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Cats + Fish Tanks

NikkiT

NikkiT

So as all of you know, we have been fish people for a long time.
About 2 years ago, we became cat people.
Well, our two of our three cats are apparently also fish enthusiasts. . . in a different sense.
I expected that if a fish jumped, it would become a snack, food chain and all that. I did not expect them to stalk, and jump at, the fish in the 205, and lie on TOP of the JBJ 12g and swatting at the fish in the 12.
Our cats just recently figured out how to open cabinets, and I'm worried that flipping up the lid on the 12g is going to come next.
Any suggestions? Anyone else have this problem with a cat?
They are not afraid of getting wet.
 
A

Alcohol120

i've never owned a cat before but isn't it possible to train them that the behavior is unacceptable? thats what i would do with my dog, it may take some time but it will be worth it. their predatory instinct might make it really tough to train. maybe they are bored and dont have enough stuff to play with and explore. like i said though ive never had a cat, only dogs, but ive seen that cat show on animal planet a couple times. otherwise a heavy hand weight would probably be enough to keep the cat from getting the lid open.
 
ThatGuy

ThatGuy

Duck Tape it the answer, what is the problem?
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But in all seriousness. For the cabinets you could put child safety locks on them. As far as the 12 gal goes, (just a thought) maybe the tape is a idea(temporary). You could try to put a deterrent on top of the lid so they steer clear.
 
kschweer

kschweer

Administrator
Staff member
Officer Emeritus
Moderator
I know they make motion activated bottles of compressed air. You could put them where you don't want the cats (fish tank ) and when they get close they activate the air and get spooked. After a while they come to expect it and will stay away even when the bottles aren't there anymore
 
dirtycontour

dirtycontour

Do you have any other perches in the house for the cats? My cat used to climb my computer desk and it always made me nervous because my tank is next to the desk. We bought on of those cat trees and she doesn't bother with the tank anymore.
 
NikkiT

NikkiT

The compressed air is a great idea, I will look into that, thanks Kevin.

We have cat trees. The new one is 6 feet high.

The 12g is actually next to my dresser, and the dresser is higher than the tank.

The cat who I am worried is going to eat our candy basslet is a 17 pound, 18 month old F3 Savannah. He is a worrisome combination of smart & stubborn.

Alcohol120, when I say I spend about $30 per week on cat toys, I am not exaggerating. There are no lack of toys in our house. We have just about every cat toy ever created, with the exception of a cat wheel. I just can't justify the expense not knowing if they would run on it or ignore it.

They view the entire house as one giant play area, and they are very athletic. Two of the three go outside on a leash and harness to play in the yard (the third cat is scared of the great outdoors- and the one I am worried will eat the basslet).
 
Zippy69

Zippy69

Compressed air, double sided tape or cut out a desk chair floor pad. The ones that have the little plastic treds on the underside to grip into the carpet. Anything that creates an unpleasant tactile sensation will work. Be diligent to create a habit over many months. Even then you are never 100% trustworthy.
 
kschweer

kschweer

Administrator
Staff member
Officer Emeritus
Moderator
NikkiT said:
The compressed air is a great idea, I will look into that, thanks Kevin.

We have cat trees. The new one is 6 feet high.

The 12g is actually next to my dresser, and the dresser is higher than the tank.

The cat who I am worried is going to eat our candy basslet is a 17 pound, 18 month old F3 Savannah. He is a worrisome combination of smart & stubborn.

Alcohol120, when I say I spend about $30 per week on cat toys, I am not exaggerating. There are no lack of toys in our house. We have just about every cat toy ever created, with the exception of a cat wheel. I just can't justify the expense not knowing if they would run on it or ignore it.

They view the entire house as one giant play area, and they are very athletic. Two of the three go outside on a leash and harness to play in the yard (the third cat is scared of the great outdoors- and the one I am worried will eat the basslet).
Click to expand...

Nikki,
If you have a hard time finding them see me a pm. My bosses wife owns a pet store down here so she more than likely will know if somewhere to get them
 
TanksNStuff

TanksNStuff

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I was worried about your cats going "fishing" since the first time I saw your new tank Nikki. That wide open top was just an invitation that your cats would not be able to ignore forever. :(

Knowing your setup, I know that what I did to keep our cats out will not work for you... but in case anyone else is reading for answers, it may help them.

My tank has a canopy for my LEDs that sits right on top of my tank. So, the only way a cat could get into my tank would be to jump on top and then reach through between the light fixtures. Knowing how curious our cats our, we decided that the small openings and the long distance (about 18 inches) between the top of the canopy and the water was not enough to guarantee they wouldn't get in. I can see them falling through from trying to reach their paws down from up top.

Anyway, I had some leftover plastic netting that I used to make "pod condos". This is what I bought for it. I simply cut a piece out to the size of the canopy top opening and used some screws to keep it tightly streched out and fastened to the canopy. I then trimmed any loose edges hanging over the sides with scissors to clean it up.

Now, even if they decide to jump up there, they won't be able to even put a paw through, let alone fall into the tank. You can't even tell it's there unless you are really tall and can see over the canopy. The netting doesn't affect air flow or anything either.

Nikki, this obviously won't work for you guys unless you build a canopy, but thought it was worth mentioning here. Maybe you guys could get some glass or acrylic panels to lay across your tank to keep the cats out? It also might help prevent any fish from jumping out.

I think the compressed air or other "deterrent" methods may work initially but cats are predators by nature. If they want the fish bad enough, they may continue to make attempts after being deterred a few times and may find a way. I think your best solution is to make it impossible for them to get in altogether.

For the 12g, using tape to keep the lid secured is probably your best option. It may not look very pretty, but it will definitely make it too hard for them to get the top up.
 
NikkiT

NikkiT

Lol!!

George, strangely enough we do OK with the 205, but not the nano.
They jump at the 205, but they don't really try to get in to it. They are not really trying to get in to it- if they were it would have happened already.

On the other hand, one of our cats lays on top of the canopy for the 12, and bats at the fish. Eventually, I am worried he will accidentally flip the lid open, and then go fishing.
 
fatoldsun

fatoldsun

NJRC Member
When mine were kittens to keep them off stuff I took some empty soda cans and put in about 20 pennies. Put it on an edge so any moment will knock it over. It'll scare the ___ out of them (you too if it's the middle of the night. Takes about 2-3 times and they don't bother going there again. Of course these were kittens. Not sure if it works with 12-18 months.
 
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