouble trying not to get upset at animal stories on the news...don't want to have to face it here as well.

Yes, I know that animals have their nature, just was hoping that we could cover the bases on keeping someone like myself...someone who is extremely sensitive to animal matters...from having to read that "fluffy just brought in another mouse." I don't have a cat, don't want to have to read about such things. I'm the type that says, "oh poor mouse."



Now, give me a story like, "fluffy just decided that she'd feed the living room sofa by giving it food" THEN we've got something I could really get into! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Theres]

"and there were feathers everywhere" wasn't enough of a warning?
sometimes nature ain't pretty, by our skewed standards anyway. cats are supposed to catch mice (they're of little use otherwise!). and to the cat, nothing could be more fulfilling or rewarding. a major triumph, and the mark of a very good day.

i understand your point Witchychick, and i'm sensitive to animal matters myself. i spend money i really don't have to support wildlife causes, and donate my time to help with wolf recovery. and i cry whenever the dog dies in a movie.

but really, "and there were feathers everywhere"... what were you expecting?
nature is beautiful, even when it seems harsh.

[WtchyChick13]

OMG! I said that twice that it wasn't directed at THAT thread!

It made me think of the idea to put a disclaimer--gee, sorry I said anything. :rolleyes:

[Danustouch]

This is a bit off topic, Wtchy, please don't think what I'm going to say here is directed at you at all..but I just started thinking about something after reading your post about the posts having to do with the somewhat less "aesthetically pleasing" aspects of animal nature. It made me recall an incident a few years back, an argument of sorts I had with a woman who had a cat.

She said she'd caught her cat hunting a mouse once, and had disciplined the cat (i.e, yelled at it) for chasing the mouse. That she "Punishes" the cat whenever she finds it hunting another living creature. This woman is an avid vegan. And a very political one at that. However, she feeds her cat normal cat food, which we all know, contains animal products. It was a little bizzarre, in my opinion. But what bothered me more than the bizzarre nature of the irony (feeding it normal catfood, but scolding it for chasing a mouse), was this simple thought.

She was trying to change the survival instinct which is built into a cat. Animals hunt for a reason. Even "tame" housecats...they have these instincts for a reason. To sharpen their hunting skills, to allow them to provide for themselves, also to sharpen their defense skills...and probably also, to relieve their tension. How tame would a cat be, if it didn't have the outlet of chasing things, to allow it to let out some of its aggressive tendencies? Beyond that, my main concern is that if God forbid, anything should ever happen to this woman, and her pet was put up for adoption, who knows what its next owners would be like. Perhaps they would make it an outdoor cat. And if that were the case, how would the cat know how to defend itsself? Furthermore, if the cat should ever get out of the house, and become a stray, how would it know how to provide for itsself? In short, I think what she was doing, was almost as mentally abusive as a parent scolding their child for playing. Or not allowing the child to eat, or to sleep, or whatever. Or locking the child in a bedroom. The cat follows their natural instinct... for a reason. It's made that way, so that it can survive.

Not only that, but..it's part of natures balance. Why are birds needed in our environment? To kill off bugs. Why are Cats' needed? To hunt birds, which in the wild, CAN carry numerous parasites, to keep them from becoming too overpopulated (fecal matter eroding water ledges is one concern which comes to mind) And rodents, to hunt rodents which carry many diseases. It's part of natures balance. It's important. Maybe it would be nice for us to be understanding of the graphic details, and how they may effect certain readers. So..I'm not necessarily arguing with that.

Reading this just brought to mind some other issues i've discussed in the past with other people, and...because i'm a bit high on vicodin right now (though I wish I weren't)..I just decided to throw this all out for you to discuss. :)

[WtchyChick13]

Ok, here it is. I've been offline for almost 2 hours now because I'm tired and not feeling well and yet this damn thread (that yes, I started) was going on and on in my head. It's infuriating to me that I'm not being listened to and that what I'm saying is being taken completely wrong.

I am a smart woman. I understand that animals have in their nature to kill other animals. OK???

What I was trying to say (again and again) is that occasionally there will be a thread where we are all sharing stories about our pets and one will come along that could be upsetting to some...including myself. That possibly for the sensitivity of others (and please folks, remember that we have young posters here as well) that perhaps a small note that what you are about to read might disturb some folks. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK???

Danus, I couldn't read half of your lengthy thread because it deals with something that I don't need to read about just before going to sleep. If I stated above that "fluffy bringing in a mouse" might upset me, obviously I'm not going to read about another cat doing mousing because it's in his nature. OF COURSE IT IS! But do I need to read about it? NO.

I'm sorry if I seem a bit too sensitive about this. I'm sorry I started the damn thread to begin with. I'm sorry if I happen to feel sorry for the mice!

AGAIN I know it goes on--it IS animal nature. I have a Mensa IQ. I'm not an idiot. What I am is someone who might appreciate a little warning.

I don't need to be in the middle of a thread where we're again, sharing stories about Fluffy, Rover and Polly and really enjoying it when suddenly there is a post about how Rover got into the neighbor's chicken coop and now they'll be BBQing for a month!

No, I'm not a vegan...was, but due to tremendous allergies, I actually had to add meat back into my diet. So this is not a lecture on cruelty to animals, or a "how dare you type of thing."

This was someone who was foolish enough to venture out of Just Silly for a moment to check out a new forum that she's been looking forward to and made one lousy suggestion.

Sue me. I was trying to be nice thinking that maybe, there could be someone else out there who like me, might be as sensitive about this as I am.

I don't know why this got blown out of proportion or why my point wasn't taken earlier...sorry that it didn't. But I don't appreciate being talked down to by anyone.

I will say this one more time for the record: I was NOT talking about that one thread. I didn't even read the thing because of the title. There was in fact, a warning with that title. I was talking about posts in the middle of threads or in the case of a new thread, maybe a little warning in the very beginning so that we don't have to go any further.

Sorry to have bothered you all.

[Theres]

yes, i think you are being oversensitive. and i'm not referring to your affinity for animals.
nobody has attacked you OR your feelings in this thread. and yet YOU insist on "blowing it out of proportion". if you're going to deal with the world of animals, you're going to get this stuff. and i certainly don't see where keeping this information away from our younger members is doing them any favors!

you see, in nature there is no 'PG' rating system. life goes on. and death, even violent death, is very much a part of that. they poop and pee too... deal with it.

this was my first venture into this forum too, but i'm beginning to think it might be my last. :geez:

[Danustouch]

Wtchy....I didn't give any graphic details in my post. Not one. And I also said "This isn't directed at you, it REMINDED me of a story .....". The whole thread, reminded me of that story. Greenmans post, reminded me of that story.

And I very purposely did not give any graphic details. Because it would upset you. And I also said that I could understand the sensitivity disclaimers.

I was just talking about something that had popped into my head. Maybe I should have started a new thread, but.... I wasn't attacking you. I thought I had made that clear. Then again, being that I just took two 750 mg pills of Vicodin...maybe I'm just seeing things...

[Rain Gnosis]

Well, I'm glad you brought up a concern in the hopes of helping people out Wtchy. Maybe there was a bit of a misunderstanding because your first post says "Being a bird owner, it upset me to no end"? When I read it I thought that thread upset you too. Ah well, misunderstanding happens online :) I can certainly understand your point, and I've no doubt people will put a disclaimer in posts like that, if the topic isn't obvious, anyway. They usually do :)

As with anything, sometimes it can be hard to tell what will be upsetting and what won't, but I figure people here are usually considerate that way anyway.

[WtchyChick13]

Well, I'm glad you brought up a concern in the hopes of helping people out Wtchy. Maybe there was a bit of a misunderstanding because your first post says "Being a bird owner, it upset me to no end"? When I read it I thought that thread upset you too. Ah well, misunderstanding happens online :) I can certainly understand your point, and I've no doubt people will put a disclaimer in posts like that, if the topic isn't obvious, anyway. They usually do :)

As with anything, sometimes it can be hard to tell what will be upsetting and what won't, but I figure people here are usually considerate that way anyway.


Thank you Rain. You got it. Thank you so much! :)

The problem sometimes with online communication is that the inflections normally sounded out when vocal conversations take place are missing. What you mean to say will be taken completely out of proportion.

Greenman, I don't want you to stop coming to this forum because of this. Was I oversensitive? Maybe. But what I was writing wasn't being read in the right context. Frustrated is more like it.

All I was hoping for was a little note at the top of a post that said something like, "mouse doesn't make it". Or "Weak tummy? Don't read this." :lol:

I got upset last nite because the way I was reading things was that it felt like you guys were thinking that I didn't know this stuff goes on. Well duh! Just a little "heads-up" that's all I was looking for.


Again thank you Rain for seeing where I was going with this. It was a simple thing that just got wierd. :fishsmack

[Altheia]

Perfectly understood from post numero uno! It would be a lot easier to understand people if we could hear the inflections in each others' voices...but we make do with what we can...sensitivity is needed in a fourm like this since we are all obviously animal lovers...some of us are just a little more leary of the raw side of our pet's nature...

[Old Witch]

I totally understand where you were coming from Witchy.....and you too Danus........I don't watch many nature shows any more because I got tired of seeing predator get prey.......so I choose not to watch.....although I know it has to happen, it's perfectly alright it happens, It should happen......Warnings are good........ we can choose that way.......

[Old Witch]

yes, i think you are being oversensitive. and i'm not referring to your affinity for animals.
nobody has attacked you OR your feelings in this thread. and yet YOU insist on "blowing it out of proportion". if you're going to deal with the world of animals, you're going to get this stuff. and i certainly don't see where keeping this information away from our younger members is doing them any favors!

you see, in nature there is no 'PG' rating system. life goes on. and death, even violent death, is very much a part of that. they poop and pee too... deal with it.

this was my first venture into this forum too, but i'm beginning to think it might be my last. :geez:

Ah, Greenman, every true intelligent animal lover knows the ways of nature. Sometimes we see a little to much of it, and we don't want to "deal" anymore. Don't leave a great forum because of a misunderstanding.....

[WillowSageheart]

Wow... I haven't been on lately and just entered this thread, and was surprised to see how volatile it was.

It's all about choice, and although things like that don't bother me, some things do, and I think WC had the right idea. Her choice is not to read such things... NOT that they shouldn't be posted, she just chooses not to read them. Certainly nothing wrong with that. If I felt that way, I would want some warning as well.

And Greenman, I agree that you shouldn't use this as an excuse to leave the forum, but getting so upset about a simple and honest request????

[VroomBroom]

I understood you from the begining Wtchy.....and it didn't seem like that big of a request to cause such an 'irritation'!

:smooch:

[WtchyChick13]

Thanks guys. :smooch:

That's all I was trying to say. ;)

[Rain Gnosis]

And Greenman, I agree that you shouldn't use this as an excuse to leave the forum, but getting so upset about a simple and honest request????

With all due respect, Greenman wasn't "getting so upset about a simple and honest request". He was, I think, frustrated too that everyone was having a bit of trouble getting their thoughts across without offending or being offended. It was simply a misunderstanding and there's no reason to complain at anyone.

[Mistiblue]

Group Hug,.... Who's in favor of a big bag of popcorn and watching "Finding Nemo"? MEEEeeeeeee.... :-)

[Old Witch]

I'm in!!!.........Is it me, or has everyone been a little "off" today? I've been way stressed, and it seems like I've had a "What cha mean by that, Willis?" sort of day............I think" Ice Age" is on one of the HBO's.........Maybe I'll go watch that......Maybe it's the heat.......Maybe we'll all wake up in the morning and go"Why'd I go and post that?"

[~*Ginger*~]

I certainly do not see anything wrong with a sensitivity disclaimer. :megaphone
in fact i asked for one not so long ago when i came upon a bunch of news links, something something witchcraft. (another forum)

The article was about some children who had been abused and killed in a very undignified way and it made me literally ill, took a few days to shake it off.

If something doesn't catch me attention i pass it by.
And i like the way the threads are now so that we can see into them a bit without entering them if we're not interested.

But yeah a sensitiviy disclaimer would be very much appreciated by me too.

*especially dealing with innocence's* :bigredblu

[WillowSageheart]

With all due respect, Greenman wasn't "getting so upset about a simple and honest request". He was, I think, frustrated too that everyone was having a bit of trouble getting their thoughts across without offending or being offended. It was simply a misunderstanding and there's no reason to complain at anyone.

Rain, you are wonderfully diplomatic which is probably why I enjoy reading your posts so much. I just felt his second post was a little bit harsh and undeservedly so. But in the aide to diplomacy, I guess I'll let it rest and give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Mistiblue]

I seem to STILL be having one of those kind of days. Maybe it's the way the planets are alined or something. Tried to have conversation with a friend of mine and he bit my head off, so I give up.

Ahhh Ice Age Movie,..that's a good one. I'm in for that too. :-)

[Rain Gnosis]

Could be that the full moon was in Capricorn?

Was good for me though, being as I am a Capricorn :)

[Mistiblue]

It's deffinitely SOMEthing. :-)

[VroomBroom]

:smile: gonna go have a cookie!