Thank you, both of you. And thank you Kashta for your generous offer! I think it would behoove me well to take you up on it.
I am at a disadvantage where I live, being a pet lover. There are literally no pet stores nearby. The closest is 45 miles, but it isn't worth going. She takes horrid care of her animals, her shop stinks, and everything is sick. I won't even by mice or rats there to feed my snakes, they are so filthy.
There is a Meijer and a Walmart, but it doesn't do me any good to buy anything from there either, they always die within ten days no matter what I do. I know it isn't me. I am very faithful about water changes, I check my parameters, my temps are good, if I thought I was doing something wrong, I wouldn't buy fish until I fixed it. (Apparently, my worst vice is not having tank backgrounds, LOL.) I drip acclimate everything, and I quarantine.
I have wanted to get goldies again for a long time, but I never found anything I like. I really was attracted to these poor little fish. I just can't believe it was over that quick.
On a side note, I really am not mad at the cats, more at myself. They aren't rational beings, they did not know that they were doing anything wrong. All of my tanks have lids, and I just have never had anything like this happen before.
Kristina