Until recently, non-commercial pet Web sites were either text-based bulletin boards or one-offs (i.e., Fluffy's personal spot on the Web). But now that digital cameras have become mainstream, a new breed of community Web sites are proliferating online. Most are based on the Friendster.com model, where people post photos and vitals and build up a network of linked members. Ted Rheingold, whose brainchild Dogster.com leads the pack, says his site is "similar to a brag book. But in the end, everyone's sharing their dogs." If you've got an Internet connection and a .jpg or two of your most loyal companion, there's a free Web site with your pet's name on it.

1. Birdboard.com
Open to all feathered friends, this site—probably the most colorful of the species—features forums such as "Bird Recipes" (what to feed your parakeet, not how to prepare chicken), breed-specific chat rooms and a tool that allows you to create a photo album or e-card with the image of your cockatiel, macaw, or toucan. It also tracks the comments visitors leave after visiting. (Though there's not a peep on the mug shot of a terrier that's been labeled "bird murderer.")

2. Catster.com
Where there's a service for canines, a feline version isn't far behind. Dogster's Rheingold is busy on a current pet project, Catster.com, which is set to go live later in July. He says the new site will reflect kitty sensibilities, with a sleeker, more sophisticated design than the goofy, straighforward Dogster. Profiles will list favorite places to nap and how many lives kitties still have left. Interspecies households will be able to cross-reference family members between Catster and Dogster.

3. Dogster.com
Click on a thumbnail of Mona, who lives in the District, and you can discover her favorites ("New Age music, vinyasa yoga, meat-scented candles") and how she found her housemates ("cagey mannerisms"). A link leads to her pal, Mister President, a New Yorker who likes "anything edible and some things that are not." His only pet peeve is "dogs behind gates." These are the denizens of Dogster, where more than 28,000 canines from six continents have had their pictures and profiles uploaded since January. An advanced search function allows users to browse, say, all the Chihuahuas in California, or the most recently added three-leggers.

4. Hamsterster.com
David Hornbuckle was so amused by Dogster, he decided to take things a step further by thinking up "ridiculous names" for his own site. Lobsterster sounded pretty silly, but he also wanted to create a site that people would actually use. "Not too many people have lobsters for pets," Hornbuckle reasons. He chose instead to build Hamsterster.com, the Internet's definitive meeting place for rodent lovers. This small site (with fewer than 200 members) launched in April with the posting of his own childhood hamster, Mickey. Gerbil enthusiasts are also welcome, though other small animals such as rats, porcupines and hedgehogs have had their applications rejected.

5. Petster.com
This is the place to come to show off photos of your snake, your ferret or your iguana—unlike most pet sites, Petster.com actively encourages the mixing of the menagerie. Owners have a good time even without species-specific prompts. For example, a cat's most embarrassing moment: "I got a really bad shaving job when I was spayed"; a gecko's best trick: "posing for pictures"; a python's best—and worst—trick: "escaping."