We meet one of our furthest cats. Punapippuri, King amongst cats in Finland.

• NOTE: When we transferred to our new theme, this was one of the posts we lost so we are reposting it again in tribute to our blogging friend who passed away on 6th of July 2017, a year or so after this interview was published.

Where in the world are you ?

I am in Finland(N) in a city about 200km south of the Arctic Circle. It’s actually about halfway up Finland, but it is north compared to most people! We get 24 hours daylight in summer, and a few weeks of very little light in winter. It gets pretty cold too but my Castle is very warm and we have a sauna too. It is excellent to come into the heat when we have been foraging in the snow.   

Now in Finland cats cannot survive the winters outdoors and the rules are that cats must be indoors, or they can be reported to and collected by the local shelters. Now we have a big Catio so we can safely go out but not get loose, which is very good. We have access to this freely most of the year – when it is very cold (-10°C or lower)  Äiti shuts the flap up! 

What is your favourite part of creating your blog?

I love the support I get from my Loyal Readers, especially when I have to put up with all sorts of sneakery from the girlcats here ! I also love making sure the photos are of high quality and varied – we have to present ourselves well to the public!

What kind of readership have you discovered enjoys your blog?

Well, I am lucky enough to get all sorts of visitors. I have a little widget thing which shows most come from the USofA, but many come from Finland. I have a regular group of Most Loyal commenters, and I really admire their sisu* in commenting as Äiti is awful at comments on other blogs.  

We have Loyal Readers who love us rescued kitties (that’s me, Aila, Lewis, Ruska, Risto, Roosa, Mirsku and Pekka) , and those who like the burmese (Jaava, Jura, Sampo and Mesi). And then of course the nekkids (Veikko and Seppo) have their own following too. So I think we appeal to everyone.

• *sisu is a Finnish word for the quality of grit, determination and persistence

What are the joys and challenges of being a worldwide blogger?

One of the joys is making new friends and I have personally received many visitors into the Castle, as well as starting up email communication with others.  We were delighted to have Mom Trish of the Katnip Lounge come over and look after us when Äiti had surgery a year or so ago. Äiti has also met other bloggers in person and we have strong friendships growing. I exchange regular missives with King Spitty and we have frequently set the world to rights and could do a much better job of politics than those humans do.

The gifts that get sent around the world are magnificent – our ‘polliwog’ toys that Äiti crochets and marinated in valerian are very popular. And we get sent some seriously good gear too!  The main challenge has been making sure Äiti keeps posting regularly without too many typing errors or hitting ‘publish’ at the wrong time. She’s got some dizzy disease that makes her less than reliable!

Will you suggest some of your favourite posts for readers to discover more about you?

 This is really tricky… I don’t really have any favourite posts as I have enjoyed them all so much.  

We did do a very funny April Fool post a few years back, but to be honest I just think readers can drop by on any day and get a flavour of the blog. My own story is on the main page, and we also have images of those we miss so very much. I have been very lucky to have had fantastic members of perheeni (my family) and to have blogged about my life over the years. Of course there have been a few problems with the girlcats – why they should pick on an innocent mancat like me, I do not know! 

I thank you for this opportunity to share my blog!

Punapippuri, King Kitty Cat of Finland(N).