Help! How can I get my female cat to stop yowling, spraying, and scratching everything in the house?

Question

First off, these behaviors are constant, not just when she's in heat. I know when I spay her she will most likely stop spraying, but the yowling and the scratching I don't know about. I think the problems are stress-related because my mom just brought kitty up here via a LONG road trip, she started yowling then. I tell her to stop but she wont listen unless I either throw something at her or get up in her face and hiss at her and stomp around. I did get her to stop for a while, but then I went into labor and she started up again. Before I left for the hospital, she sprayed me and since then she's sprayed my fiancee about 3, 4 times, my mother-in-law once, the couches more times than I can count, the closet door where her food and litter are kept, the baby's car seat, and our closet door. In the last two weeks, she's shredded our screen door and is now working on the couches. Please help me, my fiancee is PISSED, I am too, and I don't know what to do anymore!

First off, these behaviors are constant, not just when she's in heat. I know when I spay her she will most likely stop spraying, but the yowling and the scratching I don't know about. I think the problems are stress-related because my mom just brought kitty up here via a LONG road trip, she started yowling then, and we have baby now. I tell her to stop yowling but she wont listen unless I either throw something at her or get up in her face and hiss at her and stomp around. I did get her to stop for a while, but then I went into labor and she started up again. Before I left for the hospital, she sprayed me and since then she's sprayed my fiancee about 3, 4 times, my mother-in-law once, the couches more times than I can count, the closet door where her food and litter are kept, the baby's car seat, and our closet door. In the last 2 weeks, she's shredded our screen door and is now working on the couches. Please help me, my fiancee is PISSED, I am too, and I don't know what to do anymore!

Okay I'm going to say this now.. I am going to get her spayed, decided that before I even asked the question. I will also say that I tried being gentle with discipline, I even tried to give her more praise when she did good things. When I started praising her, though, things got worse again. And for everyone that's telling me to get rid of her, I'm not going to. I love my kitty, she's just going through a hard time. Telling me to get rid of my cat is like you telling someone to get rid of your kid. Animals are not toys and people need to start acknowledging that fact. You don't just throw them away when they're not acting the way you want them to.

Answer 1

Spay the cat

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Last year my beautiful Manx cat Theodore went out for the evening and never came back. I love cats and the house didn't feel the same without one, so I picked up Lola from a rescue centre. She was very frightened and would pee all over the house. I found Cat Spraying No More� on the internet and the techniques worked almost immediately. I haven't had a problem with Lola since. Amazing!

Can't stop your cat peeing in the house? Then worry no more...

Answer 4

It's good news that you're planning to have her spayed as this greatly benefit her and will help with some of the unwanted behaviour. Marking territory is always a cry for help because the cat is feeling anxious or unhappy. The web articles below may be helpful to you as they offer more advice about spraying and how to treat it. Feliway is a product that contains cat pheromones (it mimics the scent found in cat's facial glands) and can be helpful in treating spraying cats because it helps soothe them. The second web article explains more about this and also provides details of a free alternative to Feliway you can try.

http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour/spraying/info.html
http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/frameset.html

I don't know how old your cat is, but she has been through some major upheavals recently such as long road trip, new house and a baby. Cats are creatures of habit, so she will have found all of these recent changes very stressful. A baby in the home means lots of new smells and noises which can be very threatening to some cats, especially if they have no previous experience of babies.

The web articles below offer lots of good advice on cats and babies, which I think may help you.

http://www.messybeast.com/cat_baby.htm
http://www.bluecross.org.uk/web/FILES/literature/Your_cat_and_your_baby_leaflet.pdf

As for the scratching, buy her a good tall post, as they like to stretch when they scratch and many cats won't use a post if it's too short. These web articles will help you train her to leave furniture alone and how to use a scratch post.

http://www.catscratching.com/
http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/frameset.html

She may also be feeling a little neglected. I appreciate you probably don't have much spare energy or time at the moment, but could you set aside some quality time for her every day? Even if it's just grooming, playing or giving her affection. Physical punishment or aggressive behaviour won't help, it will only make her fear or resent you, and you obviously don't feel good about it either. Please try to be patient with her, she's obviously going through a very difficult time and needs your help and reassurance.

Answer 5

Hi Phoenix,

Well after reading your question I must say I'm glad I'm not your cat! You just sound like one selfish cat owner! I mean, you hiss at the cat, you throw things at her, you stomp around, to try and correct her behaviour. Finally when this doesn't work you end up P****D. Well that figures.

The way you describe the situation gives me the impression that you are talking about a malfunctioning household appliance rather than a living creature!

I really think that you have to re-think your attitude towards that animal and start to care for her properly. I mean, you haven't even spayed her yet even though you yourself admit that this will cure at least part of the problem. So, why are you waiting so long to get this done?

You would do well to invest some time in your cat. First of all, learn about cats' behaviour. Second, spend some time with your cat playing with her, stroking her, grooming her...(rather than just throwing things at her or trying to put her in her place when you think she is misbehaving).

Get a scratchpost for each room in the house because it is in the nature of cats to scratch.

If you start treating your cat better she will start to feel more secure and lose that neurotic behaviour.

chirpy

EDIT
just read your additional information. Glad to hear that you're not planning to get rid of your cat. You shouldn't try to discipline your cat though. Cats can't be trained in the way dogs can; cats need to be UNDERSTOOD rather than trained. A cat will always follow its innate nature.
It's good that you're going to have her spayed; once you've done it, take things from there and meanwhile don't mistreat her.
Another thought, provide her with a safe bed in a quiet place in the house, somewhere she can retire to, it should help to make her feel more secure and hopefully reduce some of her erratic behaviour.
OOPS just noticed someone recommended declawing. I'm not sure if the person recommending this realises that this is equivalent to removing the finger tips in a human being. Mutilation??? Yes!!! Painful??? Yes!!! Say no more...

Answer 6

These people seem to think you're being mean to your cat by wanting a life you can actually tolerate, and that if you give your cat love and cuddles everything will be ok. Well I took in a stray that has yowled all day and all night every day for 3 months solid. So I feel your pain, and want to hear your results!

Answer 7

To all the people that beg to differ, female cats do spray. My female cat has been peeing on the sofas for about a year (she was spayed at 6 months) and when I took her to the vet, he asked how she was going about it - whether she was squating or stood up. I said she was going for a pee like she does in the litter tray but he said that they do spray - it's not just males.

My cat is now on medication called Clomicalm which is an anti-anxiety/anti-depressant pill and it's working for my little Piper. For me Feliway didn't work at all and she carried on peeing until the vet prescribed Clomicalm (with a two week course of valium first to calm her down before the other one kicked in).

As you already know, the first step for you is to get her spayed and then if that doesn't work I would definitely recommend Clomicalm. To be honest though, I was not happy at all about the valium. Good luck!

Answer 8

Spaying really IS the best thing for her - and it will probably calm her down. The sooner you do it the better cos the smell's horrendous and you don't want your kit to spray on your baby! I was really glad to read that you love your cat and aren't getting rid of her even with all the problems. Wish there was more like you. It's more than likely that she's totally stressed out. She'll be better soon. Good luck!

RICH H: HATE to be the one to tell YOU - FEMALE cats DO spray! Mines did - and a few times after she was spayed too but she was stressed out. She calmed down soon after though.

Answer 9

You might be able to pick up a book on cat behavior problems, like at Barnes and Noble, to see if it can help explain the odd behavior. If not, you could put the cat outside (If its an outside cat) and let it terrorize outside for a while. I would reccomend getting it spayed to help keep unwanted cats away. You should also get a spraybottle, and spray the cat to discourage bad behavior. However, don't spray the cat too much, which could cause it to become aggressive to humans and could endanger your child.

Hope this helps!

Answer 10

For God's sake! Don't throw stuff at her or scare her for displaying natural behaviour! Once cat's are in heat, they come back in to heat every 2 weeks until they're mated. The yowling and spraying is all part of it, don't punish her for it.

Get the cat spayed NOW and stop complaining. NOW i tell you! Man, I feel sorry for your cat.

Chalice

EDIT: No, Rich H, females spray too.

Answer 11

Get her fixed, that's all. She won't stop til it's done. And don't you ever throw something at her or hiss at her like that. That will never solve any problem with your pet. Would you throw something at your baby if she wouldn't stop crying, I think not. Another thing is, she probably hates you. Get her front paws declawed too, never their back(just in case she gets out so she can defend herself and hunt for food). If you can't deal with the cat, then find her a good home. Take her to a shelter or go to www.craiglist.com and find someone to adopt her.