my cat wants to fly the coop

Question
My cat, Holly, is set on getting outside.  She is fixed and declawed and is an indoor cat.  I've had cats all my life, but I haven't had one this determined before!  We try to keep her inside by squirting her with a squirt bottle if she darts toward the door when we are leaving.  We sometimes lock her up in a bedroom, but that isn't always feasible.  Today I lured her out of the bushes with tuna.  This morning before 10:00 a.m. she had already gotten out twice!  She hides in the bushes and/or climbs a tree.  She is driving me crazy!!!  Please help!

Answer
One of my cats is determined to run around the backyard, jump the fence and see if he can outrun coyotes, too. The only thing I can do to at least appease the creature is either to wrestle him into a small dog harness (the cat harnesses are useless, as they lack the strap that goes down the chest between the legs preventing contortionistic cats from escaping), and sitting outside with him while we have our coffee in the morning.  We also have a Tokyo cage (like one of those 4'-tall cages you see in pet shops where they stick ferrets), which we have setup outside under the patio. We set it up with a few benches and a water bowl, and he'll sit there quite contently.

Apparently birds, trees, and butterflies look different when viewed from the patio. After a while, he actually gets bored and wants to come in.  Sometimes I think that cats will be more determined to do something or go somewhere the more we don't want them to, and when we capitulate (sort of like a parent with a child - Fine! Go ahead and place that fork in the toaster!), they get bored and ease up on the runaway syndrome.

YEs, we tend to cater to this cat, but this gets the urge to flee out of his system, and we don't have to go galloping after a cat. Even our dogs can't keep up with him.

If you decide to try my unconventional advice, and if you live in a warm area, have Holly placed on Heartworm meds just as a precaution if she learns to sit pretty on a chair (with a nice pretty harness that will match her eyes)..
I know this isn't the best advice, but as odd as it sounds (and also is a compromise with a CAT), it keeps things calm in the morning.

Good luck, and let me know how it turns out.