Off-topic responses?

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Off-topic responses have several times become a topic for discussions. The point that has been bandied around is that there are responders who do not read or understand the topic being discussed. While it cannot be denied that there are responses which can be considered as off-topic, a rethink may be needed before more discussions bearing down on these responders are made. MyLot is a site where we can exchange views, learn about new things, understand certain issues, and generally a place where we can widen our horizon. People may have different perspectives on the same issue, and this should always be borne in mind when we read a response or a comment. Instead of saying the responder is dumb for not understanding what we are talking about, we should take a step back and have another look. Read the example below. A member starts a discussion saying that his cat has been acting up lately. All responders give suggestions on having the cat looked at, except for one, who says that the owner should try to get his life in control, and to have a positive outlook on life. The last responder may not get a comment back, or worse, gets a telling off for not reading the discussion. Has the last responder made a mistake? Maybe not. Pets tend to be sensitive to the physiological and psychological state of their owner(s). The cat's crankiness and misbehaviour may be a reaction to some emotional turmoil that the owner is facing. There have been cases where a discussion thread stops prematurely, because the original poster deems that a certain response is out of topic, and does not need to be commented back. Have you ever had responses which seem to be off-topic? Did you ignore them, or tried to find out what the responder actually meant? Keeping in mind that doing so may benefit both sides, would you try to be civil so that there will be more participation?