In early 2001 friends of mine, "dog people", called me with a dilema. A momma cat and her baby had shown up on their back doorstep. Because of how friendly the momma cat was, it was clear she had at one time been someone's pet, and now she clearly needed a home, for her and for her baby. But my friends, having never had a cat, were not eager to have one -- or two -- then, or ever. They hoped I would taken the pair, or find them a home. Unable to help them at the time, I told them I would see what I could do later, if they could managed to get by for a little while. Well, when I was at last able to help find a home for the pair, imagine my surprise to discover that my "dog people" friends had bonded with the momma cat and her baby, and had no intention of ever giving them away! My "dog people" friends had become "cat people" friends in the course of just a few weeks! Ah, the power of the feline! Time passed, and another cat showed up on their doorstep. This one was a male, intact, and had clearly been in his share of fights, with a damaged ear and eye to show for it. But there was something special about him, something beyond the ordinary, and my friends were again in the middle of a dilema, for although they saw something special in this beragged gray ball of fur, they could not take him in as they had Momma Kit Kat, and Baby Ruth. Kitty-Boy, as it turned out, was both FeLV and FIV positive, in addition to other health-related issues. Once again called upon to help in finding a home for a homeless kitty, I went online and searched for places to advertise for a new home for this very special special-needs boy. I also decided that creating an online-forum, in order to get the word out, might be a good idea, so on July 30, 2003, the Kitty Haven Forum was created on the ezboard community of message boards. With so many cute, healthy kittens in need of homes, Kitty-Boy didn't stand much of a chance. No one called with interest in adopting him into their home. And Kitty Haven, with so many established online forums on the web, also seemed to not stand a chance. Both languished. Then, in October of 2003, almost seven weeks after going online, an amazing thing happened. Kitty Haven suddenly became home to a "feral cat colony" of displaced forum members from another message board, and the Kitty Haven forums began to thrive as we had never thought to see them thrive! Our new members included people from all over the world, all walks of life, all experiences regarding cats and kittens, and all of whom shared one key thing: an overwhelming, all-abiding love of cats! Kitty-Boy had also had some recent good news. He had been accepted at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, where he would live out the rest of his life in kitty luxury! Everyone celebrated this wonderful news, and then we settled down to building a legacy in honor of this furry gray feline: helping other cats to find homes, and helping other cats with health concerns. But bad news was soon to follow. During an operation, Kitty-Boy crossed the rainbow bridge. His health had just not been up to a full recovery. We grieved, but knew we would see him again someday, and his pain was now a thing of the past. Kitty Haven forums continued on, now in his memory, striving to help other cats, and those that loved them. Following a brutal hacker attack on the ezboard community of forums, Kitty Haven was moved from ezboard to a private forum, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. We continued on, trying to get the word out, trying to help cats in need, and people with problems or questions they could find no answers to. This year will mark our five year anniversary as an online forum, on July 30, 2008. There have been many changes, both to the forums, and in all our lives. We hope to be here for many more years, and through many more changes. We have room to grow, and room for many new members. We hope to see you on our forums soon! Not only could you potentially help a cat in need, even if just with words of advice, but we're an always friendly, often funny bunch -- for a "formerly feral cat colony"! Hope to see you soon!