I-Chaya

I-Chaya, a domesticated Vulcan sehlat.

I-Chaya was a beloved pet sehlat of Spock in his youth. I-Chaya was quite old and had belonged to Sarek during his youth. (TOS: "Journey to Babel")

When Spock undertook his kahs-wan ordeal prematurely, I-Chaya insisted on following him despite Spock's orders against it. It turned out to be a good thing considering that a le-matya, a dangerous animal native to Vulcan, attacked Spock and I-Chaya.

I-Chaya fought the creature as best he could, but the old sehlat fell in battle and both he and young Spock had to be saved by the adult Spock, posing as young Spock's cousin Selek, who had traveled into the past to prevent his own death at this moment. Although young Spock managed to find a Vulcan healer to help I-Chaya, the sehlat was beyond meaningful aid when he arrived.

Faced with the choice of a painful extended existence or a peaceful release from his suffering, Spock logically chose to have I-Chaya euthanized. It was an act that marked Spock's decision to follow the philosophies of Surak.

Spock's parents had I-Chaya's body brought back from the Vulcan Forge to be buried in a place of honor on the family grounds. (TAS: "Yesteryear")

According to the Star Trek: The Animated Series DVD's text commentary for "Yesteryear", written by Michael and Denise Okuda, I-Chaya was partly based on D.C. Fontana's cat named Bobby Magee, a reference to "Me And Bobby McGee".