I'm a relative baby on here too, just about a year now.  I had been adopted
against my will by two cats (at separate times) and as it seemed like they
intended to stay I thought that I must find an internet group to find out
more (being previously a d*g person) and these cats seemed, well,
"different"  ;-) and I didn't understand quite how they worked.
I searched the newsgroup lists.  There were quite a few cat ones and I
really don't know why I chose this one.  I am so glad I did.
I have never found it cliquey, I've always had great support here, both with
cat related questions, anecdotes and with my unfortunate ill health
recently.
Ordinary (if you will pardon the term!) rpca posters are the best.  None of
you are ordinary exactly, you know what I mean!!
May this group continue to be what is was until recently.  A large
international family who care about each other and their cats.

Tweed

I've only been on RPCA for a week or so! ;) RPCHB for a year and a half.
But I, too, got curious, and googled my old email addy and found posts
from 1995. I guess this year is my 10 year anniversary of using USENET.
What an accomplishment! ;)

Pam

here are links to my furbabes:

Jasper (better known as Dudley)
http://public.fotki.com/kitkatluna/miscellaneous/jasper_dudley/dscf0027.html

Luna
http://public.fotki.com/kitkatluna/miscellaneous/luna/laundryluna02.html

One my first iMac I'd archieved posts from early 2000 so I figure thats
when I joined. My first newsgroup was alt.tv.highlander.
Suz&Spicey

It appears my first post here was February 1998. I found it interesting
that I seem to have come full circle.  Below is a combination of my
first post here and one of my last posts here:

1998: I've almost reached the end of my rope, I'm hoping someone can
help me. Hobbes is a male, orange stripped kitty who is probably around
4 - 5 months. He wandered up onto our patio last Thanksgiving and
adopted us. Half of the time he's as sweet a kitty as you'd ever want to
meet. He's active, enjoys running through the house and playing and
roughhousing with my husband.He snuggles with me in the mornings and in
the evenings when I get home from work….

2005: Then at the end of the evening he comes to me and gets behind my
head on the back of the couch and gives me a really hard headbutt saying
"I'm here, Meowmy" and then drapes himself across my shoulders and falls
asleep....awwwww...BarnABUS.

1998: ….he loves ice cubes and plays with glasses that have ice cubes in
them...to the point of tipping them over and spilling water (the other
day the glass fell on the floor and broke, nearly scared me to death
when I found him checking out the broken glass)….

2005: and if I'm not paying attention he'll hook a paw into my glass and
tip a glass full of ice and water on the floor - more often than not
pouringliquid over important equipment.  BarnABUS!

1998: He plays with the window blinds, pulling on them

2005: Last weekend one slat of the window blinds behind the headboard of
the bed was broken...just enough to provide a peek hole....BarnABUS!

1998: ...jumps onto the dining room table and bats at the chandelier, etc.

2005: The fish plates in the china cabinet are all just slightly askew -
BarnABUS!

Only about a year.  

--Fil

1) You go here:
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.pets.cats.anecdotes?hl=en

2) You click on the link to "Advanced Groups Search"
3) On the window that says "Return only messages from the
group_______"  type in "rec.pets.cats.anecdotes.
4) On the window that says "Return only messages where the author
is____" and type in the name you post under.
5) Click on "Google Search" button.
6) When your results are returned, click on "Sort by Date" and go to
the last result the search turned up.  That should be your first post,
or pretty close.

Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com