Recently, I keep getting informed from Google Alert about my articles being found on websites around the Net that I have no knowledge of. I guess, I should feel flattered that cat lovers find my articles informative, or intriguing enough to want to take them. But I don’t, I just feel betrayed. The articles lifted, were taken from websites where I was paid to write them. No one has contacted me and asked me if they could take my articles. I suppose, they feel that because the articles are on the Internet, they are free for the taking.

I am certainly curious about this sense of entitlement that some people feel they have the right to. And, sadly, I am not alone when it comes to this type of theft, as many of my colleagues also confess that their work too has been pirated and used for someone else’s personal gain.

This type of situation makes me feel that perhaps I should stop writing about cats and their care on the Internet. But, it is what I do, and what I love. If I can help someone based on my experiences and my limited knowledge, then I want to help. I just wish others wouldn’t help themselves to my hard work. It may look easy to some, but writing and making a difference when you do is hard work.

Tonight, I received a really apologetic email from someone who took my cat carrier article and placed it on her blog. I had emailed her upon finding out the article had been lifted and attempted to explain how sad this makes me, others feeling they have a right to my work. But the others I have contacted within the last week (including two well-known equine vet schools) have ignored my requests to remove what was not theirs to have in the first place.