Cat loves being on the balcony, frolicking around and lounging in the sun. It’s nice out there with plenty of light. An outdoor space with fresh air, daylight, and a view of clouds. Cat’s not the only one—I enjoy being out there too.

There are many fun things to explore on the balcony. Cat likes finding breaks in his routine and inventing new games. He’ll climb the water pipes more than two meters high, then jump off and execute a perfect landing. I can tell he’s into this and feels smug about his abilities. A few days after discovering this trick, I saw him leap onto the railing, which is just two inches wide, and stride across it like a tightrope walker.

Cat’s legs crisscrossed with confidence. He moved unhurriedly, showing no fear of falling. Placing his center of gravity in his belly, he proceeded steadily yet vigilantly, every inch the experienced circus artiste.

After a few rounds parading on the balcony railing, Cat’s eyes moved from his paws to the cloud before him. Taking a big step forward, then another one, Cat vaulted onto the cloud. With one solid jump and one light skip, he was at its center. It was much more solid here than you might imagine—softer and springier—and he hopped around happily. Fortunately he managed to jump straight up and land back down on the cloud, rather than falling off it.

All this while, I’d been sweating profusely for him, perspiration threatening to engulf my whole forehead.

Cat returned from the clouds, stepping daintily back onto the railing, resuming his own performance. His core seemed more stable now, and his balancing skills were extraordinary, bringing him an endless source of joy. He’d spent less than a minute parading on the railing, but it felt like hours to me, as if we’d been sucked into a black hole and all time had been swallowed too.

When Cat had finally had enough, he settled down onto the railing, his belly bearing his entire weight, limbs suspended in midair, ready for a nap. His claws sank into the cloud layers next to him, which held him up securely. After a lengthy yawn, he covered his face and shut his eyes, and his tail drooped languorously. He was like a gust of wind rolling off the cloud.

I scooped Cat off the railing, waking him. He struggled out of my embrace and ran back to the balcony edge, ready to jump back up. Luckily, I could tell right away what he was planning and managed to move even faster, lunging over to grab hold of him and bundle him indoors. I didn’t dare let him have his way on that dangerous balcony.

A few days after this episode, I told Husband to hire someone to fit a panel along the length of the balcony. This huge slab of glass is completely clear—you can barely tell it’s there. Cat doesn’t seem to have noticed there’s now a barrier between him and the open air. He continues jumping onto the railing as before, treading lightly with his cat steps.