Being a female in the age of the internet.

God, I wish I didn't know so much about the chick who 'proved' her deepest affection for David Soul (waaay back during the Starsky & Hutch days) by killing his cats. Yup. Found his house, found his cats. Had forwarded pictures she'd taken of them prior, too.

Little darling then spent a long spate of time at the Camarillo State Hospital. When they actually, yanno, committed people for being criminally insane. Now, you just sue the fuck out of them, repeatedly. Why I don't call anyone a fan - here's a healthy slice of why.

She resurfaced during the Quantum Leap days. (Dear ghads, this is a small town.) She didn't like the fact I have a long memory, BTW. Formulating security policies for a convention made for interesting online conversation - and with her on the periphery? Why yes, this is when I made friends with the field office of the FBI near me, yes indeedy do. (This is also why I don't go 'aaaaa people in general suck' because it isn't people in general. It's usually one person. Maybe two and they never knew each other. You find them and you end them.)

Thus began my policy of Oh Hell No. I fear I'm far more like Scalzi - I love his comment policy, having one very similar. And just as up front. I also fight like a girl - which means, TO THE DEATH. Otherwise - cookie?

Your concern has serious merit. Animal abuse is also an indicator crime - which means, awful as THAT is, there's more below the surface waiting to come out in even worse ways. It is seriously worth trying to find out who is doing this and stopping same - for that reason alone.

I also have no illusions about there being a warm-blooded human being at the front end of this kind of exchange as well as on the receiving end. Known too many sheriff deputies who masqueraded as tweeners to catch pedophiles - again, back even when it was only Prodigy, AOL and CompuServe. I worked for an ISP and hung out with people who built and fixed PCs. It's who walked in the door. (Seven year olds are DEADLY. If they have help from twelve year olds? Yeah. THAT.) You can find them - or at least the server they are using. If they do it enough times, with people monitoring the server?

Only a fool would believe they won't get caught. I've known too many hackers - and worked for one of the best, once. He LOVED peeing on IP addresses and blocking access. Laughed for hours at how dumb they were trying to get back in again. It may take someone that anal-retentive, but just check around a Def-con and you'll find plenty of makers who will take that gig. Geek Squad SEAL team FTW.

Also, BTW? In the state of California, you are allowed to stop someone - not kill them - but you are allowed to STOP them, without going to prison for it. Just a piece of useful information to tuck away somewhere.

I am so sorry - and if there's anything I know that could help you, you only have to ask.

(*looks at post* Sweet Coyote Jesus, WHY do I know all this stuff?!)

Dear lord. I have no words.

Well, I have lots of words. But none of them aren't profane.

Scalzi's post is pretty much why I don't admin, mod, or publicly blog, and why any access to me online with some very, VERY limited exceptions is through my permission only. I was an admin at a VERY large web forum, and the female admin got TONS more crap than the males did, and I ended up with a stalker who STILL pokes at me occasionally if s/he can figure out a way to get a message at me despite "seriously, asshole, do you WANT me to file a restraining order/sue you/both? Because I can do that, I'm a fucking attorney, I know how the system works and I'm totally unafraid to use it" sorts of accurate summations of the situation.

This is why I have my big belief that you should absolutely never say something to someone online you would not feel comfortable saying if they were in punching-you-because-holy-fuck-you-deserve-it range. Because 99% of these people wouldn't dare so much as meep at you in person.

And I'm so, so sorry you have to put up with some asshole who's figured out what your weak point is and is poking at it for shits and giggles. I'm not surprised--I wish I was, but I'm not--but I'm still sorry. Because you're an abnormally nice author-blogger and seriously, man--that's fucked up.

I'm sorry for all the profanity but this riles me up, big time.

Cat breeder, fucking PROUD of it, and I hope that when I make it out west and take pretty, pretty pictures of your kitties (we chatted about this on Twitter a while back), this will be done and gone and you can share all of the photos. People need to go drink fucking sulfuric acid.

I don't have words for any of this except for RAGE and SMASH and SMASH and SMASH. Which is not really coherent but is all that is coming out.

Anyone that could hurt an animal or even think of hurting an animal like that isn't human. I refuse to have them be considered part of the same species as me and I am so, so, so sorry that you have to deal with this. Hugs to you and gooshy food to the kitties, which I suspect they would appreciate more than hugs from a stranger.

OMG, I'm so sorry people do this to you!

This makes me want to cry and throw things. I can't imagine how horrible this must be for you. No reply needed, but do know that a little NorCal owlkitty and her feline companion are sending you love.

I have a feeling if someone went near your cats, prison wouldn't be an issue; with this crowd, they'd never find a body.

Aw, hell, I'm sorry you have to deal with that. People (as a generalization) really suck. There is so much hate in the world right now and I wish that it would all just go away. (Yes, and there are rainbow-squirting unicorns in my sky *G*

All the best.

That is horrible. Absolutely mindboggoling horrible. And I don't understand how someone who 'claims' to love animals-because why else would they worry about cats in shelters- would threaten someone's cats like that. Clearly earth logic has left the building there.

I'm so, so sorry about that. And I'm a little sad too. I love hearing cat stories.

I miss hearing about the furbabies, for what its worth, & am totally disgusted at whoever is threatening them,& you! I've had cats from shelters, breeder, roadside, & friends. They ALL need homes, regardless of where they come from.
Here's my newest, rescued roadside & sole survivor of the litter, Mojo :)

Seanan I am so sorry this is happening.

If there is any chance that this person is local I wonder if UCSF/UCB security might be able to help--sounds like the logic I associate with the special kind of freakazoid that tries to kill/"liberate" all the animals on campus every now and again :(

also, http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/azalaismalfoy/CATS/

I am so sorry you are going through this.

I hope you get some peace soon :(

Deliberate harm to cats is my feel-sick-or-cry button. I can't even watch films where it happens fictionally without closing my eyes or fast-forwarding.

I'm torn between rage and wanting to cry that anybody would threaten to do such a thing - that they could even picture the concept enough to describe it in writing without being sickened themselves. I'm so sorry you had that directed at you and associated with your cats.

This, this, this! Not cats specifically, but all animals--even as a horror fan, I can't stand that shit. Not. Okay.

Not. Even. Okay.
On several levels.

If you need to talk, call me. Even if it's the middle of the night. You have my number.

I don't even know what to say to this.

We need to stop acting this way toward one another. We need to remember that there are humans on the other side of all those keyboards. We need to be decent human beings, because otherwise, everything is going to fall apart.

I think everything started falling apart a long time ago - the question is, can we put it back together again.

Thank you for linking to these two articles. As I only have a small group of friends, I wasn't aware of this issue.

I agree with everything that has been said. Mention your ten machetes in every future post and the fact you have a large group of friends ready to help out at a moments notice. You're not alone!

Hugs and cuddles to your kitties.

I hate people. I mean, there are persons I kind of like, and some small groups are generally nice. But people? suck.

I'm still boggling at the fact that someone tried to follow you into a bathroom stall, but this? I don't even have words.

I'm a pretty active shelter advocate, but you explained your reasons for your choices and I accept that. (Not that you need my approval or anything of course).

I'll happily provide an alibi if needed for any asshole-related assault charges. There are enough of us that we could make a "surprise musical/author guest at a Chicago convention that no one has ever heard of" story stick pretty convincingly.

Pet the bunny. Bunnies make everything better.

I know about the fear involved in blogging and posting. Sometimes I find myself restraining myself and keeping quiet about a subject because I know it might be controversial and I know the kind of comments I might get.

Happy thoughts to you and your cats. May everyone stay safe.

Sometimes I find myself restraining myself and keeping quiet about a subject because I know it might be controversial and I know the kind of comments I might get.

Yes. This. Me too.

This explains the "do not ask me for kitten pictures" in one of your recent posts.

Are we allowed to ask for pictures of your machete collection instead? We can hope that, in addition to entertaining those among us who love sharp shiny things, it will help to dissuade the...misguided individual who is sending these things to you.

Dear God, I hate my own species some days.

Actually, scratch that. This jerkwad divorced himself (almost certainly a him) from your & my species long ago.

Your cats are lovely & well-loved, & so are you. Which is probably what's *really* riling the asshole.

this person claims to love cats so much that they would kill mine just to punish me

I strongly suspect claims is the key word. Threatening your babies lets him hit you at your most vulnerable spot; the breeder/shelter crap is most likely a pathetic attempt to both make you feel guilty & to "prove" his own superiority.

Besides consulting your local police, it might be worth checking with your local animal welfare organizations & any local breeders whether they've had reports of similar harassment.

Peace & calm to you, & hug your kitties for stevemb& me. Sending my late kitty Satin via userpic to be your guardian angel cat.

Wait...if we're going to send a kitty guardian angel, shouldn't it be Quantum? ;-)

*HUGS*

What others have said about the IP address, if it's coming in through your website then that should be able to spot the IP address. If it's coming as regular email, there will be headers. Even if the person is doing it from an Internet cafe it can be traced there and the police alerted.

Because this is assault, it is a crime. And sending that sort of threat over Internet is, I believe, yet another crime.

I completely understand why you don't want to talk about or post pictures of those people who are threatened, so don't worry we won't pester you.

*HUGS*