Plz help my normally well mannered cat is being extermally naughty....?

Question

For the last five days she has been in season for the first time and is 8 months old... She is a pedigree layanese and usally only uses her litter box (no changes there) but in the last 2 days has urinated on my house mates bed and the lounge chair. Also due to her screaming from being in season she has been locked out of my bedroom for past few nights. She is always indoors and will be desexed soon my vet was waiting for her to be in season once.. Also i am 17 weeks pregnant and wondering if she is picking up on this. She needs to get use to not being in my room and in the morning i do let her in and cuddle and pat her for about 10-30 also she gets cuddles when i come down stairs...

My questions are;
whats going on?
Have I done something?
How can i stop her urinating on furtinture?
Does she know i'm pregnant?
How can i prepare for the baby?

Thank you in advance for your answers... I'm confused...

Answer 1

Your cat is not herself and will not be until her hormonal period has ended. You said yourself that her behavior has only been irratic since her naughty behavior has occurred, so I think all of that will be remedied as soon as she is no longer in season. I have had many cats as pets for 26 years (mostly female). They are usually much better after being fixed. In fact I have seen that most ill-tempered and naughtiest cats were the ones I used for breeding and were not fixed. They got meaner with each birthing. But since you already plan to fix her then things will be back to normal soon.
As far as urinating is concerned, this is most likely again connected to the hormones of being in heat. Females have the instinct to do that as a way of broadcasting their scent to possible mates. It will end as soon as spaying takes place. She will not do it again afterwards.
I am not sure that she knows you are pregnant or not. But she will certainly understand when the baby arrives and no need to panic about it because cats have good instincts about things and she will also respect the boundaries you set with the baby. If she approaches the baby at times in the beginning, she is simply curious and wants to meet the new resident.

I have a daughter who is ten months old and this is how I handled her with the cats. First of all, our cats are all declawed indoor cats. I would have my cat declawed as soon as possible because you are pregnant and sometimes accidents occur and being scratched (whether intentionally or by accident) could give you an infection. It is also best to be done before the baby is born too.

Secondly, you shouldn't be exposed to the litter box. It should be located in an area of the house where you least inhabit. Other family members should keep it clean every day to protect you. It is also a good habit because there is less risk of infections with clean boxes.

Thirdly, if your cat is attracted to running baths or running water... this could attract them to pop up at baby's bath time. My cat did that once. I left the door open and she popped up on the counter where I was bathing my daughter and got too close. I pushed her away and the cat didn't like it one bit. So my advice would be to make sure and shut the bathroom door during baby's bath time (or put the cat in another room).

Lastly, I would strongly advise that the cat not be allowed into the baby's quarters. I say this mainly because the cat may feel inclined to crawl into the bassinette for a nap and unintentionally hurt the baby by knocking it down or possibly smothering it. She may not like it but your child's safety is most important.

As the baby gets older and starts to crawl around the house should be baby-proofed from the cat's eating area and box. Keeping the floor vacuumed and mopped frequently is also good. In our house we have a gated area that is safe for the baby to crawl around without getting into mischeif with the cat's territory as well as it is more convenient for her to toddle in these areas more than anywhere else and for me to keep an eye on her.

Your cat will adjust with time. The cat and the baby will inhabit different areas of the house but there should be no problems from it. Your cat will not resent you as long as you still play with her and give her a healthy diet and lots of toys and affection. As the baby gets older they will have a certain level of play together. It will be okay and much easier than you think. Best of luck.

Answer 2

Cats like routine and your cat's routine has been seriously disrupted. Being in season and being locked out of the bedroom. Expect very unusual behavior during her first season (let me OUT I need MEN!!) and compound that with your "rejection" from the bedroom. (which I can't blame you for, they're quite annoying at that time)

If you're getting the cat desexed, I'd say just get through this period. Soon you will no longer have hormonal throes to endure and you will have a more normal situation to deal with. Definitely clean the urine completely with an enzyme urine remover to keep the cat from thinking it's an acceptable location.

As for the baby, not much preparation is needed. Just keep the cat away from the crib. Babys are warm, cats like to sleep next to or on warm things. There is a possibility of an accidental smothering. Once the baby is a toddler, it's the cat that will need protection. When my son was 3 he wanted to carry the cat, he found the neck was a convenient place to grab it. I must say, the cat was a saint for enduring that.

I have read that a quick shallow swab of the vagina with a q-tip will temporarily calm the cat's hormonal rantings. I however have never brought myself to actually do that so I can't say if it works or not.

Answer 3

It sounds like your cat may be hyper and wanting to play. My cat is very mild mannered but gets spurts of being hyper and runs around attacking things. Does the cat have alot of toys? If not, maybe get him some more. Or a bouncy ball, and when he starts attacking your feet, throw the ball and he will attack that instead.

Answer 4

first i honestly think it is just a cry for attention and second im not sure if she knows ur pregnant.