pet connection

It’s been a rough year — rougher for some than others. If the holidays are getting you down because of a pet’s death or illness, remember that PetHobbyist.com, where I’m an editor, runs a great site called PetSupport.net, which keeps its Pet Loss and Support Chat going 365 nights a year — yes, that means Christmas Eve, Christmas night, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s night.

In addition, this year our cat site, CatHobbyist.com, has decided to keep general cat lover chats going on those nights as well — including the wildly popular and ever-so-slightly insane MeowChat, held in their own special chat room. (If you don’t know what MeowChat is, the long version is here, and the short version is LOLCats take over the world, one computer at a time.)

Al the chats are hosted by friendly volunteers, and you can get the full schedule for the pet loss and support chats here. No registration is required, and everyone who loves animals is welcome.The general cat chat will run every holiday night from 9 PM to 11 PM Eastern — until Midnight ET on New Year’s Eve. It’s happening in Cat Care Central.

I usually spend some time at those chats on the holiday evenings, under the name PHChristy. If you feel a need to talk, that’s why we’re there!

And if you just need a little holiday cheer, check out the “Holiday Pet Photo of the Day” over on the PetHobbyist.com site blog — it started on Thanksgiving and runs until New Year’s Day, and features all kinds of animals including reptiles, parrots, ducks, rabbits, a raccoon, a horse, and of course, cats and dogs — including that cutie in the photo on this post.