30 Pics Of Finnish Cats Living Their Best Winter Life

“Sämpy is a 6-year-old domestic cat and isn’t a special breed, although he looks like a Norwegian Forest cat. Elmeri, the gray cat, is 11 and he is also domestic cat. Hiski, the biggest tabby without white paws, is a half-Norwegian Forest cat and is 2 years old. They all are neutered male cats. On my sites, there are also pictures of a gray-white cat, Nelli, but she passed away earlier this year,” Riikka explained about her cats.

She continued to say that Sämpy adores outdoor activities when the weather isn’t too cold. “He is so happy when he goes with me on a small trip to the old forest near our house. There is a small river there, as well as many other exciting places, and interesting scents. Elmeri and Hiski prefers to stay in the yard, at home, but sometimes they come along for a walk. My cats jump over obstacles I build in the back yard for them, especially in the winter. It is easier to demarcate the jumping area when there is a lot of snow.”

Riikka shared the fact that she won the 2014 Photographer of the Year title in a Finnish photography magazine’s competition. The prize? A ‘super-fast’ camera. Riikka was overjoyed. “I was practicing shooting with my new camera and got a great jump shot of Sämpy. I sent the picture to a local newspaper and it became so popular that a journalist was sent to make an article about the cat. When the article came out I got a lot of wishes that the cat would have his own Facebook page. After Facebook, I created an Instagram account for Sämpy.”

Sämpy’s owner mused that the popularity of the social media accounts is most likely linked to the fact that she usually photographs her cats outdoors, ‘in beautiful surroundings, in funny situations, and without forcing them’ to do anything: “I think that in a good cat picture the cat needs to be natural and do its own cat things.”