A few words from the modteam regarding Mourning/Loss "unhappy" posts

What's This About?The community of /r/cats is about people who love cats, not about people who just like looking at pictures of them. We understand that there are some people who prefer not to see photos of cats who are elderly, ill, or as in one recent case, deceased.This post is intended to clarify a few things about the position of the moderation team of /r/cats regarding "mourning" or "loss" posts, so there will be no confusion going forward about what kind of community we wish to foster.Some BackgroundWe are cat owners/companions first. This community is for those of us who have welcomed these furry little enigmas into our lives and homes, and as a community, we must accept that there are positive and negative things about being a cat owner.The /r/cats community is not merely a place to share cute photos and only positive things- although we all love seeing happy and funny cats and stories, of course. We know that our friends get ill, they can be in pain, and yes- they will most likely die before we do.This community is for the cat owners and lovers, not just those who enjoy photos of cute cats and would prefer not to be reminded that they leave us one day.Our cat companions provide many things, but one of the things every pet owner must face is the fact that they will likely outlive their animal companions.About Mourning PostsPeople who are facing that inevitable outcome are not and will not be shunned for wanting to share their grief in our community. We allow it because someday it will be us sharing our own grief at the loss of a beloved companion. We will not disallow people from sharing photos of their beloved pets and gaining some comfort from a community of people who know, understand and sympathize with their pain.As to the specific situation that precipitated this post... photos of a cat that is actually deceased are an edge case. They do sometimes get posted. Our rule of thumb is that if it's not bad taste, isn't gory, NSFW or showcase the animal's corpse in some fashion intended to be macabre, it's probably within our rules.We don't encourage people to take and post a photo of a deceased pet. We would on balance point out that it's a touchy subject and perhaps it would be better for people to find a photo from better times and share that.ConclusionIn conclusion, the commmunity of /r/cats does not ignore this stage of pet ownership- that final phase where we make hard choices and watch our friends and beloved companions fade and vanish. We'll all go through it one day. We're stronger for sharing it and knowing others are aware of our pain.If you don't agree with the modteam on this matter, we encourage you not to view links that are flagged as mourning/loss, use the filters and exercise some agency over your own experience with the internet and reddit. If your preference is to not be even potentially exposed to content that might be upsetting because it has to do with someone's mourning or loss, there are a plethora of more suitable communities which do focus exclusively on positive and cheerful content. via /r/cats http://ift.tt/2yr2wcS