So if I make the rule, I can break it right?

We now have 5 cats.

Yeah, I know. But the new one’s a foster, so no, he doesn’t count toward a psychiatric diagnosis. Right?

He’s another gorgeous Maine Coon, a mix who looks a lot like Thor except he’s two-thirds his size. Thor’s Mini-Me.

He’s a little, um, rambunctious. He’s probably full grown but still plays like a kitten, jumping straight in the air with little barks. But he’s a looker (notice the classic tabby spirals on his side) and can pass around a cat ball like nobody’s business.

Dylan was rescued from death row in the pound. He had to recover before we introduced him to the catpack, so we started basic clicker play. We introduced the cats through the door.

Then we put them together. Something about Beau, probably his frailty and illness, triggers domination behavior in Dylan, so we have to keep them separated when we’re not around. The others were wary, even before they saw his noisy acrobatics.

The four were in the living room when Dylan got too close to Moxie. She’s just a little smaller than him, so she knows she has to get her licks in early. She exploded suddenly at him, scattering Thor under the sideboard and exciting him to chase Gus.

I got them separated, putting Dylan in the bedroom. Then I got out the mats in the living room. The 3 then focused on their Down-Stays even with Dylan howling in the bedroom. Then we took turns doing fun stuff, like Spins, High Fives and Situps. Together! All 3 for the first time! We did that for a while till everyone was calm, then I went to the bedroom and targeted Becks Dylan a while. I even started working on go-to-crate. It’s now a week later and he’s already cued to go in his crate, staying for 15 seconds at a time.

Calming. Focusing. Turning a stress event into play. Wow, this clicker stuff really does work.