Cat Meowing and Urinating on Bed

[junit]

Hello I am new here!

Anyway I am having two behavior issues with my 1 and a half year old female cat.  She has been spayed and hasnt had any shots for a while (she is just about due for some).  First thing is a habit that she had for a few months that she got from another cat.  I had moved into my parent's house with my cat (Rory) where here are two older male cats (one is 15 the other is 9).  For the most part everything was fine and we had no issues, she was maybe 9 months when we moved and she adjusted fine and got along with the other cats alright.  Eventually the 9 year old cat urinated on my bed at one point (this was something that he did when he was not able to go into my mom's room but he usually just peed on a rug in the bathroom).  Rory got the habit from him when she started peeing on the bed which I assume she was trying to cover up the smell.  This continued for a few months with both of them continually peeing on my bed, sometimes Rory would just pee on it even if the other cat hadn't.  To clean it up I used Nature's Miracle and baking soda but the cats would still pee on it.  I have recently just moved about a month ago and I have a new bed and she still has the habit.  Although she only seems to pee when the blanket is on the bed which I believe to be a down blanket and I have read that cats can sometimes just pee on these blankets because they are down.  Either way this is a habit that I want to try to break and it seems that she only wants to pee on my bed (when that blanket is on, although I havent yet tried to see if it would be different with a new blanket) luckily she doesnt seem to pee on the other two beds in the house.  Any suggestions on how I can get her to stop?

The other issue is one that she has just recently started after the move.  Now I moved about a month ago and I was just able to bring my cat to the new house about a week ago.  I have everything of hers setup in my room, her cat tree, litterbox, food and water dishes.  The first night I brought her here I stayed at my gf's apt.  My sister (whom I moved with) complained that Rory was up crying all night and kept her and her four year old son up.  That was the first and only night that she was up all night meowing.  For most of the week I had been staying at my gf's apt since it is close to my work and I have been working late the past week.  There was one day that me and my gf stayed here and Rory was fine, she didnt meow or anything.  Now just last night, I got home after work around 9pm and Rory was meowing all night.  First we kept her in the room and she would meow and scratch at the door, when we let her out she would just walk into the hallway and just stand there and meow.  I played with her for about 15 or so minutes and that got her to quiet down until she woke up at about 5am and started meowing again and didnt stop until around 7am when I put her in the garage for about an hour (it wasnt cold in there and had a few of her toys for her to play with in there).  I did play with her for about half an hour but it didnt stop her so I put her in the garage.  I let her back in once everyone was awake and she meowed a little bit still but luckily no one was sleeping.  Now what can I do about her meowing at night?  I know the move was stressful for her, but she was mostly quiet and only meowed a couple nights so far but I cant have it again, my sister is an emt and she works long hours so she needs her sleep.  Any suggestions?

 

[p3 and the king]

I am assuming it's been awhile since you've taken her to the vet?  More than likely she has a UTI or crystals.  Sometimes their peeing in inappropriate places is a sign of something wrong.  Add that to the fact that they are in a new place.  If they can still smell it, they will go back and go there again.  Maybe someone will have some suggestions on what to use? 
 

Anyway, you can try the calming collar, it works by releasing pheremones similar to a momma cat to calm her kittens.  Lots of people have good luck with Feliway diffusers or sprays but they can be costly.  The Calming Collar is cheaper and it works almost instantly.  But, not every cat will be affected by it... However, your situation could be helped a lot by it. 

My recommendation is to get her to a vet to rule out anything medical and get both the calming collar and feliway.  Couldn't hurt!   As for the meowing.  I know it's easier said than done but just ignore her.  Negative attention is still attention.  However, she is looking for some comfort and reassurance as it seems that she has confidence issues so the calming collar and feliway can probably take care of that for you.  Good luck!!

 

[parsleysage]

I agree with P3... to me it doesn't necessarily sound like a health issue, but you cannot be sure unless you get her looked at by a vet, so that's what I'd do first.

Is it Nok Out cleaner that folks swear by around here?  We haven't had inappropriate urination issues so I'm not quite sure.  But yes, it is very important to get the smell 100% out of whatever it is... as it is a mattress it may be difficult, though you said now in your new bed she is peeing on the blanket.  Frankly I'd toss the blanket - as long as she can smell it she may try to mark it again.  You can also try Cat Attract litter, a special litter that many here have used to solve all kinds of inappropriate peeing.  You probably already do this, but clean the box at least once daily, make it as attractive as possible for her.  Good luck!!

For the meowing, I again concur with P3.  By playing with her when she wants your attention, you are reinforcing her expectation that when she meows you will get up.  I know it's hard with other people in the house - been there soooo many times.  Ask them to bear with you for three or four nights and during that time, don't pay her any attention at all during the hours you want to sleep - she will learn, I promise!  Another trick you could try is right before bed, wear her out by playing with her for half an hour or so.  That way she'll be nice & sleepy!

 

[junit]

Thanks for the quick responses!  I got a calming collar and it worked great for the meowing problem.  She still meows a little bit for attention but not as much as she was before, instead she is really relaxed and will come sit with us or on her cat tree instead of wandering around and crying.

Unfortunately the urinating problem still persists, and not only that but she has changed her habits as well.  Originally she was just peeing on my mattress only when I had sheets or a blanket on it (I have a waterproof cover for this new mattress so that it doesnt get ruined like the old one.) but now she is urinating on other things like a couch and a papasan (a round bowl like chair lol), which both are brand new and this isnt something she has done before.  I have some natures miracle cleaner that im about to use and see how it works.  I havent taken her to the vet yet, but I plan on it within the next couple days.  But the couch and papasan urination might have been payback for using a flea treatment on her last night ( she hates the flea treatment like most cats ive seen, and I have had a cat before that would intentionally urinate on things when he was pissed off lol).