I'm not big on letting the cats out. The mommy in me wants to protect my little darlings from the predators out there, both on the ground and in the air. They have a huge catio in which to sleep and play, but it doesn't seem to be enough. And fresh grass can only be gotten (at this time) by going out the front door. Since most of them came to us with outdoor experience, we will let them go out the front door, but there are rules, the most important of which is "come when you're called." Failure to abide by this rule does revoke front door privileges for a few days, and then it's just pout, pout, pout.

I love all of our animals. Gotta admit, though, kitty Ry (pronounced ree) is pretty special. He's got that silent meow thing down. And because he's a chatty sort of fellow, he also has a whole repertoire of chirps, meows, gurgles and purrs to keep anyone entertained. He has been pretty protected all of his life, first as a kitten with his mom and a bunch of litter mates at a rescue, and from there to our house, so when he started asking to go out the front door, for me it was scary. This guy had no outside experience.

Let. Me. OUT.

He was so insistent, I finally relented. The first few times he went out, I put him in a harness and leash. Yeah, that went over big. None of his brothers, or his savvy sister, had to wear a harness. He was mortified. But it was better than staying inside while everyone else had fun eating grass and catching moths.

The front door is unprotected country - it goes out into the yard, and although we have a six foot tiny-holed wire fence around the property (cue a video of Niko-the-dog leaping tall buildings and easily soaring over anything smaller) and the chances of any of the felines getting out are pretty small, it's still possible. There are holes in the wire on our front gate that an enterprising cat could go through pretty easily.

Luckily, Ry isn't that enterprising. These days, the leash and harness stay in the closet. He goes out, flies across the deck and slides underneath. After about half an hour (usually less) I can hear him using his outside voice, asking to be let back in. I encourage this kind of behavior, and always tell him what a clever boy he is to stick around the house and come back soon.

Sometimes he fools me though, usually when one of his siblings is out there with him. A couple of them are a little bolder, having more experience with the big, wide world, and will slip around the corner of the garage to play in the trees on the side opposite the front door. Ry will sometimes follow them - haven't seen him in the trees, though. I suspect he doesn't want to get his nails dirty.

Is that snow? Maybe I'll stay in.

Ry has also done a complete loop around the house, making sure he hugs the wall and slinks underneath the bushes. Big adventure!

All of this is a huge lesson for my protector mode. I believe our animals should be able to make choices about their life. In the old days, Ry would have forever been an indoor cat, and would never have gone out without a harness and leash. However, over the years I've learned that our animals will work with us so their needs, and ours, are met. "Come when you're called" is huge. And because Ry and his siblings are very good about following that rule, I trust them. Because I trust them, they get to go out the Front Door and have adventures. Everyone is happy. And problem behaviors in the house are at a minimum.

Sometimes we have to take a deep breath and trust our pets.