Aphro, our cat, loves to go out to explore the yard. She used to be happy in the back yard, but now we find she is spending her time in the front yard when we let her out. Usually she sits by some bushes in the front, off in the corner of the lot, away from everything. We usually let her out around the time we get home (5 ish), and she ends up getting bored or tired of outside a couple hours later.
Last night was a much different experience. Aphro headed out much later (we guess some time around 9), and wasn’t ready to come in when we wanted to head to bed. Everything we tried to coax her in with, freaked her out. To top it off I saw her in a different area of the yard that is near a busy street. We aren’t sure how street-savvy she is, so we want her to avoid the streets as much as possible.
One thing I was reminded of last night was that cats are stubborn. That and they are difficult to herd.
She never did come in last night, even though we left the door open a crack. This morning, after putting the dogs out in the backyard, I went out the front of the house to look for her. I left the front door open a crack, but never saw her. I went back in and closed the front door, then continued getting ready for work. A couple minutes later Sue called me into the bedroom asking how I got the cat in! There she was laying on the bed, looking all cute and non-chalant about the whole ordeal. Aaargh!