the weirdo handbook

Happy Sunday Weirdos! I know you’ve seen the rules on the page, but today we wanted to take a bit of time to go over them and to discuss some of the questions, concerns and reasons surrounding a few of them.
 
A couple of the rules that we think are self-explanatory…
 
Be Nice
No bullying, profanity, abusive language. We reserve the right to delete all such comments and/or remove members who treat others poorly or continue to use profane language.
 
No Shaming and No Blocking
Shaming for re-homing is not tolerated and blocking a Mod or an Admin will result in removal from the group.
 
And some of those on which we’d like to elaborate…
 
Abuse Posts/Breeders/Sellers
We do not allow posts that discuss or show any animal violence, distress, death or unsafe care. This includes kitty’s latest “catch.” We are also a breeder-free zone. Any such posts will be deleted. Anyone selling/flipping animals will be removed.
 
Abuse can be a tricky one. What one person considered abuse, another may not. As volunteers who keep this page running, we take reported posts seriously. For example, we recently had a video post of 2 cats being made to clean up dirt from a pot in which they were digging. Opinions on this post ranged from people thinking it was cute and funny, to others feeling that the cats were being forced to do something they shouldn’t have been and they found it upsetting. As leadership, it is part of our job to ensure that the page is place where our members are comfortable, first and foremost. Because of this, some posts, such as this one, may have to be removed. It is not a slight against the person who posted it, or those who did feel it was funny. However, in keeping the peace and ensuring that our members feel it is a safe space, we do vote on each instance within leadership and whether a post is appropriate or if it should be removed based on the content and/or number of members voicing concern.
 
Posts regarding breeders and those selling animals are removed because we are pro-rescue and strongly encourage our members to save the lives of the animals who have ended up in shelters through no fault of their own. We also are not able to verify how the animals are bred or how they are treated by breeders and as such, cannot in good conscience allow breeder posts.
 
Third Party/Drop & Dash Posts
Third party posts (posts that you are making on behalf of anyone other than yourself) and/or drop and dash posts (posts that you put up and abandon) will be deleted, unless you are willing to maintain the post and act as the go-between.
 
As mentioned in this rule, posts such as these will be deleted. If you know the person who has a missing cat, etc…, please encourage them to join group and post for themselves. We always welcome new members and are willing to help when and where we can.
 
Declawing
This group is completely against declawing and any post that advocates for or encourages discussion surrounding the pros/cons or details of declawing itself will be deleted.
 
Please let us know if you have questions surrounding this rule. Because declawing is amputating each toe at the first knuckle, we are fully against this surgery. Also, because it is a HIGHLY polarizing topic that can become emotional and combative, posts that stir up discussion surrounding this topic will be removed.
 
Donation Requests & Crowdfunding
Donation requests and crowdfunding posts are reserved for 501(c)(3) non-profit rescues. Those that do not have Admin approval will be deleted.
 
Raising Emergency Funds
You must be a member for 3+ months to be considered for emergency funds. Owner and cat must be in Ohio. Funds are paid ONLY to the veterinary practice, To be considered, contact a member of the Leadership Team.
 
We do our best to assist members in need of assistance with an emergency situation. We have a blog post about emergency funding for our members that goes into more detail on how we can help and the requirements for assistance. If you’d like to learn more, please click here. As much as we would love to be able to help every member in need of assistance with general vet care, we do have to have rules and guidelines and one of those is that we only assist with emergency care. At some point, we hope to be able to expand our assistance to other needs, but that’s part of a long-term plan and one that we can only achieve by crawling before we walk and walking before we run. In other words, we are a very new non-profit (as of October 2019) and we are working hard to find ways to establish sustainable income sources (i.e. Grants, sponsorships, license plate renewal fees for specialized plates, Amazon Smile, etc…) that will allow us to expand our offerings.
 
Re-homing Posts
Re-homing posts will be deleted IF they are not pre-approved by the Leadership Team. Found kittens and fosters looking for homes for their foster cats, are exempt from this rule. Approved posts must state “Admin Approved” with the Admin's name.
 
The reason that we require approval for re-homing posts is mainly because we want to ensure that the post includes all of the pertinent information that allows for the best possible chance of finding a good home. If you are in need of assistance with finding a new home for your cat(s), please send a direct message to a member of the leadership team. We are happy to work with you and if the proper guidelines are followed and criteria met, we are glad to help find a good home when needed.
 
Members Exchanging Money
Although we applaud members who wish to help others, we STRONGLY discourage members exchanging funds, whether it be donating or a loan. The Weirdos claim NO RESPONSIBILITY should members choose to exchange money for ANY REASON.
 
This one is a matter of protecting our members. While we know that Weirdos have some of the biggest hearts around, we also recognize that in the world today, there are certainly safety issues and that sometimes things don’t go as planned, even with the best of intentions. Because of the likelihood of miscommunications, disagreements and safety concerns, we feel we must stand against members exchanging money. Should you wish to do so, we would ask that you do it outside of the group.
 
No Spam, Advertising or Politics
Let's keep this page strictly cats please. Spam, advertisements and politically based posts will be removed. We reserve the right to remove members who repeatedly break this rule.
 
In today’s topsy-turvy world, we feel it’s important to have a space where our members don’t have to deal with the stress of politics or being spammed. Come share your love of cats and meet your fellow cat lovers, but leave the politics and garbage at the door!
 
In addition to the above, please note that Leadership reserves the right to remove members immediately if they participate in any of the following:
 

• Posts or comments that are racist or discriminate against others based on gender, race, sexuality, religion, etc…
• Abusive treatment of or language towards any member, moderator or administrator

 
One final note… We love our Weirdo family and appreciate each and every one of you. We ask that during these difficult times that you think before you comment and act with kindness and respect. Our team of volunteers works tirelessly to try to make this a great cat-loving community and we need your help in doing that. With nearly 19,000 members, we can’t be everywhere at once and we certainly can’t make everyone happy every time. We are doing our best and appreciate your patience and understanding. If you ever have questions, concerns or feedback, we welcome you to message anyone on the leadership team directly. We much prefer this method because in a sea of posts, we may not see your comments otherwise.
 
Stay healthy and safe out there!