Indiana Gus...!

In case you may be wondering about my letting Gus explore first floor windowsills and ledges, I shall explain. Since his Gus-capade the other week he was freaking out at the front door. He'd be looking at it and twitching his tail. And if I was going out he shot under the bed into his cave. This didn't bode well for encouraging him outside and using the catflap if he wouldn't even go near the front door.

I sensed he is curious and wants to go out but is nervous and the front door seemed a no-go area. So the windows were a half-way house. Trying to tip the balance in favour of excitement and curiosity over nerves and fear.

I decided that this weekend might be "lets try and get Gus out the front door to explore" time. I am thinking that the catflap will be too traumatic for him, so how about just opening the door and me sitting there and let him come down in his own time. Yesterday nothing doing. I opened the door he skedaddled into hiding. He is quite lively and playful in the mornings and on a Sunday street is a lot quiter, so Round Two. The sun was shining, puffy white clouds breezing across a blue sky... time to sit out and try again. I sat in my folding picnic chair by the front door with a cup of tea (could be a long wait, I figured).

He'd disappeared into hiding, of course, as soon as I picked up my front door keys. I came back in to do some coaxing and he decided to go out with me in close pursuit.

He was exploring in next door's garden away from the road. So far so good. He did a round I think of next door then came back and looked like he was heading for the road via open driveway, I headed him off, he went indoors, back into hiding!

I sat there and waited. I called out to him. Eventually a sneaky peak told me he was top of the stairs. He came down and went out again and had a bit more mooch about. Then he decided he'd had enough and came indoors.

Gus went out. Gus came back in, safe and sound.