This is a pairing I’ve done before. I wanted Emma to rest, but I spaced the progesterone shots too widely. Or, in the less formal summary:
Sometimes when a daddy cat and a mommy cat love each other very much and the breeder mistimes the mommy’s progesterone shot…
The parents were CH Azorez Emma Frost of UltraVires and CH San-Toi Sasaki of UltraVires. Two champions. Known cats. A known pairing.
In other contexts, like line breeding, I’m much more careful. “Oops” described my timing error. It did not mean unknown parentage, an improvised pairing, or relaxed standards.
Emma had other ideas about retiring
So… Emma had some other ideas about retiring.
Because we were leaving the country Tuesday night, we stuffed mom and four babies into a heated carrier and brought them to San-Toi. Thankful to have the best Oriental Shorthair breeders around to lean on, and thanks to Carmen Riley and Dee Johnson for the assist.
Four became two, and then one.
Emma’s survivor came home. A seal lynx point boy. Baby Oops was born March 2.
At well over 200 grams he was going to be a big Oriental Shorthair boy—another seal lynx bicolor like Shadow, but his color was a much cooler grey.
Baby Oops
Baby Oops got mobile. He went nipple to nipple. He ate. He walked. He figured out how to climb into the cat pile and was quite pleased with himself.
His first kitten socialization class was no mom, just people and toys. No fear at all in this one.
Oops is not just a rumpuser. He’s also a very snuggly kitten. He climbed up here by himself for snuggles.
He was very clever. Barely heavy enough to get the wheel moving, but he got it moving.
The kitten is excellent and show quality.
No, you could not reserve him
No, you couldn’t have Baby Oops and no one could reserve him until he was weaned. It was not a bidding war and that rule was iron clad.
At nine weeks, I saw someone on Reddit with two ten-week-old Oriental Shorthairs and wanted to shake the breeder. The buyer didn’t know any better, but ten weeks is barely weaned, still comfort nursing, too young to completely vaccinate, and too small to spay or neuter. Seriously, what were they thinking?
Oops could be shown, but only as an alter. He was too genetically close to my girls to keep as an intact male, and keeping a boy creates its own management problem: the boy has to be penned, wear pants, or every female has to be on birth control. Birth control is not perfect. See also: Oops.
When I finally considered applications, I suggested that people write out their arguments and focus on the vibe of the household, their cat experience, other pets, and the rest. This was a mutual audition.
I have turned down $10,000 because I didn’t like the buyer and told influencers to pound sand. Strategize accordingly.
Arizona
I was thrilled to announce that Stacey S. and family would be adopting Baby Oops. He would be with us another three or four weeks before departing for Arizona.
Stacey checked my references, which I’m very happy to have any prospective family do. This is a two-way process.
Are you right for this kitten? Am I the right breeder for you? I want everyone to be content, including the cat.
Naiche
I’d been calling him Oops, but his new name was Naiche. His new family wanted the name. He was quite the little troublemaker, so it fit.
I don’t impose my preferences on kitten families—believe it or not, many breeders do—as long as the name does not violate CFA rules or fall into poor taste.
It took me a little while to adjust, but I thank the family for the education and hope Naiche grows into it. It is a noble name, and it is worth reading about Chief Naiche of the Apache.
He got his neuter, finished his vaccination, and was chipped before departure. He left at sixteen weeks, with Mrs UltraVires as his flight nanny.
Godspeed, Naiche. Stacey? Send us pictures.
Naiche became known as Baby Oops because the name carried the beginning of the story: an unplanned litter, one survivor, a kitten becoming himself, and a household audition before he left for Arizona. The breeding record is more precise. The timing was a mistake. The pairing was known. The standards did not change.