It’s been almost three months since the beginning of the blog and I feel more than ready to formulate some basic principles this blog follows. Here they are.
I don’t do “follow back”, “comment back” or “like back”.
If I showed any activity on your blog I did it because I felt like it and it doesn’t mean that you owe anything back to me. Leave your comments and likes if you want to, but, please, don’t feel obliged to.
If it’s your first comment and it sounds like “your cat reminds me of my dead cat” it’s unlikely the comment will be approved. I promise I will never come to your blog to tell you that your son reminds me of a boy that was hit by a car.
As they call it in the blogosphere “comments containing any kinds of shameless promotion” won’t be approved.
If your comment sounds like “thanks for visiting my super.blablablog.com”, your comment will not be approved and I assure you I will never visit your super.blablablog.com again.
If I don’t know you or your animal but your comment about my cat sounds more like a comment about you or your cat I will not approve it.
Usyaka is a cat and as amazing as she is she still can’t type or read. Thus, she doesn’t blog and she doesn’t answer your comments. If you still feel like addressing Usyaka personally in your comments, I understand that, but I can’t answer the comments that aren’t addressed to me. I’m not going to substitute my cat’s personality with one created by my imagination in order to answer comments like that.
I also don’t answer all the comments. I think it’s obvious that there’s nothing personal about it but as I had some incidents with stalkers asking me by email why I don’t answer their comments, I thought I’d better mention that too.
This post will remain here and will also be duplicated on a separate page. Thank you for reading!
Usyaka and Pirate 
🙂 I think those “reminds me of my dead cat” remarks are second cousins to telling a person with a severe illness that you knew someone who died from the same illness. In other words, while not intended as such, gratuitous downers.
Photo #2 in this post looks like The Matron or the Governess demanding to know what you did with something that… well, she already knows what you did, she’s just testing you.
Absolutely concur, on both points, especially re Photo No. 2. You are just amazing. Both of you, human & cat.
Thank you, both!
Sledpress, that’s a very good comparison!
As for that photo, she was actually very surprised there. I was taking her pictures when my husband started making faces at her behind my back, so she made this “What the …? ” face. I giggle every time I look at it.
Aw, sorry people have been a bit strange! I can’t even remember how I found your blog anymore, and mine is just as young as yours! All I know is she is a gorgeous kitty and I want to draw her all the time, she is so elegant! I follow a few blogs where the animal is the blogger, and fair play to them but I can’t think that way myself, so I understand! I might do a cartoon strip one day about not-so-bright Lokii, but until then I can’t think like a cat 🙂
Good point about the ‘reminds me of’ a cat no longer alive…I get really emotional about dead pets and I wouldn’t be happy about those comments, either – especially comparing to my alive and loved pet! I think you’re doing fine, with your basic principles.
I remember how I found yours – I searched tags for “siamese” ( or maybe “cats”) and that’s how I saw that Lokii drawing which you said wasn’t good and I liked it a lot 🙂
I agree with you.
I think a death of a pet is a very serious, painful and depressing topic. Maybe there are people who can just easily chitchat about that the first time they meet a person, but I’m not one of them.
Thank you for the feedback!
Oh wow. I am just stunned by Usyaka’s amazing beauty in full sun, especially the last photo, with all her fur gleaming along with her eyes. It is impossible for her *not* to be gorgeous, and you take such good photos to highlight all of her many magnificent qualities.
I love the no-nonsense look in the first photo. Perfect for this post. Your rules seem quite reasonable. I can’t manage to blog from my kitties’ perspective, so I don’t even try, but when peeps can manage it with style and humor, I enjoy it. Usyaka’s beauty speaks for itself, though. I do not expect a Cat Goddess to speak directly to me, but merely to allow me to worship at her sleek furry feet.
Thank you! Those photos are about 2 years old and her face looked a bit different then, still a bit like a baby. I love those photos a lot.
I also know some pet bloggers and you are right, when it’s with style and humor it’s a true art 🙂
I enjoy your blog and all the pictures you post, I wouldn’t want to miss out pretty pictures from Usyaka. And I’m really not bothered if anyone likes/follows/comments back. 🙂
I sometimes do feel obliged to like/follow/comment back. Maybe I just don’t want to be rude.
But I like your rules, like Miao said, they are reasonable. Every one has it’s own things like that. It’s nothing personal. (did I say that right? I don’t know.)
And it would be kind of odd if cats could write/type.
You know, about comments – I just noticed that sometimes it becomes a currency here in the blogosphere and when something becomes a currency it starts to be valued in a very different way, and I want comments to remain comments, not currency, not trade.
Besides, for me, blogging is first of all blogging, sharing your ideas, your art with the world. I read a lot of blogs where I rarely comment but I still love those blogs and that’s my pleasure to read them.
You’re right. I never really noticed it. But now you mention it. It’s a bit the same with ‘likes’. “You like my blog, I like your blog’. I noticed it a lot when I ‘liked’ a blog, and a few hours later they liked my blog back. But it gave me the feeling that they were just liking me back because they felt they had to, not because they actually liked my blog.
I like your view on this and the whole blogging though.
(I used the word ‘like’ a lot, didn’t I?)
There were just as many words “like” as it was needed to convey your idea 🙂
Yes, that’s exactly what I mean and I’m happy we understand each other.
As do I!
It’s good to have some things cleared out.
I hope I never offended you tho! If I did, I never meant to do so.
For a second I was wondering why you even thought of that, but never mind 🙂 No, you’ve never offended me.
I am sorry if I have offended you in any way by any of my comments. I assure you it was not intentional. I think Usyaka is a gorgeous, unique cat and I really enjoy viewing all her pictures. You are a great photographer.
You’ve never ever offended me. I smiled every time at the kindness you were expressing to my cat. You are not the only one who prefers to address my cat and not me, it’s pretty common among pet owners.
I used to be puzzled thinking how I’m supposed to answer comments like that, but not any more when I accepted that I simply can’t answer and there’s nothing to feel puzzled about.
Crumbs! What brought this on?
Wow, for some reason wordpress asked me to moderate your comment this time.
What do you mean, like why I decided to post the rules? I felt it was the right time when some of my likes or dislikes about blogging were finally formed.
Is there a slang meaning for “crumbs”?
OK.
Crumbs is like gosh.
I know what you mean about tit for tat liking, and I never post as though I am my cat, but I follow some bloggers who blog as though they are their animal. I tend to get confused between animal and human, and find it easier to address the human.
Isobel, thanks for the explanation!
In the beginning I was very confused by pet blogging. I remember one funny story about the cat who was stealing neighbours’ clothes and when the cat’s owner brought the clothes back the neighbours got angry and didn’t believe it was the cat who stole the things. It was phrased like : “when my mom brought the things back” and I thought it was the blogger’s mom and when she answered to my comment she said it was not her mom but herself and I remember I was really confused about it all.
He’s an exceptionally fine specimen, and the second last photo just shows his attitude beautifully. Orientals are just the best cats.
Thanks! Orientals are very special, true, although I noticed the personality of a cat is also influenced a lot by the personality of a human the cat lives with.
BTW, Usyaka is a girl.
I think this is a really good blog post, and think this is a good way of showing exactly how the comments and this blog is handled. If we did offend you in any way, we are truly sorry and this was of course not our intention. We enjoy reading your blog mostly because it’s not a common blog, very inspiring and beautiful pictures.
Hi, guys! Thank you for the feedback! Why did you think you ever offended me? You never did 🙂
In fact, I don’t think it’s possible to offend me in this blog at all.
I always marvel how elegant Usyaka looks. Such a beautiful animal! I love the photo of her dangling her long legs.
Yes, she loves sitting this way. Maybe she thinks the gravitation will make her legs even longer.
The first pic may be my favorite ever.
Thanks for letting me know. I’ve almost forgotten about this pic.
I am glad to have found your blog – and what a way to start off, with all the rules clearly laid out, illustrated with great cat photos. You can read that as great cat and great photos if you like. I am arriving at some of the same rules, after about the same amount of time.
As to your cat not typing – mine doesn’t either. But, mine can talk and on the rare occassions she makes an appearance will sometimes require that I type a comment for her if She feels slighted, disrespected or especially nicely praised. Its one of the things I like about her, In fact, she is calling me to put her under the covers for her nap, so I had better run.
Hi, ehpem and welcome! I know what you mean talking about this cat language, I also speak it a bit 🙂
Everyone once in a while, it’s important to lay down the rules, repeat the rules, etc. My cat crew does not know how to type, but they do know how to walk on the keyboard when a blog post is being prepared. 🙂
LOL :))) Oh yes, Usyaka does that too. She recently searched for ” :[[ ” on my computer.
Usyaka.is a beautiful BEAUTIFUL cat. Enjoyed the photos so much. One day I would love to draw her…with your permission ofcourse.
Thank you, eldy! It sounds like a very interesting idea!
Great pictures of a cool looking cat! The photo on the About page is very striking, but there’s something to the “action” photos of him playing with the book that captures me. I love all animals, influenced by older sister who is a veterinarian. She has an Abyssinian, which also has a distinctive look.
I think Abyssinians and Orientals have an ancestor in common, but I’m not sure (maybe your sisters knows it). I know they are very similar to each other when it comes to habits and behavior.
BTW Usyaka is a “she”
What an interesting cat, Usyaka is elegant, regal and commands attention. Checked out your other categories she is a star.
Thanks, Angela! You are right, she is quite special.
You go girl. And I do like this post damnit! And your cat is stunning and so are your photos.
I LOVE your comment!
Thank you!
Usyaka looks like a statuesque being sent from another world to observe and report on the earthling humans. 🙂 Great photos!
I’m a bit behind in my reading this week, and so am just having the chance to catch up with various posts now (and in backward order…). I could not agree MORE with the rules you’ve posted here. Great list. I operate in very much the same manner.
Also, as usual, I love the pictures. The last one shows Usyaka’s fur in a different light (literally): usually so sleek and shiny, here she looks super soft.
Thank you for your support, Lemony! 🙂
Usyaka’s fur is really soft, but not fluffy. I think the way it looks in photos always depends on the light.