My cat wants out and is scratching EVERYTHING

Please help here..

I've had my bengal for almost a year. For the most part aside from a small litter box issue she's been as sweet and well-behaved as can be. About a month ago, she saw another cat outside my house and it (the one outside) climbed up on the awning that sticks out from my house. Basically, the two cats were looking right at each other through a window.

Anyway, when I saw this my cat started scratching incessantly at the window. And now ever since any time she sees her reflection in the window or in a mirror she scratches at it like crazy. On top of that, she's started just outright scratching the walls, making a horrible screeching sound and waking me up early almost every day..Now she's even scratching at the screens on the windows and tearing them up.

I have no idea how to stop this behavior...please, if anyone has any advice at all, I'm open to suggestions. I move into a new condo in about a month and a half and I do NOT want her tearing my place apart.

I have to ask if your cat has been spayed? If she hasn't been, it's very possible she is in heat and you have toms hanging around outside your house. A cat in heat can get quite frantic to get outside, which might explain her recent behavior.

Oh she's most definitely been spayed. The foster mom thought she was (I got her from Great Lakes Bengal Rescue) and about a week later I woke up to a howling like I've never heard before.

That said, I've been told that even after cats are spayed, they can still have, "in heat" kinds of days/weeks where they show similar signs, but to a much lesser degree. I know she has been meowing more lately as well.

I wouldn't say it's a type of heat, but more territorial due to the other cat being there. I'm guessing the other cat hasn't been fixed, and that's upsetting your kitty. Have you got cat trees, and things to keep your kitty occupied? Maybe you can put kitty deterrents outside to keep the other cat away?

Well, the cat outside is one of three that belong to the owners of the duplex I live in (upper). I'm hoping once I move (condo) that she'll calm down a bit without seeing other cats running around, frolicking outside...lol

It sounds like an insecurity/territory issue that may resolve itself when you move. In the meanwhile, I would try to give her lots of play time, feliway and maybe block access to the windows where she might see the other cats.

that the move helps.

It definately sounds like territorial insecurity type thing that's going on.

I would try Feliway, it could really help your cat. Cats have several different ways of marking territory and the way that's easiest on us humans is the facial pheromone marking. That's basically what cats do when they rub their heads on things to deposit their scent. We can't smell it at all.

Anyway Feliway is a synthetic pheromone that mimics the cat facial one. Cats use the head rubbing method for their safest home areas so by having Feliway you mark the entire place as being super safe and belonging to your cat.

There is the occasional cat (it's extremely rare) that reacts to the Feliway as if it's depositing pheromones from some other cat instead of seeing it as their own. That's very rare, I'm just mentioning it so that if it happens that your cat is one in a million you'll know just to unplug the Feliway if she starts for example scratching around that etc.

It's not a drug per se, it's more like a blanket, a purring lapcat and a hot cup of cocoa to a human when you're cold and it's raining outside.

Things will probably get better in the new condo when she won't see the cat. Some cats are extremely territorial and don't react well at all to knowing there are other felines around.

Around here we love Bengals but they do tend to get territorial about other cats being around their area.

As others have said this will probably stop when you move but for now using the Feliway spray just might calm her down.

On Halloween I've seen people with things that trigger noise makers when it senses movement, maybe have one of those sensors that can trigger a dog barking to scare away those cats outside

Just kidding!!

Good Luck!
Mm