Tell me how you cat-proof your fishtank!

[FishBliss]

New kitten.....
need I elaborate!!



The tank is 29 gallons, on a stand. When he was smaller the kitten stood on his back feet and peered into the bottom of the tank. Very cute.

But one day, when I had the top open for feeding he took a leap from the chair that is about 4 feet away and landed IN the tank. (obviously I shoved the chair back a bit, but the room is small -- no where else to go now)

I scooped him out quickly and threw him on the chair, chair all wet, cat all wet, me all wet, fish supplies scattered everywhere, freaked out fish.

I think it's only a matter of time before he does it again. He's getting on towards Cat-hood now -- bigger and stronger and sneakier....with a kitten's energy and desire for constant activity. The tank is a sitting duck.

I envision bungy cords, plexiglass squirrel-baffles, pidgeon spikes....

Tell me what you have experienced with your cat and your tank.

(My older cat, by the way, pretends the tank isn't there, can't see it, not in his universe, different dimension.)

 

[ct-death]

Train the cat...what you did was a start, but you can also line the tank edge, stand edges, or any furnature for that matter, with aluminum foil. Works fairly well. They don't like the feel of the cold metal on their feet at all.

Another good training method would be to simply not talk to,pet, etc. while it is watching the tank and obviously why you are working on it.

Cats get jealous also, so i fed mine fresh food just before I fed my fish and watched them. Now, like your older cat, she doesn't care.

I have her trained not to climb on any countertops or furnature, except the couch, but I CANNOT break her from eatting Bows and Ribbons! :angry:

 

[msjinkzd]

I envision bungy cords, plexiglass squirrel-baffles, pidgeon spikes....

:lol: this cracked me up. you forgot grease guns and superglue!

I don't do anything special, my cat just leaves the tanks alone, but he won't stop munching on power cords.

 

[Kevin151]

If you have any of the old office floor protectors laying around your house (you know the ones you put down on carpet to make your chair roll better) Cut one of those down so that it fits on your hood and fasten it down SPIKEY SIDE UP. Cats have sensitive paws and they dont like the spikes. This should deter the kitten a bit without all the McGyver style boobie traps.

 

[equus_peduus]

My cat, oddly enough, has never paid attention to the fish tank(s) and I've had her since she was 6 weeks old. However, she has been known to use the tank as a place to sit to watch things... so now when I move, I put the tank(s) in locations where there isn't something to use as a stepping stone up, and where she's less likely to want to sit on it to watch the world (e.g., blank wall, not near window)

My cat, also oddly enough, likes the aluminum foil, or did a couple years ago when I tried it to get her off other surfaces... she seems to like the noise it makes. =.= Double-sided sticky tape, she licks.

However, if your tank is set up in such a way that the cat can easily land in the tank and not on the tank when he jumps up, that would be a training method all by itself... [reread post, only happens when feeding] Or you could easily put something on top that would make it more uncomfortable to be up there... but it will have to be over the entire top surface, at least, if the cat's like mine, who will find the 2mm spaces between whatever it is to carefully balance in...

 

[jmhart]

My cat loves my tanks. She watches them all day long. Actually, I think it stresses her out a little now that we have two tanks in two different rooms. When she's watching one, she seems all worried about what's going on in the other one.

To stay on topic, both of my tanks have glass covers, with the additional plastic attached to the back of the cover. This seems to work pretty well. She actually sits on top and watches the fish from above. The other option, is a canopy. I added one, not for the cat, but for other reasons. The cat was a little disappointed, though.

 

[Squawkbert]

 

[chucke]

This was a funny one thanks for the laugh

 

[irishspy]

I think you should really start worrying when copies of Field & Stream start arriving, addressed to the cat. :rofl:

 

[ct-death]

:lol: Great one Squak!!!