Marcus’s first outside adventure

Our kitten, Marcus, had his first excursion outside yesterday.  We have been keeping him inside all winter, and we expected him to race away the moment we opened the door for him (given how he races around the house so much, as if it were too small a box for him). But, to our surprise, he was very cautious and it was several days until he condescended to step over the threshold—and then only because the trusted older cat, Georgie, was sitting on the doorstep.  It took him over half an hour to get down the steps to the patio and explore there.

Marcus sheltering in the corner, where nothing can reach him.

Marcus steps out from the corner.

He did not stay outside very long, but he did go outside again for five minutes later in the day. He still does not know how to use the cat door, and even with the back door open he prefers to sit on the threshold and look out, rather than venture out into unknown territory.

The lighting in these pictures is a bit misleading—Marcus is a sleek black cat, not black and grey.