Halley and Calvin have made a lot of progress. A year ago, Halley needed to be leashed and restrained at all times. She couldn’t control herself near the cats, and would bark and whine and shriek and howl like a baby Nazgûl. And the cats? They’d hide. If you asked me last year at this time if I thought we’d ever be able to live together in peace, I would have sobbed and said, “No way.” At the time, I was heartbroken because I thought I’d have to give Halley up. Dogs. Cats. They don’t speak the same language. A dog wagging her tail is saying, “I’m happy! Play with me! I love you!” A cat wagging his tail is saying, “I’m hisssed off. Stay away from me! I will attack you!” And yet. We all worked together toward a goal: shalom bayit. That’s Hebrew for “peace in the house.” Halley worked on curbing her enthusiasm, and dealing with the frustration of not getting what she wanted (like sniffing a cat.) And Calvin, like the other three felines in the house, worked to overcome his fears, to stand up for himself, and to allow Halley to get close enough for the two of them to get to know each other. Maybe even become friends. And here we are. It wasn’t easy. There were misunderstandings. Disagreements. Hissing. Swatting. Barking. Chasing. I was the ref, the moderator, the Soother in Chief. And the provider of tons of rewards (read “treats”) for good behavior. Seriously folks, if they can do it, we can do it. Let’s try. Even if we don’t understand each other, we can learn to get along. Because I think in the end, we all desire shalom bayit. Do you have more than one pet? How do they get along with each other? You may also like:
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