Does she have a place up high to perch? Is she spayed? She sounds partially feral and possibly stressed out from the move.
Don't play with her with your hands anymore. Use toys on strings or laser pointers. And play until she's worn out, when she lays down or starts to pant you're done it. Keep the focus off of any body parts.
Also try a cat hormone to calm her, http://www.amazon.com/Feliway-Behavior-Modifier-Spray-75/dp/B001GQI8SS
I recommend the double sided tape on all sofa surfaces. I kept my tape on for the first year I had my cats and also used a spray bottle. I was home enough during the day that I was able to make an impression on them pretty quickly.
Also I used Feliway spray on the kitty scratch tower I had for them. When I was training them regarding the sofa I always made sure one was plugged into an outlet nearest the tower as well as spray it lightly once every couple days. If I caught them scratching I'd say firmly, 'NO', pick them up and put them on their tower.
In our ten years together I have no problems with them.
Good luck! I hope you get this taken care of.
In fact, one of my cats likes to play like he's going to scratch under the sofa... but flips around in a full circle. So cute! That's when I know he is wanting attention.
I've tried feliway with my kitties when we moved into a new house and when we got a new cat to ease the transition. It really helped our oldest to relax. They sell them on amazon also, in diffuser form and a spray bottle form. You only need a couple of pumps per area, so I'm sure one or two would be fine for a kitty carrier. Instructions are on the box! Bonus, you can use it in the new place once you get there. I read somewhere it's recommended to put the cat in one room for a little bit to help them calm down and get acclimated to the new home and smells, but you can use the feliway in the room in corners and help the little guy relax while you unpack. [: Link!
I had a similar situation with a dog we rescued, though in over a decade of owning pets, I'd never had this happen before. She was fine with strangers and other dogs until she was spayed. Then she got really protective and defensive. What may have happened is that since the hormones gave gone down in your cat's system, they may now feel vulnerable- she has to prove her toughness. Call it overcompensation. Usually, I'd say 99% of the time, spaying and neutering "works" to calm a pet down.
You might want to bring kitty to the vet just to make sure that's all that's wrong, as cats may also get defensive when they're sick. Make sure she didn't get an infection from the operation.
If it turns out nothing is wrong with her, just buy some Feliway spray. It's this stuff for cats that makes them "be nice", by... well, setting up the right scents.
http://www.amazon.com/Feliway-Behavior-Modifier-Spray-75/dp/B001GQI8SS
I've got two cats here, by my side. One of them, whenever he is sick (or is in a mysterious bad mood), he attacks his furr-brother-from-another-mother. He never used to, it just happened as he aged.
Hope some of this helps! Good luck. Separate the cats when you can't watch them for now. It may also just be a territory battle, so you may want to make sure there are some high places one kitty can jump to, to be safe.
I'm late to the party but I have the same problem with my cats. You might try Feliway for a while - it keeps my younger male cat calm. A vet once told us to put a bit of tuna juice on the necks of our cats so they'd have positive associations with each other.
My younger male cat knows that when I say his name in a certain way, he'd better back off. Not that I've done anything to make him fear the consequences - the worst I do is hold him by the scruff until the female gets away safely. Not the best method though, as it doesn't really teach him anything except that when I'm around, he can't bug her.
Go get some Feliway. It's a little pricy but you probably wouldn't have to buy refills, just use it until she gets more comfortable. I would say it isn't guaranteed to work, because I think some cats are more receptive than others. It helped me when I brought a young cat in to live with me and my older cat. There's a diffuser and a spray.
http://www.amazon.com/Feliway-Behavior-Modifier-Spray-75/dp/B001GQI8SS
Aside from that, just give her as much attention as you can, and play with her a lot before you go to bed so hopefully she'll be worn out. You might consider leaving a light and/or music on somewhere, too. Good luck!
You can pick them up at your local pet supply store if you can't wait, but it is significantly cheaper on Amazon. And of course, reviews. :)
Unfortunately I'm only speaking from m own experiences which have all been pretty successful. None of my cats have fought and really hurt each other. I'm not sure if a vet would have any helpful hints, when I've gotten new cats they've mostly give vague "keep an eye on them" "give them time to adjust" kind of stuff which isn't really helpful. When my husband and I got our second one he was very anxious and was not using the box and my vet suggested we try Feliway which is odorless to humans but is essentially cat pheromone and can help with anxiety. We used it for about 2 months, I'm not sure if it worked, or that was just the time he needed to get adjusted but he's using the box now and they seem to get along for the most part. It's available on Amazon and comes in a spray and a diffuser (which is like a Glade plug in). Sorry I can't offer any sort of professional advice, just anecdotal experiences. Best of luck!
I think it's a good idea that you got a large crate for him. Be very careful if you do decide to let him out of your car. I have heard so many horror stories of cats jumping out at stops or rest areas and never being captured again. Cats can move very fast especially when nervous or panicking. If you let it out of the crate do not open a door or window until it is secured. If your kitty will wear a harness you could attach a leash to him and attach the leash to something in the car and that way he could roam around more.
If you can maybe you should stop halfway at a cheap motel? I'm not sure if this would calm your cat or just be worse since it will take you longer to get to your final destination. But if your cat mainly has a problem with cars and not new surroundings this might be a good way to give your cat some relief.
I have heard a lot of good things about this stuff: http://www.amazon.com/Feliway-Behavior-Modifier-Spray-75/dp/B001GQI8SS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355105076&sr=8-1&keywords=feliway+spray I have never tried it myself but it is supposed to make your cat think whatever you sprayed is something that it has marked which will make them feel more confident and comfortable.
I have used these before: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Pet-Naturals-of-Vermont-Calming-Soft-Chews/176063.aspx?click=124&9gtype=search&9gkw=Froogle-Click&9gad=5561049311.11&9gqu=Froogle-SE&utm_source=google&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=D... And they are good for calming a cat.