Editorial Policy
Last updated: May 2026
TheCatWellness publishes research-backed information about indoor cat health and behavior. This page explains how we work, what we claim and what we don’t.
Who writes here
TheCatWellness is staffed by a small editorial team. Our writers collectively bring more than a decade of professional experience with cats (shelter, rescue and small-animal veterinary clinic settings) combined with ongoing reading of the veterinary and feline-behavior literature.
None of our writers are veterinarians. We’re cat-care specialists who translate veterinary research into plain language. We don’t claim credentials we don’t have. When something needs a vet’s call, we say so plainly.
Pen names
Our contributors write under consistent pen names. The byline names you see on articles (Maya Brennan for behavior, Daniel Park for health and nutrition) are pen names. The experience and reading behind each byline is real, drawn from our team’s actual backgrounds in cat care.
We use pen names to keep our personal lives private while maintaining a consistent editorial voice. Each pen name corresponds to a single editorial point of view with a defined domain (behavior, or health and nutrition). For tested product reviews and cross-domain pieces, the byline is the TheCatWellness editorial team collectively.
If you have questions about who wrote a specific piece or what their background is, email us at editorial@thecatwellness.com. We’ll answer honestly.
Sourcing standards
Every health, nutrition or behavior claim on TheCatWellness links to a primary source. We pull from:
- Cornell Feline Health Center
- American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP)
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
- American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)
- Peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, JAVMA, Journal of Animal Science)
- University veterinary publications (Cornell, UC Davis, Tufts)
- FDA Animal & Veterinary content
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines
If we can’t find a primary source for a claim, we don’t make the claim. If you find a claim on our site without a source, that’s a bug. Email us and we’ll fix it.
Testing claims
Some of our product reviews are based on hands-on testing in our team’s homes. Some are not. We’re explicit about which is which on every product piece.
When we say we tested something, we tested it. Tested reviews use first-person language (“I lived with this for three months”) and carry a “Tested by TheCatWellness staff” badge. Researched reviews use language like “after comparing the specs, reviews and what owners report on long-term use” and never claim first-person testing. If you see a product write-up without the tested badge, that’s a signal we haven’t lived with it ourselves.
How we work
Our writers do the research and the writing. They draw on years of hands-on cat experience, ongoing reading of the veterinary literature and their own time with cats at home. The thinking, the editorial judgment and the words on the page are theirs.
We use AI tools for the supporting work: cleaning up drafts, checking for typos and tone consistency, formatting Gutenberg blocks, generating some of the design elements you see on the site. We don’t use AI to make editorial calls or to write claims that aren’t backed by sources our writers have already pulled and read.
If something we publish is wrong, the responsibility is ours, not the tools’.
Affiliate relationships
Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships never influence our editorial content. We recommend products based on research and (when applicable) hands-on testing, not on commission rates. See our Affiliate Disclosure for the full details.
Corrections
We update articles when underlying research changes. If you find an error (a broken source link, an outdated claim, a fact we got wrong), email editorial@thecatwellness.com. We’ll fix it and date the correction at the top of the article.
Medical disclaimer
TheCatWellness is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice. If your cat is unwell, or you’re worried about a symptom, contact a licensed veterinarian. Our writing is research-backed, but only your vet can examine your cat.
Contact
Questions about our editorial process, our writers or anything we’ve published: editorial@thecatwellness.com.