‘The Vampire Diaries’: See Ian Somerhalder with Grumpy Cat and more

Ian Somerhalder is staying a very busy man as of late; even when he is not spending time on the set of “The Vampire Diaries,” he is somewhere else in America (or the world, for that matter) making his name and his voice heard.

For one such example of this very thing, take into account that the actor is currently spending some time in Austin at one of the hippest places around: SXSW. One of the reasons that Ian was there was to take part in a panel discussion with Sophia Bush for RYOT, an organization that encourages people to try and become the news and fight for a cause. As you may know already, he is extremely involved with his self-titled foundation, which works to help the environment through a number of initiatives, fundraisers, and by merely raising awareness of the simple things that folks can do around their home.

Of course, we would be remiss here were we not to mention the random meeting between Ian and someone who has managed to become an internet superstar in a remarkably short amount of cat: Grumpy Cat. The cat was present with Mashable for some of the event, which helps to explain the photo to the left from the tech website’s red carpet. Ultimately, we have to say that for a grumpy cat, it sure is willing to let a complete stranger extremely close. (We’ve had cats that certainly would not allow this at all.)

By the way, we also want to throw into this article that today is the last day that you can vote for Netflix’s first-ever Flixie Awards, where the show is nominated for its status as an ultimate Guilty Pleasure. What’s there to really be guilty about? There may not ultimately be much, but we’re just happy to see the show receiving the recognition here that it so deserves.

If you want to read more “Vampire Diaries” news about the upcoming backdoor pilot “The Originals,” you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: The CW, Twitter / Ian Somerhalder