SunChaser Ocicats

Rainy day for the official first day of spring, but everything is flowering and we have baby chicks hatching in the incubator, so it does feel like spring anyway. And kittens, obviously. Sharp-toothed little terrors who are now teething and have decided that everything is for chewing and nibbling and nomming right now. Including humans. They’re pretty good about being gentle with hands and fingers (95% sure big friend), but toes and, specifically, thighs when they’re waking up from a nap in one’s lap, are fair game (like, maybe 12% sure big friend, 90% sure bed or toy).

Pics (and slow-motion video) up on instagram.

On the bright side, they are now mostly on board with the ow, ow, ow, humans are not for climbing rule, and have stopped trying to scale my legs for fun when I stand still long enough. So.. baby steps, I guess. They are learning, and they are babies still.

All four are booked in to get their microchips and their first F3 vaccinations this week. It’s bizarre to think that they’re 9 weeks old already.

No news this week, but there are some pics of the babies being adorable 🙂

The babies have reached that age where they want to go exploring, and they still fit underneath furniture and through gaps that an adult-sized cat can’t. So many cables to protect.

This lot aren’t afraid of anything; their mum flees for the tallest available shelf when the vacuum cleaner goes on (“I’m out! Every cat for herself!”) but the four little ones just look up, blink, and go back to sleep – or continue to play in the path of the oncoming vacuum. They fall in their water dish, and just hop out and continue chasing each other around the house, then dive back into the water dish. And it’s cold at the moment, I wouldn’t want to go swimming. Fearless jungle cats.

Fearless jungle cats who are just starting to learn to play with a feather and squeaky mouse toy – and George (my 8 kg tomcat) wants so very badly to play with them, and they’re not quite big enough. So he runs up and pounces on the air near them, and then runs off, hoping to be chased, or tosses a toy in the air and the claws it ruthlessly, all the while looking ot see if the babies are learning to ‘hunt’ with him. He’s a cutie. I didn’t get a picture, but the other day Dany left all four cuddled up with George in a basket, and she went to sleep in the sun on the other side of the room while he washed the kittens and snuggled with them. He was always meant to be a dad, I think – or granddad in this case, since he’s Dany’s father.

I really do mean to post updates more often, and then life happens.. but here you are, an update that isn’t on Facebook or Instagram. Today, our four babies form the July 2021 litter are 5 weeks old. They’re sleeping at the moment, but they have been racing around all morning and chewing on the cardboard box castle I put out for them. Climbing it as well, but you know how it is – toys are more fun to chew on than to play with, just like siblings.

Sunchaser Eris is staying with us as a future breeding queen, to bring some diversity into the ocicat gene pool from her father, Double Gold Grand Champion Shayba Finn McCool of Shayba Abyssinnians – and many thanks go to Julia Caunce of Shayba for allowing us to introduce Dany (Sunchaser Danaerys) to Finn. The kittens are gorgeous, and have their daddy’s beautiful, smoochy personality already.

The other three have already been claiemd by their future families, although they won’t go home with them until they’re 12 weeks old, so we have a bit more time with them still. We’re so happy to have such enthusiastic adoptive parents looking forward to taking our little ones home, though. Seeing a kitten with its new family is one of the things that makes this all worthwhile. (Playing with them outselves is another one, of course)

We are between litters right now, but we’re planning to have our next litter around the middle of this year – and we’re expecting some silvers in this one!

If you’d like to send an inquiry or go on our waiting list, please click on the “Contact us” tab at the top of the page and send through a request or question.

For pictures of the cats and life at Sunchaser, please check out our Instagram feed (@sunchaserocicats).

We are between litters right now. But if you’d like to send an inquiry or go on our waiting list, please click on the “Contact us” tab at the top of the page and send through a request or question.

The last two weeks have been very busy. A possible complication in Cloud’s pregnancy led to a an after-hours vet visit and an emergency caesarian section – a week before the birth was due. Although three kittens were born, only one of them made it through the night. We’re all so sad for Cloud’s loss, although happy that she’s come through the experience okay.

We’re also very pleased to introduce little Alpha. He’s still very young, and will need extra special care for a few weeks yet because he was born premature, but he’s feisty and adventurous already. His eyes aren’t even open and he’s exploring already.

It’s our very first litter at Sunchaser, and we’re very proud of our little girl for being such a diligent mama. There has never been such a loved (and clean!) kitten before, or at least not in this house.