Saphira came into our lives as a fiesty little kitten. She was part of litter of sweet kittens that had just come into the animal shelter down where we lived in Lehi, UT. All of Saphira's litter mates had been spoken for except her, later we would discover that it was because they called her the "Devil Cat." She was mean, and a bit nasty. However, my heart melted when I saw her, heard how she was to be euthanized due to her disagreeable nature. I would not allow it though, and we adopted her with the instructions that we should bring her back to be "put to sleep" when she would not behave. I vowed then and there that this little one would have a home as long as she drew breath. Saphira lived up to her nature for years though, she would hide and attack you as you walked down the hall, or swat with claws drawn out at you in order to draw blood and induce pain. She would unravel the toilet paper into the toilet and plug up the toilets in our house repeatedly. She terrorized my youngest two children by wrapping herself around their diapers and screaming while the child ran to get away from her. As nasty as Saphira could be, she also could be loving and sensitive. I spied this kind of tenderheartedness when she had to be left alone in our home when we sold it, only having her stay there until the closing of the house because we were living with friends until this time and could not take her with us. Everyday after work I would make the drive up to the house to clean her litter box, give her fresh water, feed her, and play with her. I noticed her attachment to me begin to increase and noted that she began waiting by the door for me to arrive. She would spin in circles in excitement at my presence and would fall asleep in my lap as I sang to her, to calm her restless spirit down a bit. She and I formed an unshakeable bond during those six weeks and when our home closed and we moved all the way out, Saphira was the first one to be loaded in the car. She was excited to be coming with me this time. She was so good on the drive up to Washington state, using her portable litter box when needed and eating her food, though it stunk up the car, every time I fed her. Saphira's connection and bond with me grew even stronger when I developed ovarian cancer in 2004. She never left my side and could tell that I was in constant pain. She even accompanied me to the bathroom to throw up. She liked to lay on my stomach and purr. I read later that cats do this to provide comfort to their kittens, siblings, or housemates they have formed a strong bond with. I was her housemate, but I would like to think that she thought of me as a mother figure, as she learned the word "mom" along with my youngest child when she was learning how to speak. Saphira only called me "mom". She never did that to my husband, son, or two daughters. Her routine each day was to greet me at the door with her "mom, mom" sort of meow. It was uncanny how much it sounded like "mom". Saphira quit her naughtiness at around age 10 and began to be a more responsible girl when Max and Chloe were introduced to the home and family. Max is our pure bred Himalayan cat and Chloe was our very obese calico cat. Though Saphira made sure all cats knew she was the alpha cat, she was also tender with them, playing with them, and grooming them. They eventually all slept on the same doggy bed together. It was very sweet to watch. I watched my little Saphira go from a home terrorist to the glue that held our little family of three cats and five humans together. What she said "goes" and would go on to be the door greeter, welcoming to our home everyone who came across the threshold would get a warm meow and chittering from her. Of course though, her motivations were not always pure, she did hope to get a treat from unsuspecting visitors, and did this by exploring their bags/purses or pant legs looking for said treats. When she got sick at age 18 (human years), we worried because she had been so resilient growing up and throughout her adulthood, never complaining about pain, even when she had a golf ball sized abscess removed shortly before her death. Saphira's kidneys and liver failed her in the end, but her little strong spirit remained, with her trying to comfort me as we entered the vet's office to have her put to sleep. She always hated it when I cried, and would often lick away my tears. On the day of her passing, she licked away my tears for one last time and then as she did in life, courageously moved from life to death, wrapped in her favorite blanket. I will never forget my sweet Saphira, and her zest for life, her love of me and my family, and the way she was fearless about everything she did. She made me smile, laugh, cry and reflect on how fleeting life can be. She lived a beautiful life and I will always miss her sweet little spirit.