Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 2026
TheCatWellness (“we,” “us,” “our”) cares about your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what we collect when you visit thecatwellness.com (the “Site”), how we use it and the choices you have. By using the Site you agree to the practices described here.
1. Who we are
TheCatWellness is a research-backed cat wellness publication. We write about indoor cat health and behavior, link to primary sources and earn affiliate commissions from some product recommendations. For editorial questions, email editorial@thecatwellness.com. For privacy questions, see the Contact section at the bottom of this policy.
2. Information we collect
2.1 Information you give us
- Contact form submissions. When you send a message through our contact form, we receive your name, email address and the content of your message.
- Newsletter or email signups (when offered). If you subscribe, we collect your email address and any optional fields you choose to fill in.
- Comments and feedback. If we enable comments and you leave one, we collect the name, email and message you submit. Comments may be publicly visible.
2.2 Information collected automatically
When you visit the Site, we and our service providers may collect technical information automatically, including:
- IP address, approximate location (derived from IP), device type, operating system, browser type and language.
- Referring URL, pages visited, time on page, scroll depth, links clicked.
- Date and time of access.
- Crash and diagnostic information.
Some of this information may not identify you personally on its own. Combined with other data, it may.
3. How we use your information
- To operate and maintain the Site.
- To respond to your messages and questions.
- To send you the materials you have asked for (for example, newsletter content if you opted in).
- To understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve it.
- To detect, prevent and investigate fraud, abuse or technical problems.
- To comply with applicable law and respond to lawful requests.
4. Cookies and tracking technologies
Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We and our third-party providers use cookies and similar technologies (pixels, local storage) for the purposes described below.
| Type | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Make the Site work (load pages, handle form submissions, security). | Session or short term. |
| Functionality | Remember preferences (for example, dismissed banners). | Up to 12 months. |
| Analytics | Help us understand which pages are useful (Google Analytics or equivalent). | Up to 24 months. |
| Affiliate tracking | Credit the affiliate program when you buy through one of our links. | Varies by program, often 24 hours to 30 days. |
You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings. If you do, some parts of the Site may not work as expected. We currently do not respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals.
5. Affiliate links
Some links on the Site are affiliate links. When you click one, the partner network may set a cookie on your device that identifies us as the referring site, so we earn a small commission if you buy. This costs you nothing extra. We disclose affiliate relationships in our Affiliate Disclosure. Affiliate cookies are set by the partner network, not by us; the partner’s privacy practices govern that data.
6. Third-party services we use
We use a small set of service providers to run the Site. Each has its own privacy policy, linked below.
- Hostinger (web hosting): server logs, security and uptime.
- Cloudflare or similar (security and CDN, if enabled).
- Google Analytics or equivalent (traffic analytics).
- WPForms (contact form submissions).
- Email service provider (delivery of newsletter and editorial correspondence), if applicable.
- Affiliate networks (such as ShareASale, Impact, direct vendor programs): purchase tracking.
We share only what these services need to do their job. We do not sell your personal information.
7. How we share information
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share information only in these situations:
- With service providers (above) who help us operate the Site, under contracts that restrict their use of the information.
- With your consent when you ask us to (for example, when you submit a form that goes to a partner).
- For legal reasons if required to comply with applicable law, a lawful request from a public authority or to protect our rights and the safety of others.
- In a business transfer such as a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, in which case the recipient will be bound by an equivalent privacy commitment.
8. Data retention
We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. Contact form messages and email correspondence are typically kept for up to 24 months. Analytics data is aggregated or anonymized after that.
9. Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the information we hold (HTTPS, access controls, a firewall and security plugin at the WordPress layer, backups). No internet service can guarantee perfect security; you provide information at your own risk.
10. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- Know what personal information we hold about you.
- Access a copy of it.
- Correct it if it is wrong.
- Ask us to delete it (“right to be forgotten”).
- Object to certain processing, including for marketing.
- Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.
- Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@thecatwellness.com. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on the request. If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, our legal basis for processing is either your consent, our legitimate interest in operating the Site or our need to comply with the law. If you are in California, you have additional rights under the CCPA and CPRA, including the right not to be discriminated against for exercising your rights.
11. Children
The Site is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, email privacy@thecatwellness.com and we will delete it.
12. International transfers
Our service providers may be located outside your country of residence. When we transfer personal information across borders, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions or your explicit consent.
13. Links to other sites
The Site links to other sites we do not control, including affiliate partners. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Read their policies before sharing personal information with them.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top tells you when. For material changes we will post a notice on the Site before they take effect. Continued use of the Site after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.
15. Contact us
Questions about this policy or your personal information: privacy@thecatwellness.com. For everything else, use our contact form.