Adopting a cat, any precaution for my tank?

[rishu_pepper]

Safest thing is a canopy for sure. And yes child proof the cabinet. One of my cats was entertained watching the fish for a little while, the other couldn't care less about the tank. But they are both adept at opening cabinet doors if they feel like it.

Unfortunately a canopy is not possible for our current setup. Hopefully she won't be too attracted to jumping on top of the tank.

Mmm. Just noted the breed. Ragdolls are not given to jumping up. And really should be trained as very tiny kittens not to jump up or down. Do this by simply saying 'get down' to the kitten and depositing him on floor at any ambition for kitchen cabinets, tank, etc. Couch may be ok, bed may be ok. But they are so large and heavy, they can sprain or break a limb from too high a jump, or faceplant and break a tooth, which is its own problem. Whatever you do, start training early, early, early, soon as kitten is weaned. Never hit. Just redirect, pet, and be patient. They're unlike us apes. They will more likely remember a correction, if delivered with affection and patience.

She is 3 and trained very well as she comes from a noted cat show judge and cattery breeder. With her good background hopefully that means she will adjust/learn quickly to her new surroundings. I'm picking her up tomorrow, really excited.

 

[CStrickland]

Hmm, our condo is 2 bedrooms (one is simply a study for my wife) and 2 bathrooms. Should we, say, have both rooms access closed and open them up one by one each week to acclimate her?

yeah. or give her the office. its basically about her having a safe place if she feels hidey, and making her feel like interacting with you is her idea. With cats if they feel overwhelmed and scared they hide, but they are naturally so curious that if you dont bother them they come out to investigate on their own. So little things like if you want to pet her sit down and call her over to you instead of reaching for her. Being gentle about stuff like that in the beginning and letting her set the pace at which she explores the house and you, is a good start for a trusting relationship.

I'm sure it'll go fine, she looks like a snugglebomb

 

[rishu_pepper]

yeah. or give her the office. its basically about her having a safe place if she feels hidey, and making her feel like interacting with you is her idea. With cats if they feel overwhelmed and scared they hide, but they are naturally so curious that if you dont bother them they come out to investigate on their own. So little things like if you want to pet her sit down and call her over to you instead of reaching for her. Being gentle about stuff like that in the beginning and letting her set the pace at which she explores the house and you, is a good start for a trusting relationship.

I'm sure it'll go fine, she looks like a snugglebomb

Just an update on the cat situation:

We picked up Cassiopeia (renamed from Sparkle) on Tuesday night after watching the new Bond movie (spoiler alert, it's meh :facepalm.

When we got her home, we set her in the bathroom where all her toys/litterbox/scratcher are, opened the carrier door and left the bathroom door slightly opened. Immediately she walked out slowly and started to investigate every nook and cranny of the living room (bedroom/study are off limits currently). She wasn't scared of anything.

The first couple nights we slept outside, sometimes she would climb on us and asks for snuggles. She is extremely affectionate all the time, follows me around everywhere I go and climbs onto my lap when I sit at the sofa for pet sessions. She purrs constantly and has been playful when we give her toys. We fed her raw kangaroo (previous owner/breeder says she has always been on raw, so we aren't about to change that) and she ate happily. She did jump onto the kitchen counter, so my wife put some sticky tape on it, she jumped again and then haven't done so since.

The last thing is of course, with the tank. She looks like the fish/tank sometimes, if infrequently, and doesn't seem like she is very interested. She hasn't shown that she wants to jump/climb onto the tank or the cabinet next to it. I have opened the sump stand a couple times to do my regular checks, and she comes over to look but not awfully interested.

So far we are so glad to have Cassie in our home and we hope that she will continue to bring more joy to this family. :bounce2:

 

[CStrickland]

That's wonderful!
I'm always getting like 3-legged, one-eyed, half-feral terror cats so i probably over think it lol. I think if you were going to have trouble from her you would have seen some indication by now, it sounds like everything will be fine.

I like Cassie better anyway

 

[Wazzel]

Thank you for the advice and encouragement. Hopefully Sparkle won't be too inclined to jump into the tank and play fishing lol.

She used to be a show cat and the owner is a big time cat show judge, so her pedigree is unquestioned and we know she comes from a great home with a loving owner.

This is Sparkle:

Cute cat. Looks a lot like one of ours. We found him in a dumpster as a kitten all full of fleas, ticks and ringworms.

 

[Guy W]

I had a cat who was obsessed with chewing wires. Other then that I don't think I'd worry.

 

[g_langley]

This is great, Reef and Cats! My cat has grown up with reptiles and fish and doesn't show much interest in my current tank other than the occasional twisted head gaping mouth look. He's 17.

 

[rishu_pepper]

Cute cat. Looks a lot like one of ours. We found him in a dumpster as a kitten all full of fleas, ticks and ringworms.

Thanks.

Definitely didn't find this one in the dumpster :fun4:

I had a cat who was obsessed with chewing wires. Other then that I don't think I'd worry.

She's been great, hasn't shown any signs of misbehaviour like scratching furniture or chewing wires. Yet. Let's hope she keeps it that way.

This is great, Reef and Cats! My cat has grown up with reptiles and fish and doesn't show much interest in my current tank other than the occasional twisted head gaping mouth look. He's 17.

Yeah, Cassie hasn't really batted an eye towards the tank at all. Just as well, don't need her to jump into the tank! :thumbsup:

 

[slief]

Beautiful cat!

I saw this video and thought of you! :thumbsup:

<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4P5ogEZJJt0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Wazzel]

Thanks.

Definitely didn't find this one in the dumpster :fun4:

He turned out ok, considering.

 

[ScienceRulez]

When my wife and I were living in Utah, we had a floor pond for my goldfish that had outgrown their 30 gallon tank. One day while the cats were asleep my wife and I rearranged the room. Later in the evening when the crazies hit they were chasing each other and jumped onto the back of the couch at high speed. The cat in the back stopped in time but the front cat took a bath. Never even went near the pond again. Though one habit they both developed is that they like to drink water from the filter of my 30 gallon fresh water guppy tank.

Christmas trees however are another story...

 

[Swanwillow]

My kitties are holy terrors. Right now I just have a small freshwater set up, and my purebred bengal likes to try to go fishing. >.< I'm going to have an open-top with hanging lights, so I have to cross my fingers that the two idiot cats don't go swimming. That said, I'm not too worried about it. If they do, they do. And my bengal isn't afraid of water at all, unfortunately. My black ex-barn-cat doesn't like water much, and she sheds way more than my bengal, so as long as she stays away I think it'll be okay.

The dog, on the other hand..

Hey, this is my 2000'th post! Wow! and its about cats, not fish. Go figure

 

[mikejrice]

https://youtu.be/dRx8gyvcqE8

 

[rishu_pepper]

Just a bit of an update.

It's been a month since Cassie became part of our family. She is really quite gentle and tank-wise, she has not caused any trouble. In the first couple weeks, whenever I opened the sump door she sometimes would come over and examined it, but now she doesn't even care much. As for the DT itself, she shows no interest and doesn't climb anywhere near it. Her cat tree (floor to ceiling) is quite a ways away from the tank, sometimes when she's high up she'd take a look at it but not in any menacing way. Even when we hold her and bring her to the tank she doesn't really care for it. I guess in a way, that's been a blessing.

The tank itself is doing great. I need to take a pic with the cat and tank as our Christmas card lol.

 

[gone fishin]

Looking very nice.

 

[Protoavis]

It'll depend on the cat really, my current cat completely ignores tanks, see's moving water and just keeps away.