Stay! Charlotte!

Charlotte in Max's arms
after an earlier save today!

What makes Charlotte want to go outside?    I wish I knew.   She has cat toys and climbing trees to keep her busy.  She has her mentor-cat Merl to play with.  AND, she has a nearly endless supply of crickets to chase (and mutilate) in the basement.  And, yet, every time we open the front door, Charlotte is perched to escape. 
I'm just as ready  -- I put my foot out and yell "Back Charlotte!"   Which Charlotte interprets  to mean "Run Charlotte".   She makes it over my outstretched foot more times than not.   After her mad dash, she goes flat in the grass, and if I don't get her right away, she nibbles a blade or two. 
The screened- in backporch  obviously does not begin to compare to the great outdoors.  If Charlotte is birdwatching  on the porch, and hears the front door lock turn, she hightails it across the house assuming her escape position.
This is one battle that I will NOT concede.   Charlotte, like Micky and Merl, is an inside cat.  An inside cat does not have to dodge cars or do battle with other animals. An inside cat cannot kill birds and baby bunnies.  When I go home today I'll put the key in the door, stick out my right foot and scream, "Back Charlotte!"   And, then I'll turn around and scoop Charlotte off the grass and take her back inside where she belongs.