crying cat

[doodlebug6270]

I rescued a cat 3 weeks ago, it's about 10 months old and was previously in the wild. despite being a wild cat she's incredibly affectionate and not aggressive at all! I've become incredibly attached to her but i've had 2 major problems with her, firstly i cannot get her to stop crying at night, I've tried everything, ive ignored her when she does it, ive played with her all day in the hopes of tiring her out, she has plenty of food, water and toys, but nothing seems to work, there's only been one night that she hasnt cried and i have no idea what was different about that night.
The other problem is that she keeps peeing on my bed, she knows where the litterbox is and the majority of the time she uses it, but sometimes she decides to pee on my bed, i know that there are going to be accidents but i just want to know how to make them stop!
I've become incredibly attached to her in the last 3 weeks but im incredibly busy and as my amazing bf is overseas im stuck handling this on my own and with the lack of sleep im starting to feel overwhelmed. If i cant figure out a way to get her to stop soon im not sure if i'll be able to keep her so please help!!!

[marie73]

Welcome - sorry it's under these circumstances.

The peeing part may be because of a urinary tract infection. Cats sometimes identify the pain of peeing with the litter and will pee on something soft instead. Seeing a vet and clearing this up may help with the crying at night.

You'll get better advice tomorrow, it's the middle of the night here and pretty quiet.

[Heidi n Q]

I agree that the peeing on soft things is a definite sign of a UTI, so get that checked out by the vet. Also, if she is crying-crying-crying ... have the vet check to see if she is in season and if so, make arrangements to have her spayed. Both of the things I've suggested she would have NO control over and will require your help to find relief. Once those things are checked for and resolved, if the behavior persists we can then help you track down any behavioral and/or environmental issues she may be having.

Animals cannot speak to us in our language and the only way they have to communicate with us is through gestures or their own animal-sounds. It may be a little unfair, but *we* have to learn to understand them and be able to interpret what they are trying to tell us about their world.
Right now, I think your kitty is saying she is having an elimination problem, she may be in season or she may be missing the outdoors, or other cats who were outdoors and is calling and trying to 'find' them. See how it could be any number of things? It's just a little detective work and process of elimination. Have any medical issues ruled out, especially with a physical exam to determine being in estrus and a urine sample to test for UTIs.
I understand how frustrating this is for you, but it is probably equally frustrating for her, too.
Best of luck,
heidi =^..^=

[doodlebug1]

I took her to the vet the first week I had her and she did have a tapeworm we got medication for though. Other than that the vet said she was healthy. I don't want to sound mean but I am a college student who just doesn't have the money to keep taking her to the vet. I set up an appointment at our SPCA to get her spayed and all her shots this Friday. Though it is a lot cheaper, I don't want to spend all this money if I cant ultimately keep her.

During the day I leave her in her own room with all the things she needs (for no longer than 3 hours at a time, just while i am not home). When I get home I let her roam around my whole apartment and at night I try and let her sleep in the bedroom with me. She may lay down for about a hour tops but then doesn't quite down for the rest of the night causing me to have to put her back in the room by herself. I have read everything about how to make her stop and nothing is working. I was thinking about trying "Feliway." Everything that I read online seems to say that this is something that will help.

Like I said 95% of the time she goes right to her litterbox and we dont have a problem. It seems like she is just trying to get attention even though i do spend hours a day playing with her and loving her.

I am just getting so frustrated with it not only being the end of my semester but also she just isnt settling down. I try and try to get her to stop i am just running out of options......

[Heidi n Q]

I understand you are a student without a lot of extra monies, but cats DO NOT do things like 'pee' for attention. They are instinctual litterbox users who *want* to hide the evidence of their waste/presence. If they are *not* using their litterbox, then they are telling you that they are having a problem.
A urinalysis is the ONLY way to diagnose a UTI. No strictly physical exam, without any external indicators like discharge, will be able to diagnose a UTI just by looking. It is just my opinion, and I really am not sitting here and laughing about telling you to spend even more money to find this out ... if vets do NOT rule-out UTI and the owner gives up their cat, I think it is very unfair to the cat if medical attention could have fixed her right up and the owner did not pursue it.
Then what happens?
Owner gets frustrated and either abandons the cat to fend for itself or surrenders it at a shelter facility who may, or may not, have the funds to treat her medically and offer her for adoption. If the facility is a kill-shelter ... well, they certainly won't take the time or make the effort to help her.

If she is crying because she is in season, that will not end until after she has been spayed.
If she has a UTI, inappropriate urination will not end until that medical issue has been resolved.
After those two big-ticket problems have been rectified and/or ruled-out, then we can move into behavior issues and preferences, but I cannot stress enough ... if neither root medical cause is remedied .... allllll the behavior modifications in the world cannot change their inappropriate behavior until they have been medically treated.

Best of luck, I do understand how frustrating this can be.
heidi =^..^=

[doodlebug6270]

Well I called the vet today and they said that when she was in there 2 weeks ago that she was healthy. After asking a few more questions, she decided that she didnt feel it was necessary for me to bring my cat in.
I spent all day with her trying to play and really interact with her. She was cleaning her privates a lot more than usually. When I went to bed tonight I noticed she was rolling around and flipping a bunch. She was also making almost growling noises. When I went to touch her she would get louder when I was down at her tail. When I was a child I had a cat and I am starting to think that she is in heat.
Is there anything that I can do to help her through this till Friday when she is getting spayed?

[Heidi n Q]

Originally Posted by Heidi n Q

...if she is crying-crying-crying ... have the vet check to see if she is in season and if so, make arrangements to have her spayed.
If she is crying because she is in season, that will not end until after she has been spayed.

Originally Posted by doodlebug6270

Is there anything that I can do to help her through this till Friday when she is getting spayed?

Yes. But it is a delicate and 'private-type' procedure you would need to ask your vet about in regards to inducing ovulation by manual stimulation to bring her out of heat. I am not sure only 3-4 days' time from her spay appointment would allow enough time to make any difference.