Successfully Keeping Cats With Fish

[Just_Another_One]

i recently just got a six week old kitten and am a little worried when he grows up theres going to be a problem around my fish tanks. ones a 33 gal im not too worried about, its the little 3 gal betta tank i have a bad feeling about, i have a heater in there so the lid doesnt close properly, im not sure waht to do about that tank yet. just wonderin if anyone has cats and fish live peacefully together

 

[kewskills]

You could buy heat pads that the tank will sit on instead of an internal heater, that way at least you can close the lid of your tank.

my cats never seem to bother with my tanks/fish, they look occasionally but thats all so far ..........

 

[Luketendo]

My cats prefer my gerbils over the fish.

 

[tropicalgirl2007]

I have four cats, three big tanks and three betta tanks, my cats are 5 years, 3 years and 7 months, none of them pay any attenion to the tanks. if your kitten pays any attention, spray it with a bit of water from a plant waterer. We have used this method with things like scratching the funiture etc, after a while they learn not to do it becasue they know they will get wet.

 

[freerunner416]

I have two cats which are 1.5years old. They only bother with the fish if you hold them infront of the tank so that they can see in or if it is leaking and they love to try and catch the drips!! They do however love when im cleaning out the tank and are always trying to get into the bucket or steal the plants if im rescaping. Drives me daft when i turn around and find a plant being dragged away or fought over!!

 

[jackkelly32]

We have 3 cats and 4 tanks,The cats are 6 months,2 years and 9 years old and none of them are bothered about the fish.They do tend to sleep on top of one of the lids but thats because its nice and warm

 

[merry78]

i have four cats and five tanks, and have had no bother except that the cats always like to jump onto the tanks to sleep on them, and one went through the lid once and broke it, which was really annoying, as i was asleep at the time, and the tank is right next to my bed, so i got woken up with a facefull of tank water, quickly followed by a terrified wet cat clawing me as it leapt across my head.
otherwise, all good!

 

[kewskills]

i have four cats and five tanks, and have had no bother except that the cats always like to jump onto the tanks to sleep on them, and one went through the lid once and broke it, which was really annoying, as i was asleep at the time, and the tank is right next to my bed, so i got woken up with a facefull of tank water, quickly followed by a terrified wet cat clawing me as it leapt across my head.
otherwise, all good!

 

[tetraqueen]

The only thing I notice is if I giving the fish attention I also have to give the cat attention otherwise the two live in their own worlds, wish it was as easy for me to live in mine.

 

[lljdma06]

Your kitten is very young, and still very open to any boundaries you set. If you are firm and consistent in enforcing the "no cat on tank policy" then it will respond well and not bother your fish. Don't tell it not to go on your tank, and at the next moment when you see it cutely trying to swat a fish, go "aww." You'll send your pet at best mixed signals and at worst, you'll encourage behavior that can look adorable, but can also lead to disaster. Either be tolerant of the cat on the tank, or not, but don't send mixed signals.

I have two cats. My eldest had to be trained to not go near the tanks and now she doesn't and hasn't for an extremely long time, over seven years. My newest cat, though he doesn't swat or knock things down, frequents my 8g open-top to drink water. He loves the taste of the non-chlorinated, filtered water. I'm still working on him to stop, and it's better, now I can tell him no when he approaches the tank and he'll move off, but when I'm not looking... I've used verbal commands and the squirt bottle. The verbal has worked better for me, but the kitten has been with me from day 8 of its life and knows my voice extremely well.

llj

 

[Flagfin]

Hya - we have 12 tanks and 5 cats. We also keep bengal cats which are well known for their love of water. (they go swimming in the bath etc.) We accepted that bengals love water and fish so re-enforced the lids to accommodate them (although we have had to fish them out a couple of times). However cats aren't stupid and can learn when they're not to do something - follow the advice on this thread and you'll be fine.

Couldn't resist - sorry

Mmmm fish supper

 

[dthoffsett]

My cats couldn't care less about the tanks, occasionally they'll "notice" there's something in them, but they get over that fast. The only problem I have is one of them always tries to drink the dirty tank water when I'm not looking. It doens't happen often, because I only use bucket when I'm cleaning filters, but it is so nasty. I personally think if they were to market fish poo flavored catfood, cats everywhere would rejoice.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

my cat is really only interested in fish that react to her. danios and tetras provide hours of entertainment for her, but cichlids and bettas have always been rather boring. but cats are such individuals when it comes to predator behavior, that there's really not a good way to predict whether or not yours will leave the fish alone.

i will say that you should probably expect the kitten to climb on top of the lid (since it is a relatively flat surface) and as such, i would make certain that the lid cannot be pushed or knocked into the water. you will probably need to take a pair of tin-snips or garden shears and "customize" your hood so that it lays flat even with the heater in place.