Frankie was being very vocal on Saturday about wanting to go outside so I decided to take him for a walk. Rose took out the cat harness and leash and said things like “Oh boy Frankie, you’re gonna go outside!” That got him all riled up but I wasn’t ready yet. I still had to find my shoes and put them on, which surely was an excruciatingly long time for Frankie.
When I finally got his harness on and opened the door, Chris bolted out the door after Frankie. I expected him to try that but I was still unable to stop him. That made walking Frankie more difficult because now I had to keep an eye on Chris too. He won’t run away like Frankie does but Chris will wander off after a little while.
I tried keeping Frankie close to home so I could monitor Chris.
When he would walk too far away I had to pick him up, or pretend to try to pick him up, to get him going back toward home.
It wasn’t too long before Chris made it out to the front of the house, near the street. It is a relatively quiet street but I don’t trust all the old drivers around here.
Before long, Chris made his way to the neighbor’s driveway, which forced me to put Frankie in the house so I could retrieve Chris before he got himself into trouble.
The next morning Frankie was even more vocal about wanting to go outside. The back door is right next to the bathroom where Rose was getting ready and Frankie was really annoying her so Rose asked me to take Frankie out again.
This time, with Rose’s help, we made it outside without Chris.
Frankie spends about ten minutes in our back yard just eating grass, smelling the air, and looking around.
We eventually got moving and Frankie led me a long way from home. Along the way we stopped to admire a couple of doves in our path. 
Frankie was probably thinking about an early lunch but they flew away.
After a half hour outside it was starting to feel hot so I “encouraged” Frankie to head toward home. After a while my encouragements weren’t working so I had to pick him up and carry him home.
When I open the door to put him inside, Chris ran out. It wasn’t fair for Chris to be stuck inside while Frankie was out so I let him stay outside while I watched him. Chris is funny because when you talk to him with a scolding voice, he rolls around to show you how cute he is.
“Chris! What are you doing!”
While I was watching Chris outside, Rose opened the door to ask me a question and Frankie ran out. Crap! I tried to catch him but failed and he ended up under my truck. I quickly put Chris in the house so I could concentrate on catching Frankie but he proved very elusive.
Eventually he ended up across the street under the neighbors car.
He knows I can’t get him under a car so I just sat on my porch in the hot sun and waited him out. Sometimes he would come out but stayed close so he could run back under the car if I got close.
I finally gave up and went inside for five minutes. When I came out, Frankie was gone. I searched for him for a few minutes and then went back inside. I thought I would sit in the air conditioning for a little while and watch out the window. That was when Rose spotted him on the street sitting in somebody’s Garden.
I went back outside to retrieve Frankie. This time he games me no trouble and let me pick him up and bring him home.
I think it’s good for our cats to get outside, but it always seems to be a pain in the butt as well.
Bad Cat Chris 
we wonder if maybe one of those enclosed cat condo things would help give them a sense of outside without being able to wander….
I’m not sure what that is. Does it hang on the window or is it like an enclosure in the yard?
It’s amazing just how fast they can dart through an open door.
Those to have it down to a science. 🙂
Glad they got to have fun. I would be too worried if they were not all on a harness and leash.
I worry when Frankie gets out. Chris is easier to catch now that he’s overweight so I don’t worry so much about him, unless I am trying to watch two cats at once.
Those two sure keep you hopping!
That’s no lie. 🙂
Holy carp, you sure got tag teamed by these two little hooligans. Way to go boys. Keep those humans on their toes. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
We are on our toes so much we could be ballerinas 🙂
Frankie is really a PITA when he gets out untethered, isn’t he? Binga has stormed the door to the outside a few times, but she is like Chris and easy to catch.
You are so correct about Frankie.
Hooligans! Sam doesn’t run any more when he’s outside – just cruises around or lies down but if he’s out in the dark he’s got his harness and leash on. Your guys are still young enough to want to play games like “you can’t make me come inside..hahaha” or “just try and catch me cuz you can’t”………that would drive me nuts too! There are some enclosures that you put in the yard that let them be OUT but “in” – being in an apartment not sure you’d be able to do that kind of thing though – and you’d be taking it down and putting it up constantly instead of being able to leave it out in your own yard.
Pam (and Sam)
We actually live in one of those “old folks” mobile home parks. It’s a bit depressing knowing that I am “almost” old enough to live there without my wife but it’s well maintained and cheap enough so we can afford Rose’s car payment. 🙂 The problem is there are many restrictions as to what you can put in the yard but we are considering screening in part of the carport.