Meet Artemis and Apollo

Introducing Artemis and Apollo – two highly spoiled Maine Coon cats who love to share their cosmopolitan life and offbeat adventures with the world on Instagram. We’re huge fans of their daily exploits and hilarious antics, and simply had to showcase some of our favorite moments.  It’s such a pleasure to share with our readers their delightful IG feed @themainecoonlife and to acknowledge their very talented (and patient) mom (Reka). >^..^<

We asked Reka if she would give us some first hand insight into the wild ‘n wacky world of Apollo and Artemis…here’s what she kindly shared with us (ps – we’ve peppered Reka’s commentary with a random selection of playful A&A pickies).

[clickToTweet tweet=”Meet Artemis and Apollo – A Devilishly Delightful Duo!” quote=”Meet Artemis and Apollo – A Devilishly Delightful Duo”]

Q: Are they related, and how old are they?

They are adoptive siblings. Artemis Morgana (13/08/2014) and her annoying ginger little brother, Apollo Merlin (17/10/2014). It’s funny that many people think Artemis is a boy, I wonder why? She is named after the Greek goddess of the Moon, Artemis, twin sister of Apollo, the Greek god of the Sun (I always thought it was a clever name choice because of their fur colours). Their second names are both from Arthurian legends.

Q: Where do Apollo & Artemis live?

We live in the capital city of foggy and always rainy Albion, in London.

Q: What was the impetus/inspurration to start their amazing IG feed?

My friend one day told me that Puszedli (@gingerbreadpets) was old enough to have his own Instagram account. I found that extremely funny, and made a jokey bet with my friend on who would make our cats an internet celebrity. Our account was growing so fast, we got sucked into it, and we reached our first 80k in our very first year.

Q: Can you share a bit of your background…your posts suggest that you’re a graphic designer or at least highly skilled in photography.

I am professional photographic artist and commercial photographer (www.londowl.com)

Q: Could you describe each?

Although they are both Maine Coons, they have very different personalities. We always joke that Apollo is a typical Gryffindor (brave, social, and a rule breaker), while Artemis is a typical Slytherin (introverted, cunning, and devious). Apollo is a cuddle boy, and because of his furever kitten face usually he gets more attention, but actually Artemis is a very sweet girl, and what you would call the “purrfect cat”.

While Apollo loves to destroy things, and does his best to wake you up at 5am (chewing your toes, pawing your face, or simply just sitting on your head), Artemis is a very well-behaved kitty, she never destroys anything, takes very good care of her favourite toys, and if you decide to sleep in until 2 pm, she will just curl up by your side, and sleep through the day with you.

Q: Do they all get along well?

Apollo loves his sister, and while I am sure Artemis secretly loves him back in the same way, she likes to hide her feelings. She needs “her” time, and when she gets enough of her annoying little brother, she just puts him in his place. Artemis is extremely agile, while Apollo is clumsy with very short legs. Artemis takes advantage of that, and she jumps to the highest place if she wants to be alone, and watches Apollo trying to make his way up (which is usually a very funny scene, as he always falls back).

Q: Where do these two gorgeous rascals sleep? 

Artemis would just sleep curled up by our side, but Apollo never sleeps too long in one go. It is impossible to sleep in a room with him, and he wouldn’t really want to anyway, because he loves exploring the house at night, and changing his sleeping spots between his short naps. His favourite spot is his hammock on the garden door, because he can keep an eye on the local feral feline community.

Q: Any there any other animals in your home?

Just Hoodad. LOL. No, we just have Artemis and Apollo. We have to limit ourselves to two animals, because we travel a lot, and we can just take one animal each on a flight.

Q: Funniest thing they’ve ever done?

Artemis loves high places and Apollo (just like a typical little brother) has spent his life trying to follow and copy his big sister all the time. He has difficulty with jumping because of his short legs, which always causes very funny situations when he tries to climb up or jump somewhere.

Q: Naughtiest thing they’ve ever done?

Apollo’s favourite treats are wires, especially the ones with the little Apple logo on them. You can’t turn your back on him for two seconds, or he will chew through everything in the mean time. Artemis is a really good girl, but she scared us many time by jumping over the fence to sort out the neighbourhood feral cats. She is very stubborn. If she doesn’t get what she wants, she starts pushing your things off the table while shooting her killer look at you.

Q: You say they’re spoiled…in what way?

They are very particular about what they eat. That means they eat one type of dry food, and one type of wet food, they would never touch anything else. They have more toys, than you can imagine but they get bored with everything in no time, so we have to keep getting new things to entertain them. Oh! And they have a bigger wardrobe then I do.

As I mentioned above, we travel a lot, and we often take them with us. They have seen more of the world than many humans. They have been to Paris, Budapest, New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. They are very good travellers.

Q: Do they co-operate willingly during most photoshoots or can we simply not see the invisible velcro you’re using to get those incredible shots? 😛

They are better posers than the average cat, they stay where you put them, but you have to work quickly or they get bored, and they start ignoring all the feather toys and treats that we use to get their attention.

Q: Any big projects on the horizon?

Yes! They are very excited about being the first honorary Postal Museum Pussies, and they can’t wait to start their duties!

Also, we are working with an American company on publishing a photo book, which should come out this year by Christmas, and if it will sell well, we have promises for Artemis and Apollo soft toys! They are also publishing comic books, and cartoons, so many exciting adventures are ahead of us!

I have been planning an adventure photo comic book with Artemis and Apollo which would be photographed in Scotland and Wales, but Hoodad’s schedule got a bit busy this year, so probably we will have to delay that project for next year.

Q: If A & A were celebs…who do you think they’d be most like?

I think Apollo would be most like the Tenth Dr Who (played by David Tennant) because they both think inside the (phone or litter) box, and are both fearless time travellers equipped with a sonic screwdriver. (If Apollo’s life is eventually rendered as a cartoon character, he could imagine no one else but David Tennant to do his voiceover.)

Artemis would be most like J.K. Rowling, an independent and strong feminist woman, who isn’t afraid of speaking up for herself and expressing her opinion, even if that is controversial sometimes. Also, J. K. Rowling loves travel and adventure, as does Artemis who is always curious about the world beyond her own backyard. She also loves to be involved in everything as long as she is not tied down to anything she doesn’t wish to be involved in.

Q: Anything these two might like to say to their many IG fans?

Thank you everyone for following our adventures and our everyday lives! Keep calm and fluff on!

Credit: All photos courtesy of @themainecoonlife

Summary

A very special thank you to Reka (and of course Artemis and Apollo) for allowing us a peek into their furbulously fun feline world! Please be sure to follow the daily adventures of this delightful duo on their IG feed @themainecoonlife

Read further if you’re curious to learn more about Maine Coon Cats