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Friday 7 April 2017

My Guilty Secret

Have you come across the YouTube videos of "Simon's Cat"? This is a series of cartoon videos by Simon Tofield, a British animator, who based the character of Simon's cat -- who remains unnamed -- primarily on one of his own four cats.

It is clear that Simon has watched his cats very closely because he has captured the habits, demeanor and qualities of cats perfectly in his videos: ever-hungry, ever-curious, playful, and pretty much completely self-centred. Simon's cat takes these to new levels, mind you, and can do a few things that regular cats cannot, like use a baseball bat.

This is, I believe, the first Simon's Cat video made for YouTube. At least, it's the first one I ever saw. I know, I know -- that's not necessarily the same thing. But it appears less polished than later videos, and was uploaded in 2008. I include it because it contains the aforementioned baseball bat. It's a bit more violent than some of the later videos ... re the baseball bat ...






Anyone who's ever had a cat knows how they love boxes. Here is the perfect example of what happens when a cat finds a box.






And although it's really hard to pick a favourite from the many Simon's Cat videos available, I think this is the one I'd have to choose. Simon's household has acquired a kitten, and the mannerisms of the new baby feline, plus the interactions between Simon's cat and Simon's kitten, are spot on ... and hilarious.






If you liked what you saw, you can find more at Simon's Cat home page. The author has also introduced a series of questions and answers in video format (part cartoon, part vet interview) to help cat owners better understand their cats' behaviors.

... And yes, now you know one of my favourite pastimes ...  my guilty secret!

Happy Weekend, from a Simon's Cat fan of the most intense kind :)






31 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

We adore Simon's Cat and have a number of his cartoon books. He knows (and loves) cats in all their infuriating, self obsessed charm. And occasional violence.

LL Cool Joe said...

Another blogger that I follow always shows Simon's cats video and they make me grin. Sadly she's no longer blogging.

John Going Gently said...

I loved these!

only slightly confused said...

Doesn't matter how many times you see those cartoons they always make you chuckle. Thanks for a great finish to the week (or in your case, the beginning of the weekend).

Steve Reed said...

He definitely looks like an exceptional student of cat behavior!

The Blog Fodder said...

Love Simon's cat cartoon. They always make me smile. He does know his cats, for sure.

jenny_o said...

He's very good, isn't he!

jenny_o said...

Well, now you can go straight to the source with that link above :) They make me grin too.

jenny_o said...

A dog man - loving cat cartoons - well, I never!!

jenny_o said...

They never fail to cheer me up.

jenny_o said...

He nails it every time.

jenny_o said...

I keep thinking - yes! that's exactly how cats are :)

dinthebeast said...

I think my favorite is the Halloween video he did about the spider, but I can't remember what he called it. It sort of confused my friend Sara who loves cats but is totally freaked out by spiders...

-Doug in Oakland

jenny_o said...

Maybe this one? https://simonscat.com/blog/scarylegs/

I really like that one, too. I thought about posting it but I didn't want to freak Chicken out!

e said...

Yup!

Mr. Shife said...

Thanks for sharing. My son is a big fan of cats even though we can't have one because of my wife's allergies so he might enjoy watching these. Have a good weekend too.

Adam said...

First I've heard of it

The Happy Whisk said...

I never heard of this until I saw him on blogger awhile back. Some funny stuff.

jenny_o said...

:)

jenny_o said...

These are all family-friendly, and the cats generally fare better than the human, so your little guy might especially like that :)

jenny_o said...

Well, I'm just glad it was news to somebody!

jenny_o said...

How could anyone not like it, right? :)

dinthebeast said...

That's the one.

-Doug in Oakland

gz said...

A marvellous interpreter of cats

Martha said...

I LOVE Simon's Cat videos. I follow on YouTube and Facebook. So hilarious. This isn't a guilty secret. This is a necessity in life :)

jenny_o said...

He really is! Thanks for visiting, gz.

jenny_o said...

As I am finding out in the comments, it's no secret at all :)

Diane Henders said...

Love Simon's Cat! I discovered the first cartoon years ago, and even now it never fails to make me laugh out loud! I don't remember seeing the one with the kitten before, though - thanks for sharing it. Lots of laughs from that one - it's so accurate!

Susan Scott said...

will let my elder animator son know about this if he doesn't already - thank you!

jenny_o said...

His level of detail is amazing, isn't it? I'm glad there are so many people out there that know about these videos!

jenny_o said...

My pleasure! Always glad to spread the word about a great talent. Thanks for stopping by!