# cats and open top tanks



## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

Hey gang,

I'm setting up a 48x24x24 and I'd like to do it open top. I have a cat who is not the nimblest (or smartest) of it's species... See where I'm going?

Anyone have any experience here? Can cats swim? If it falls in, will it be able to get back out? She still has her front claws and can easily scale a very large dresser with all the drawers shut. 

Any thoughts?


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## Copious (May 30, 2006)

Have you used the squirt gun technique to keep kitty from going other places? 

Cats can tread water they just don't like it. I would concentrate on keeping the cat away from it. Every time he/she gets close to it I would squirt him or her with a water gun until it no longer goes close to it.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Or, you can look at it another way, if she ever got up there and fell in, she'd learn and never get up there again.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Bert H said:


> Or, you can look at it another way, if she ever got up there and fell in, she'd learn and never get up there again.


My cat used to like jumping on top of my aquarium and sleeping on the warm lights. It drove me nuts as she always managed to get cat litter up there. I got tired of cleaning the litter so I intentionally left the tops open one day. She jumped up and into the tank one time! Ever since that day, she has left those nice comfy warm lights alone. Lesson learned 

She made it out on her own even though she doesn't have front claws. I was there as soon as she did it since there was a lot of splashing to grab my attention.


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## Yukilovesfish (Mar 26, 2005)

OMG I can't imagine coming home to poor Yuki "kitty paddling" around in my tank! Thankfully both of my cats show interest in the tanks but it's not to play in the water. Sasha likes to sleep under neath my five gallon tank. Yuki likes to sit in a chair and watch the tank, I guess she enjoys the tanks as much as we do! Maybe I can teach her how to do some water changes lol! :biggrin1:


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## David W. A. (Aug 22, 2006)

Cats don't like water and won't willingly go in, so if they slip, they will freak out and claws or no claws they will get out - fast. No worries.

as for cat stories - I had a 1' long electric cat-fish that had whiskers that were equal in width to my cats. My cat would sit on the edge of the stand next to the tank and get nose to nose with the cat-fish, and the cat-fish would respond in kind nose to nose too. In this case, if my cat fell in it most likely would have been killed by the electric cat.

If anyone is interested, I have a picture of the Electric Cat Fish in my photo's on my website. You have to go to the Photo's and look under the menu item *Odd Ball* and then look under *Misfits* The pictures does not really show the whiskers too well, but they were massive, I would say easily 8" across when fully spread.


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## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

Thanks all


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## Script404 (Jun 30, 2006)

You'd be amazed how quick and nimble cats are when it comes to water.
Another cat story for you, our one managed to dive bomb our tank from the second floor landing bending the metal lid as it went straight into the tank below, still managed to get out of the tank somehow even with the lid sorta wedged above it.


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## sarahbobarah (Sep 5, 2005)

How about you fill the tank with water and put your cat in? It will probably never go near your tank again.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Ah jeez, don't you guys care about the aquascape??? Man, I think I'd go crazy if some cat dive-bombed into my tank and screwed it all up (I don't see how a struggling can could NOT manage to screw up an aquascape while clawing out of there).


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## sarahbobarah (Sep 5, 2005)

Steven_Chong said:


> Ah jeez, don't you guys care about the aquascape??? Man, I think I'd go crazy if some cat dive-bombed into my tank and screwed it all up (I don't see how a struggling can could NOT manage to screw up an aquascape while clawing out of there).


Which is why I suggest filling the tank up with just water and dunking the cat in before it gets any ideas later on. 

Ever since I gave my cat a bath in the kitchen sink, it won't go near it.


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## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

Steven_Chong said:


> Ah jeez, don't you guys care about the aquascape??? Man, I think I'd go crazy if some cat dive-bombed into my tank and screwed it all up (I don't see how a struggling can could NOT manage to screw up an aquascape while clawing out of there).


It's not fully grown and it's a large, newly setup, tank, so she prolly wouldn't do that much damage. Of course I'm concerned with the scape, but resetting a tank and bringing a dead family member back to life are 2 different things.

Priorities, man!!


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## Satirica (Feb 13, 2005)

Depends on how deep the tank is. I have a 55G that one of my cats could easily drown in as they are a small breed and the tank is deep. The other, old style, 55G would be fine.


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## star rider (Feb 27, 2006)

actually a concern of mine..I have cats and btw..some cats like water.

I have a pair of ragdolls (brothers) the larger of the two likes water ..I turn on the fawcet and he'll stick his head under it.


i usually try to keep them away from the tanks..there is one they like to climb on..but they don't usually climb on them..they do however, like to keep me company when I service the tanks..

I would have a tough time if one should drown in k..and I can replant a tank if they did damage it..most of the plants will recover.
I can't replace my buddies. 
all of my tanks have canopies or are difficult for the cats to climb on.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Ah, I think you guys are just driving me nutz because of the way I aquascape.

The way I see it, a scape takes 3 months to get into a photo-graphable shape. For me, who has only the time in a semester (a hard dead line) by which to finish the scape before having to go home for winter/summer vacation, if a cat were to fall in and destroy the lay out, it would probably mean failing to meet that deadline. If it happened half-way through, it would mean not the lost of a month and a half's worth of work, but rather a whole 3 months worth because I wouldn't be able to finish it in time! A whole 3 months worth of work! T-T *crying noises*

Well, I guess it's just not worth that risk to have a cat in my situation then.


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