Ahhhhh!!! He's driving me crazy!!!

[NoahsMommy]

I know he's only a kitten, but how do I stop Basil from climbing up my leg??? I can't eat, sit at the computer or even go to the bathroom without him climbing up my legs! I don't even have to have pants on for him to try it! Noah's kittenhood taught me about ruined pants and I wont let Basil ruin anymore. How on earth do I make him stop? I don't hold him after he does this, I put him down and say "no"! When he does it, he doesn't want to be held, he wants to play or steal food from the cat dishes or whatever I'm eating...or to bite my fingers. What do I do? He's driving me crazy...

[Former User]

Have you tried squirting some water on him when he is climbing your leg? I remember this from C & K, except that they didn't climb, they jumped on the leg and then hold on to it -with nails Anyway, we stopped it by yelling a lot (LOL) and by squirting water.
Good luck with Basil! He'll grow out of it!

[C.C.'s Mom]

I got Rudie and Eddy of the counter in the kitchen (not the same, but I guess it goes with the same idea) by simply putting them down again and again. It took us about a week of consequent not allowing them on the counter to get them to stop doing it. I guess you can do the same with climbing your leg. But the water is also effective. And a firm 'no'.

[lynnestankard]

Kelly - I'm with Niina on this one - being very LOUD and squirting water!! The only way we could ever stop Kisi (RB) doing this - and like C&K she used to launch herself straight at your leg and hold on with every needle like claw!!
Come to think of it - I'm sure it was about this time that I started filing her claws with an emery board!! She grew to adore her 'manicure' and would lie in my lap and purr the whole time I was attending to her nails!!! LOL.
Hey try it with Basil - you've got nothing to loose - apart from perforated legs!!!
Good luck

Lynne

[NoahsMommy]

Thanks guys!! I'll try this tonight...I have been yelling "no" and he seems to get it after a while...

[sasvermont]

ah, such sweet memories of shredded legs and arms and stockings and curtains and...gosh I could go on and on....Graemer and Miley were not too bad since they were about 4 months old when I got them.....but other kittens I've had were much younger and boy was it murder. They finally outgrew the bad habits!

[toughCookie]

try ha

try keeping a wand or string toy around, and distract him with that, or throw a toy mouse or some other kind of toy. he just wants to play, so if you wave a feather on a stick or something like that, he will get used to playing with toys. when my kitties bug me, I throw a toy across the room and they go running for it!

[NoahsMommy]

toughcookie,

That is what I've been doing, and it works great! Thanks for the advice!

This weekend he was my little "baby"...I swear the cats think I'm mommy....