Stuff you SHOULD know (or at least think about).

My cat likes to go out onto our screened porch in the summer when it's hot and sunny. He'll lay out there for hours. Now it's getting cold out there. He sits by the door to the porch waiting to go out. I let him out. He takes about 5 steps out onto the cold porch floor, shaking his feet all the way, and then sits. He turns around and approaches the door to come back in. So much for his excursion onto the porch. Later in the day (still cold out), he sits by the door to go out.

What the heck is he thinking? "Maybe NOW it'll be warm out there." I let him out... It's cold... He wants back in. Next day the sequence repeats.

I have also been advised by a friend that his teacup poodle does the same thing. Out... To cold... Back in.

So what's the deal? Do animals not understand that it's warm for a long period of time, and then it's cold for a long period? That it doesn't change from cold to warm in a few hours.

I don't think they understand this. To me, it seems that they are genually surprised when they go out the second time and it's still cold... "Hey! How come it's not warm out here yet??"