The Smell of Freedom

Alex is often pining for the outdoors.  He'll frequently sit by the sliding glass door and meow asking to go outside.  Any time we call the dogs to let them outside, they'll go out the door, and Alex will come trotting right behind them, but we always have to close the door in his face.  It's sort of sad.  All he wants for his little kitty life is to be outside.  But he's an indoor cat.  So we found a compromise.  Every now and then we'll take him outside and let him sit on the table on the deck.  He can sit there as long as he wants, but he can't go anywhere else.  Somewhat surprisingly, we were able to train him on this, and now he knows that when he gets to go outside, he has to stay on the table or else it's back in to the indoor prison that is our house.