diff --git a/docs/web/app/landing/petTick.ts b/docs/web/app/landing/petTick.ts
index 53043607..5728c997 100644
--- a/docs/web/app/landing/petTick.ts
+++ b/docs/web/app/landing/petTick.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,20 @@ import { CLAWD_SHEET, stepPlayer, type PetSheet, type Player } from './data.ts'
 
 export type PetMode = { kind: 'wander' } | { kind: 'pose'; pose: string }
 
-const WALK_MS = 2400, IDLE_MS = 3000
+const WALK_MS = 2400, IDLE_MS = 3000, REPLAY_REST_MS = 1500
+
+// A play-once pose (hop, fail, scrunch) holds its last frame for as long as the pose lasts, so a card
+// showing one alternates it with idle; otherwise it plays once at page load and freezes.
+function cardPose(sheet: PetSheet, pose: string, now: number): string {
+  const anim = sheet.animations[pose]
+  if (!anim || anim.loop) return pose
+  const ms = anim.frames.reduce((n, f) => n + f.ms, 0)
+  return now % (ms + REPLAY_REST_MS) < ms ? pose : 'idle'
+}
 
 // Wander is a fixed walk/idle cycle keyed off `now`: no Math.random, so a given clock always
 // gives the same pose and the tests stay stable.
 export function petTick(p: Player, mode: PetMode, now: number, maxX: number, sheet: PetSheet = CLAWD_SHEET): void {
-  const pose = mode.kind === 'pose' ? mode.pose : now % (WALK_MS + IDLE_MS) < WALK_MS ? 'walk' : 'idle'
+  const pose = mode.kind === 'pose' ? cardPose(sheet, mode.pose, now) : now % (WALK_MS + IDLE_MS) < WALK_MS ? 'walk' : 'idle'
   stepPlayer(p, sheet, pose, now, maxX)
 }
diff --git a/docs/web/test/pet.spec.ts b/docs/web/test/pet.spec.ts
index 0c62da8e..097d8c71 100644
--- a/docs/web/test/pet.spec.ts
+++ b/docs/web/test/pet.spec.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,16 @@ test('pose mode settles into the pose', () => {
   assert.equal(p.seg!.pose, 'working')
 })
 
+test('pose mode replays an animation that plays once', () => {
+  const p = newPlayer()
+  const starts = new Set<number>()
+  for (let t = 0; t < 30_000; t += 50) {
+    petTick(p, { kind: 'pose', pose: 'scrunch' }, t, 0)
+    if (p.seg!.pose === 'scrunch' && !p.seg!.clip) starts.add(p.seg!.start)
+  }
+  assert.ok(starts.size >= 3, `scrunch started ${starts.size} times`)
+})
+
 test('petTick plays a given sheet', () => {
   const sheet = { w: 2, h: 2, palette: { A: '#000000' }, animations: { idle: { loop: true, frames: [{ ms: 100, px: ['AA', 'AA'] }] } } }
   const p = newPlayer()