Dang! They left me alone AGAIN!

Mommy and daddy did it again, that thing I really hate - they left me alone, something about taking Nina, one of my human sisters, to the hospital to have her broken hind paw checked out and her cast changed... I guess I should not complain too much, Nina and her younger sister Mellie were the ones who found me and adopted me for their parents, giving me my furever home.

Anyway, I did my usual complaining once I realized what was going on, but they still left me, even though I was trying to be really cute. Mommy and daddy still have not figured out how I know that I am being abandoned, and I am not telling! A girl has to have her secrets! After they got back, daddy must have felt guilty (as well he should!) for leaving me alone fur HOURS. He returned from a trip to the market that night with a new package of my favorite fuzzy mouse toys... I think I will furgive them!

Note from Saphira's dad: What she did not tell you was how, when I returned with the new mouse toys, she immediately lost all interest in the ones already on our bed. They are identical, but she began pawing at the package of new ones even before I had gotten it open. Can you spell spoiled child? We freely admit that she is spoiled, and plan to keep her that way (but please keep it to yourself, don't let her know about it!)

I am becoming a kitty athlete

Watching the Olympics with mom and dad, it has inspired me to get more athletic recently. I always played a bit of fetch, maybe every day or two, but I am now getting really serious about it. I am asking daddy usually three or four times a day now, think I might be able to qualify for the kittylympics next time.

Yesterday I really got into it, mommy had put out my breakfast for me, but even though I had not eaten yet, I ignored the food and hopped into bed with a toy for him to toss for me. After my morning workout, I finally headed over to sample breakfast. A girl has to have her priorities straight!

And a big PURRR out to our human Olympic athletes! You guys and gals are awesome!

Thank youi all for making my DOTD so great!

Thank all of you for making my Diary Of The Day yesterday so special, I received many nice friend requests, messages of concatulations, and gifts. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring thank you!

It is so purrrrrfect that my diary is the diary of the day!

It is such an honor to be selected diary of the day! Purring "thank you" to all of my friends on Catster. Curled up next to daddy, happily swishing my tail across his legs, I am so happy!

Meow to all!

A note from daddy...

We have told you friends all about Saphira playing fetch, something that Ocicats are famous for. At first she just did straight fetch, me throwing the toy and her chasing it down and then returning it to me. Since then she has expanded her repertoire, to catching the toy in midair, and throwing the toy either across the room or else into the air to catch again, still finally returning it to me. More recently, if I don't toss the toy for her, she will pick it up and jump down onto the floor with it, then toss it around before returning it. About returning, she has started doing that differently too, hopping up on the bed as always, but instead of dropping it by me, she walks over to the side of the bed, then drops or tosses it onto the floor beside me. Since I can't always retrieve it immediately, I take note of where it is and then go about whatever I was doing. Usually I come back later to find the mouse gone, and find it back on the bed. Nice that she eventually picks up her toys. I think that these changes over time are her way of avoiding boredom, continually coming up with new game variations for herself.

Today she brought me a mouse as she often does to initiate a fetch game. I started playing with her, but this time instead of maybe three or four rounds and then rest time for kitty, she just kept at it over and over again. At first I was not sure why she was so persistent this time, but I think I have it grokked out now: She has been watching the Olympics with us over the last week, and I think she as visions of being in the kittylympics. I guess it takes lots of practice to be an Olympicat!

They abandoned me yesterday!

As any of you owned by Ocicats already know, we are very loyal to our humans, following them around the house and conversing regularly with them. One thing we hate is being left alone, and being very smart like all Ocis, I sensed yesterday that they were getting ready to leave me alone. Something about getting mommy's hair done. Once I figured out what was happening, I started really complaining to daddy about this, and at first he wondered if I was trying to tell him that there was something wrong with me. When he figured it out, he closed the bedroom door, something about keeping me inside so I would not trigger the motion sensor in the living room when they turned on the security system, whatever that is. They left me imprisoned in their tiny bedroom (well, OK, counting the bath and closet it is over 600 square feet, and filled with kitty toys like my big tree, my tunnel, and lots of fuzzy mice), while daddy took mommy to her appointment. Daddy came home a bit later, and took pity on me and let me loose while he waited for mommy to call for him to go pick her up. I quickly took advantage of my freedom to find a place to hide, so I could avoid being locked up again. Daddy looked all over for me, and finally had to leave to get mommy, leaving part of the security system off. That is a good thing, because once shortly after I came to live here they accidentally set it off, and that alarm is LOUD!!! Hurt my delicate ears! Once they got home, and I was pretty sure they were not going to leave me alone again, I walked up and nuzzled daddy "hello", and he really didn't seem mad at me. How could anyone stay mad at someone with spots as cute as mine?

Some questions daddy found on a friend's profile

Daddy found these questions on another kitty's profile, and thought I should answer them:

1. Do you ever wake your parents up in the night? Very rarely. When I first came to live here, I would sometimes wake them up in the middle of the night for a little playtime, but not since daddy figured out that if he plays with me enough during the day I get tired and sleep through the night. Now I pretty much go to sleep when mom and dad do, and wake up when they do. I never bother them for breakfast, but wait until they get up.

2. Do you ever tear up things? Not really. I am pretty good about not sharpening my claws on furniture. I do tear around the house a lot though.

3. What is your favorite treat? Various flavors of Temptations, I sit up on my hind legs to beg for them, and then grab daddy's hand with my forepaws and bring it down to my mouth. I also like the snacks of Evo dry food that daddy gives me before bedtime.

4. Can you fetch something when asked to do so? Not when asked, after all I AM a cat, I only play fetch when I choose to. I usually bring daddy the fuzzy mouse I want to play with, then drop it beside him. Sometimes I wait for daddy to throw the toy, then chase it down, other times I will bound over to where I think he will throw it, then leap up and grab it out of the air. I usually then will throw the toy either into the air and try to catch it again, or else across the room and chase it down again. Once when I was in the kitchen with mommy and an ice cube missed her glass and fell on the floor. I picked it up and took it to her in the bedroom.

5. Have you ever lived any place other than where you live now? Yes, I lived with a nice man who bred Ocicats like me, and I was the mommy to some nice Oci kittens. After a couple of years, he decided it was time for me to retire while I was still a young cat, and two of my human sisters thought I would make a nice new friend for their mom and dad.

My nail appointment for July

One thing I don't especially like is my monthly trip to Petsmart for my nail trimming. The trimming itself doesn't really bother me too much, I always behave pretty well, but I don't like being put into my carrier and I meowed all the way in the car. After we got home daddy decided it was also time to groom my coat. As warm as it is here recently, 94 was the high today, daddy has been grooming me every few days. I actually kind of like this, but today I did something unusual for me. As soon as I saw him put the grooming glove on, I walked right up to him to have my pretty spots shined up. With a coat as pretty as mine, I have to take care of it.

I was a little naughty today...

I was playing with some of my toys in our bedroom (I let mommy and daddy share it with me), when I decided that the old throw rug that they leave there for me to sharpen my claws on (I don't like scratching posts) might be a fun toy, so I dragged it into the hallway outside the bedroom. When mommy found it there later, she thought daddy had left it, but he ratted me out, he remembered seeing me tearing across the room earlier. They were not too mad at me, but I think they expected me to return it when I was done.

Comment from her daddy: Since shortly after joining our family, Saphira has enjoyed playing fetch with little fuzzy stuffed mice. Our bed is kind of a kitty toy box, full of mice, balls, and teasers. Lately she has been doing a few different things with her toys: She now lets me know when it is play time by picking up the toy she wants to play with, then dropping it beside me. The fetch game starts there. When we are done she usually returns the toy to the bed, but sometimes does leave it on the floor for us to pick up. Now she will often come back later to pick it up and return it to the bed. I can tell she is doing this when I notice a mouse on the floor, and later find it gone, only to find that it's back on the bed. Nice that she is learning to put her toys away when she is through with them. Wish our kids did that when they were young!

Fetching is a useful skill for a cat to have

Today daddy reminded me that for a smart helpful kitty like me, fetching is not just a fun game for us to play. Shortly after I taught daddy how to play, I was with mommy in the kitchen as she was getting a drink. She did not see that the ice dispenser had dropped one cube on the floor, and returned to our bedroom. Being the helpful cat that I am, I picked up the loose ice cube and took it to her, dropping it beside her. She thanked me, but still threw it into the sink, something about it being dirty after being on the floor. I don't see the problem with that, I would love to catch and eat a mouse, even if it is on the floor.