Happy March, fellow Max adorers.

Well, add it to the list of lessons learned:

Whereas, Max wants something.

Therefore, Max gets aformentioned something.

It’s that simple. Or, at least, it should be, as far as Max is concerned.

Where we last left our handsome returnee, Max was re-settling into life at Tabby’s Place with four new roomies. Max found this set of circumstances…unsettling, to say the least.

Never mind that Goldie, Monica, Impy and Jennifer Ann wouldn’t collectively hurt a butterfly. Never mind that they meant Max no harm. Never mind that they immediately deferred to Max’s authority.

“Never” was when Max wanted to see them again.

First, he let his roomies – and us – know of his wishes by meows. These quickly became yowls and growls, which took no time to escalate to full-on, no-claws-barred beatdowns. We don’t believe in ever declawing a cat at Tabby’s Place, but it’s a good thing for Goldie that Max was declawed before he came to us. The poor old boy was seen laying on his back, all four legs in the air, dead-bug style, while Max pummelled him.

OK. We got it. Max did not want roommates – or, at least, not these particular roommates. So, for Max’s personal benefit, we played a game of “musical cats.” Teenage kittens JJ and MJ, who had been living in Adoption Room #1, graduated to join the big cats in Suite B. Goldie and his girls stayed put in Adoption Room #2. And the victorious Maxwell made the move to his own personal pad: Adoption Room #1.

It took exactly zero minutes for Max to voice his opinion on the new arrangement. Instantly, he was rolling and lolling, purring up a storm and stretching out full length on the window ledge. The lesson was clear: A Max who gets Max’s way is a happy Max. Not to mention, If Max ain’t happy, ain’t nooooooooobody happy.

Happily for all involved, it seems that Max is content now. Although his old anxieties still resurface in occasional growls and grumbles, he’s regained weight since returning to Tabby’s Place, and shows no medical signs of having anything serious going on. We are even considering gradually transitioning a new set of roommates into Max’s world eventually, as we did with his original “therapy cat” Mozart. Slow and steady is the name of the game with mad Max.

Dear sponsors, thank you for being mad about Max through all his ups and downs. He is genuinely blessed to have you in his life, and I believe the best is yet to come for our complex and wonderful boy. Have a stellar start to spring.