Lately I've been having some trouble with my cat Max.  We adopted him
as a stray when he was about a year old, and have had him for about
two years now.  We've tried to strike a happy medium between keeping
him an indoor cat vs. outdoor cat by keeping him on a harness so he
can run around the back yard chasing lizards and butterflies, but not
get out of the yard to get in fights with other critters or get hit by
a car.  If we're in the back yard with him (gardening or something)
we'll let him roam around freely without the harness.  He seemed fine
with this arrangement... until recently.

Occasionally now, he'll hiss at us if we try to either hook him up to
the harness or bring him inside when he wants to stay outside.
Recently he scratched me severely as I attempted to bring him inside.
His temperment seems to be getting crankier and crankier, to the point
where he's getting to be a bit scary.  I would hate to see the
situation deteriorate to the point where we need to get rid of him.

Any input on this situation would be gratefully appreciated.