Adventure Filmmaker's Reluctant Kitten Rescue Leads to Global Fame
JJ Yosh initially named the black cat Diablo before a friend suggested Simon, a name that triggered a childhood memory and started a decade-long partnership.
By Kaito Sokolov ·
In 2016, JJ Yosh stood in his Boulder, Colorado home holding a box of rescue kittens he did not want.
His landlord presented an ultimatum: take one of the cats or face the risk of them being put to sleep. Yosh reluctantly accepted the small black kitten and immediately named him Diablo.
The new arrangement clashed with Yosh's lifestyle as an adventure filmmaker who had spent nearly a decade traveling to places like Bolivia, Kenya, and the base of Everest. He had built a life with no anchors and did not want a dependent animal. Diablo proved difficult. He yowled, bolted, and in the first few days, escaped into the foothills outside Boulder. Yosh feared the cat had died in the mountain lion habitat before finding him hiding under a rock.
A friend observed the cat's behavior and suggested a new name. She called him Simon. The name resonated with Yosh because it was the name of an imaginary guardian angel friend he had as a child. He renamed the cat that same afternoon. Within days, Simon stopped fighting and began pressing his face against Yosh's.
Yosh refused to cancel his travel plans, so he brought Simon along. During the first hike, the cat quit halfway. Yosh placed the cat on his shoulder, and Simon settled comfortably. This position allowed the cat to travel further and faster. Yosh purchased shoulder pads to protect his skin, and over nine years, Simon learned to hike, climb, paddle, and snowboard.
The pair gained international attention. By 2019, Simon's social media presence grew larger than Yosh's. Today, their combined audience reaches more than 10 million people. Simon has traveled to 51 countries, climbed a volcano in Guatemala, and flown across an ocean.
The bond was tested during a hot hike near Kanopolis, Kansas. Simon overheated and went missing in a field of low shrubs. Yosh searched for hours with no cell service. He eventually found the cat tucked under a single shrub, the only shade for 100 yards. Yosh described the incident on his website as a tragedy and a miracle.
The experience changed how Yosh viewed his independence. He had built his career around not being needed, a state he previously called freedom. Now, he checks the weather for two people, carries extra water for the cat, and adjusts expeditions to accommodate the animal's comfort. He notes that the cat he almost gave back forced him to learn how to care for someone other than himself. Simon is still the companion on his back for his expedition series OUT THERE.
