Persistent kitten keeps trying to dash out the door...and other problems.

[Yania]

Oreo... another problem with her, If you see my other posts you can already see that I've been having so many problems with her ever since I got my second kitten (her sister) Nugget. On Sunday night she ran out the door without her collar, she's a black cat so my mom could barely see her but my uncle and my grandma were able to catch her. My mom didn't know if it was the stray cat she was grabbing or Oreo and the whole experience was so distressing for us. We think she ran out because of a stray cat that has been trailing around leaving his unneutered scent around has been I guess attracting her and Nugget but Oreo is the persistent and confident one who decided to slip by my mom who so happened to open the door while saying goodbye to my grandma and uncle who were leaving. She and Nugget have not been spayed yet since they're only like 3 months old and our vet says we have to wait a couple more months for their spaying appointments but I'm not sure if she and Nugget have or are about to be in heat since they're not that small anymore. Before the incident happened, they've been sitting by the front door in the loaf position where on the other side the stray cat stays near. Today I was informed that the next-door neighbor took two of the stray cats around to the shelter but the culprit who has been bothering my girls hasn't been found yet. But when he can, he always tries to get near Oreo and Nugget near our front window.

Oreo has also become very aggressive lately, she hissed at me for the first time in her life just last week, I don't like her aggressiveness (which has been going on for months like her biting me out of nowhere which I've taught her that I don't like) and honestly, I stick to Nugget more since she is sooooo calm, loving, and she doesn't keep me on edge as Oreo does.

I just don't get it, she hisses at me and Nugget but she doesn't hiss at this stray cat who is clearly invading her territory and she doesn't try to guard her territory? On car rides, she meows every second of the ride while Nugget lies down calmly and takes car rides really well as she does for almost everything. Even when we put a screen door to keep her in the hallway while we clean downstairs she gets anxious and meows for every second of the hour but then anytime else she's either anxious, aggressive to me or Nugget, or loving to my mom.

Anyways, she has been trying to go out the door over and over and it's getting so annoying that my mom and I have agreed that if she escapes we will not be able to take her in because she is being ungrateful and being dangerous. On Sunday night, I wonder what if she ran across the street and got hitten by a car, taken or trapped by that stray cat, or lost and stolen? This is what made us so mad because she is almost always getting into trouble and everything could've gone south that day. We spoil her so much, she has so many beds, we built a huge cat tree on the living room wall, she gets fed at least 4 times a day with a bowl of dry food out and water, my mom gives her affection, and we play with her a lot. What more could she want?

I don't know what happened to Oreo, I had such an instant bond with her when I first got her and she even slept on top of me the first night we got her and she was so close to me and I was so close to her the first several days I first got her, and now she's just changed for the worst and it's so sad but anyway my mom and I think this is a behavioral problem of hers. Does anyone have any advice on what to do and what is going on with Oreo?

 

[catsknowme]

Hmmm.....What a close call with her escape! Oreo is definitely being your problem child. Kitties definitely have their own distinct personalities. That said,.it is for some detective work.
First off, could there be strong scents in the home that are irritating her delicate sinuses? A cat's sense of smell is about 14 times stronger than that of a human. Are there plug-in air fresheners or gas appliances? Perhaps perfumed detergents or housecleaners? Is the cat litter fragrance free? Sadly, Febreeze can be especially irritating to cats.
Another consideration is hormones. As you mentioned, she may be responding to the unneutered tomcat. I feel sorry for that cat, with no home and people resenting him. Is there a TNR group in the area which might help with the stray cat problem? Rounding up cats and taking them to the kill-shelter is only a temporary fix and soon the void will be filled with other unwanted ferals. It is like leaving the water running on an overflowing bathtub - mopping up the water is one solution but turning off the faucet is better.
Oreo may be a very high-spirited individual, just as some horses are great barrel racers or win horse races. If she was a person, you might see her in a job like working on powerlines or teaching karate in the military.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I agree with all of the above, and you definitely need some patience until you can get these cats spayed. A lot of what Oreo is doing can pretty much be tied to going in to puberty. While she may always be a bit more rambunctious than Nugget, the spaying will help.

In the meantime, see if there are any tips in these TCS articles to help with some of Oreo's behavior.
How To Prevent Your Cat From Darting Out The Door – TheCatSite Articles
Cat Behavior Problems [What to do and what not to do] – TheCatSite Articles
How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Yania]

Another consideration is hormones. As you mentioned, she may be responding to the unneutered tomcat. I feel sorry for that cat, with no home and people resenting him. Is there a TNR group in the area which might help with the stray cat problem? Rounding up cats and taking them to the kill-shelter is only a temporary fix and soon the void will be filled with other unwanted ferals. It is like leaving the water running on an overflowing bathtub - mopping up the water is one solution but turning off the faucet is better.

Hmmm.....What a close call with her escape! Oreo is definitely being your problem child. Kitties definitely have their own distinct personalities. That said,.it is for some detective work.
First off, could there be strong scents in the home that are irritating her delicate sinuses? A cat's sense of smell is about 14 times stronger than that of a human. Are there plug-in air fresheners or gas appliances? Perhaps perfumed detergents or housecleaners? Is the cat litter fragrance free? Sadly, Febreeze can be especially irritating to cats.
Another consideration is hormones. As you mentioned, she may be responding to the unneutered tomcat. I feel sorry for that cat, with no home and people resenting him. Is there a TNR group in the area which might help with the stray cat problem? Rounding up cats and taking them to the kill-shelter is only a temporary fix and soon the void will be filled with other unwanted ferals. It is like leaving the water running on an overflowing bathtub - mopping up the water is one solution but turning off the faucet is better.
Oreo may be a very high-spirited individual, just as some horses are great barrel racers or win horse races. If she was a person, you might see her in a job like working on powerlines or teaching karate in the military.

Oreo sure is full of energy lol. I'm glad we caught her before something worse happened, we're just trying to be extra patient with her now. It's just been very stressful because she wants to go outside when we can't let her go yet until we live in a more cat-friendly area and where we can install a cat door of some sort. We don't have any scents in the house because I read that candles can be harmful to cats but we have a pheromone diffuser but that's all. And yes I also felt sad for the stray cat and I initially wanted to take him to a no-kill shelter because I don't want any cat to be killed just like they do in kill-shelters. But I just don't want to take a chance with him and let him take advantage of my kittens since they will go into heat soon in a couple of months or very soon, I'm not sure to be honest since they come up with new behaviors every month.

 

[catsknowme]

The new behaviors are often a sign of "Entering The Teen Zone" . I understand that some vets want to wait; other vets spay at 2 lbs with very few side effects. You just have to go with whatever the vet feels comfortable with. So, "fasten your seat belt" and hang on - maybe try using a ling pole with a teaser attached to the end so that Oreo does 6-10 feet across-the-room dashes and high leaps into the air, to help burn up that excess energy.