Today is International Cat Day. This is the story we wanted to tell. In 2016, a tiny black kitten was hours from being euthanized when a stranger had him pushed into his arms with no warning and no say in the matter. Neither of them wanted this.
SimonCredit: JJ Yosh
JJ Yosh was a filmmaker and adventurer living life entirely on his own terms. His landlord had a litter of rescue kittens that were hours from being put down. The arrangement was not framed as a choice.
"This tiny black kitten got pushed into my arms," JJ recalls during a conversation with our LoveMeow team, "and neither of us was thrilled about it. He didn't want me, I wasn't looking for a cat, and I flat-out refused to change my adventurous lifestyle to accommodate him."
So Simon came along. Not because JJ made space for him. Because JJ made no space at all, and Simon came anyway.
Credit: JJ Yosh
The cat who nobody wanted turned out to be exactly the kind of cat who does not wait for an invitation. What started as an accidental pairing became something neither of them could have predicted.
Simon took to the outdoors with a calm curiosity that stopped people in their tracks. He rode on JJ's shoulder through airports, trailheads, and foreign cities. He sat at summits and watched the horizon with the composure of a cat who has always known this is where he belongs.
Credit: JJ Yosh
Adventure Cat Simon on the Rocks Credit: JJ Yosh
Nine years later, Simon has summited Colorado fourteeners and logged more air miles than most people will in a lifetime. His Instagram account, @backpackingkitty, has built a following of outdoor enthusiasts and cat lovers drawn to the same proof: that a cat given the chance will surprise everyone who ever underestimated one.
"Simon taught me that cats aren't fragile things to keep behind glass," JJ says. "They're brave, curious, adventurous souls who just need someone to show up for them."
Simon hiking with JJCredit: JJ Yosh
But the story was never really about adventure. It was about a black kitten hours from being put down, and the question of what happens when someone shows up for the overlooked ones.
Black cats are among the least adopted animals in shelters. Statistically, two-thirds of black cats are less likely to find a home than a white cat, and half as likely as a tabby. There is no rational explanation for the gap. The consequences are real. Simon was hours from becoming one of those numbers.
Credit: JJ Yosh
On International Cat Day, JJ thinks about that version of the story. The one where nobody takes the kitten.
"I think about how close I came to never knowing him," he says, "and about every cat still waiting for their person. Adopt the overlooked ones. You have no idea who they'll become, or who you'll become because of them."
The man who refused to change his lifestyle for a cat has spent nine years building a life that includes him in every frame. Simon goes where JJ goes. That is not accommodation. That is just how it is now.
Credit: JJ Yosh
"That little devil turned into my guardian angel", JJ shared with LoveMeow.
It started with a landlord, a litter of kittens, and no real choice in the matter. It became one of the most documented adventures any cat has ever taken. Nine years in, it is still going. Simon would not have it any other way.
Credit: JJ Yosh
Share this story with your friends. See more information about Simon at backpackingkitty.com, on Instagram @backpackingkitty, TikTok tiktok.com/@backpackingkitty, and YouTube youtube.com/@backpackingkitty. Learn more about JJ and his travels at jjyosh.com, on Instagram @jjyosh, TikTok tiktok.com/@jjyosh, or YouTube: youtube.com/jjyoshtv.
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