Meet Emo: The Silly Siberian Boy from Edinburgh

I’m just a cat and life is a nightmare.

That’s the line you’ll find on my Instagram, and honestly, it sums me up pretty well. I’m Emo, a silly Siberian boy living in Edinburgh, Scotland, and this is my story.

How I came to my humans

My parents are Robert and Leni. My dad is Scottish, my mum is Greek, and they picked me up from a family in the Scottish Borders when I was five months old.

Apparently, naming me was a whole debate. My mum wanted to choose silly names, my dad wanted serious names, but in the end they bonded over one very important thing: their shared love of emo music. They were both emo teenagers, so naturally, Emo became my name.

A chill guy with a tiny dramatic voice

I’m a very chill cat. There is very little that irritates me, and I don’t mind being handled at all. Usually, if someone picks me up, I go all floppy and melty like I’ve completely forgotten how bones work.

Catnip doesn’t do much for me. I’m already relaxed enough, thank you very much.

I have a high-pitched voice and I love to trill. I also insist on being involved in every single activity in the household. Laundry? I supervise. Cooking? I supervise. Chores? I supervise. I’m only a proper lap cat first thing in the morning. After that, I like to be near you, but not necessarily on you.

A Siberian with ear fluff, a bushy tail, and grinchy feet

As a Siberian cat, I technically have a wedge-shaped head and a barrel-shaped body. I also have glorious ear fluff and a bushy tail, which I consider my best features.

I do a lot of classic Siberian things. I enjoy water, I’m floppy, and I do the famous Siberian split. I’m relaxed, but I’m also energetic enough to climb doors, lintels, and my dad.

My parents used to brush me every day, but somehow I still ended up with mats because I got lazy. Now they don’t brush me, and I take perfect care of my fur myself — no mats at all. I have a triple coat, which keeps me cool in summer and warm in winter. Even so, I still love sitting by the radiator and being toasty.

I’m very easy-going with people and I don’t shy away from visitors or groups. I’m also quite small for a Siberian — only 4 kilos — and I have a sensitive tummy, so I only eat bland food. Oh, and I have grinchy feet.

Caught on camera doing absolutely nothing suspicious

My parents have a camera for when they’re not at home, and I’ve been caught multiple times being up to no good. I try to open doors, climb wardrobes, and generally investigate things I probably shouldn’t.

I’m also known for carrying my toys from one room to another for no specific reason. It makes sense to me, and that’s what matters.

A typical day in the life of Emo

When I hear my parents blink open their eyes in the morning, I run toward them yapping “meow meow”. Then I follow them to the bathroom, where they turn on the tap for me. Technically, I start licking the tap until they turn it on, but details.

After that, we go into my room for daily bum bum slaps, which I request every day. Then my parents leave for work, and I take a nap.

When they come home, I greet them at the door and start meowing before they’ve even come up the stairs. Then it’s cuddles and bum bum slaps time again, followed by me helping with chores.

Before bed, we play with a feather toy, which I love, or sometimes my dad chases me around the house.

Harness walks and indoor adventures

When my parents put my harness on, I like to pretend I have tiny legs. If it’s sunny, I might walk a little bit — sometimes backwards. But most of the time, I simply choose not to.

I also hate grass and hate sand. Yucky.

That said, I’m very confident in indoor places and I’ll happily say hi to everyone.

What I want people to know about Siberians

I’d like people to know that Siberians can be chill guys, and we don’t have to be afraid to be a little silly.

One last thing...

My mum calls me Emo Meemo, and my favourite food group is plastic. I cannot resist it.

If you’d like to follow my adventures, you can find me on Instagram at @emo_thecat_.

With love and a tiny dramatic trill,

Emo

The Silly Siberian Boy from Edinburgh