Adopting a cat, any precaution for my tank?

[rishu_pepper]

My wife and I are adopting a cat. It's a 3-year-old purebred Ragdoll female. When we viewed her she seemed very chill, and most websites say Ragdolls aren't big jumpers.

That said, we have a 8' peninsula tank in the middle of the living room (and 3 Radions on top). The tank has a 3" eurobrace all around. As cover, we use mesh clipped onto plastic, so it's easily removable, sitting on top of the brace. The tank top is about eye-level, but there are some furniture/cupboards that I'm sure if the cat wants to use as a springboard, she can go on top of the tank.

The cat is coming in within the next few days. I was just wondering if there are any precautions I can take in regards for the tank and its inhabitants (mixed reef).

Things I worry about:

- cat jumping/swimming in the tank
- cat eating fish
- cat hair flying into tank
- any other crazy things a cat would do

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Bent]

Gah...

Cats. Ick.

 

[billdogg]

IME the hair isn't a big deal (2 cats for over 15 years with multiple tanks)

My 1/2 siamese used to sit and watch the tank - until one day I was sitting there watching him watch the tank - when all of a sudden up he went and had both arms in the tank trying to catch dinner. I yelled, he met "Mr Hand" and learned how to fly sideways. Never did it again.

 

[slief]

Biggest thing that would concern me would be access below the tank. Dried salt water on the floor typically will serve as an invitation for the cat to pee and poop there. If the cat can't get under the tank, that shouldn't be an issue. You can probably discourage the cat from gettting on top of the tank using a spray bottle with water. Just spray the cat if you catch it jumping up there or add some double sided sticky tape or adhesive backed vinyl that's placed upside down and taped down to the top of the tank. That should serve as discouragment. Cats don't like sticky feet or getting sprayed.

 

[rishu_pepper]

IME the hair isn't a big deal (2 cats for over 15 years with multiple tanks)

My 1/2 siamese used to sit and watch the tank - until one day I was sitting there watching him watch the tank - when all of a sudden up he went and had both arms in the tank trying to catch dinner. I yelled, he met "Mr Hand" and learned how to fly sideways. Never did it again.

LOL

Glad to know cat hair isn't a big deal. Sparkle is a bit of a big shedder when we visited her. As long as the tank isn't affected, that's fine. We humans will learn to deal with it.

I've heard that the first two weeks you should leave the cat alone for the most part, to let her accustomed to the surroundings. Yay or nay?

Biggest thing that would concern me would be access below the tank. Dried salt water on the floor typically will serve as an invitation for the cat to pee and poop there. If the cat can't get under the tank, that shouldn't be an issue. You can probably discourage the cat from gettting on top of the tank using a spray bottle with water. Just spray the cat if you catch it jumping up there or add some double sided sticky tape or adhesive backed vinyl that's placed upside down and taped down to the top of the tank. That should serve as discouragment. Cats don't like sticky feet or getting sprayed.

The sump is in the stand, 4 swing open doors. The door handle knob is rather small but I don't want to underestimate her skills. Perhaps DIY some childproof lock or something?

We usually keep the floor very clean of saltwater. I guess even more caution is necessary.

Will have a spray bottle ready to go!

 

[Sapelo]

We have one indoor at and two indoor/outdoor cats. None of them have ever offered to jump into the tank (cats + water usually not their favorite combo).
Our old tank used to sit next to the arm of the couch and the cat would sit and watch the fish for hours. She finally worked up to swatting the fish when they came into "her" corner but that's as far as it ever went.
The new tank is in the middle of the room, an open top (with screens) and hanging Radions. Our sump is underneath the tank and open on both ends with easy access if the cat were ever so inclined.
All animals are different, but we've never had our cats (or four dogs) offer to even notice the tank and we've certainly never had anyone use the tank as an excuse to go to the bathroom!?!
As for letting the cat alone for a couple of weeks, I've had more adopted cats than I can even remember at this point and honestly this sounds like good advice to me. I think the biggest thing with cats is that you cannot force them to do what they do not want to do. Patience is most often rewarded. I had one older cat that I adopted from the shelter who had been abandoned by his family and left in the shelter for three months. It took three months for him to come out from under the bed and another three months before he would let me touch him. Once he made up his mind that I was ok, I was his human forever. He remains one of my favorite animals of all time and I'm glad I waited for him to decide to come to me when he was ready.

Pets are wonderful additions whether they be fish, cats, dogs or what have you.
Congratulations on your new family member and good luck!

 

[splix]

I've found dog hair in my tank a few times from when i was messing with the sump, put my wet hand on the carpet and picked a little up sometimes. As long as the cat isnt inside the tank it shouldnt be a worry.

 

[TinaMcCord]

We have 3 cats and although worried about them possibly scratching it they pretty much ignore it after being squirted with a spray bottle. My 105 lb rottweiler pup is a different story. He stands there with his nose pressed against the glass watching the fish.....trying hard to break that one.....

 

[rishu_pepper]

We have one indoor at and two indoor/outdoor cats. None of them have ever offered to jump into the tank (cats + water usually not their favorite combo).
Our old tank used to sit next to the arm of the couch and the cat would sit and watch the fish for hours. She finally worked up to swatting the fish when they came into "her" corner but that's as far as it ever went.
The new tank is in the middle of the room, an open top (with screens) and hanging Radions. Our sump is underneath the tank and open on both ends with easy access if the cat were ever so inclined.
All animals are different, but we've never had our cats (or four dogs) offer to even notice the tank and we've certainly never had anyone use the tank as an excuse to go to the bathroom!?!
As for letting the cat alone for a couple of weeks, I've had more adopted cats than I can even remember at this point and honestly this sounds like good advice to me. I think the biggest thing with cats is that you cannot force them to do what they do not want to do. Patience is most often rewarded. I had one older cat that I adopted from the shelter who had been abandoned by his family and left in the shelter for three months. It took three months for him to come out from under the bed and another three months before he would let me touch him. Once he made up his mind that I was ok, I was his human forever. He remains one of my favorite animals of all time and I'm glad I waited for him to decide to come to me when he was ready.

Pets are wonderful additions whether they be fish, cats, dogs or what have you.
Congratulations on your new family member and good luck!

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:

 

[gone fishin]

I got a couple cats. They never tried to get on top of the tank. what I did learn though was, If you have extra sand stored in 5 gal buckets make sure there is a lid on the bucket. I found some "cookies" buried in the bucket.

 

[CStrickland]

shes pretty!
I agree with the advice to rig some kind of childproofing to the doors.
Also, make sure that you have separate buckets for things like fish meds and chemicals so you don't grab the wrong measuring cup or anything. I've heard of dogs getting palytoxin from drinking water out of buckets that had been exposed to it. Not a hard sitch to avoid if you are aware of it.

my cat doesn't even notice the tank, it's weird.

I think the best thing with a new cat is to introduce them to the house slowly. Like, have a few rooms that are hers where she can get her food and sleep and litterbox while she learns the noises and smells and rhythms of your house without being overwhelmed. Then gradually start letting her explore another room and another at her own pace. That's always worked well for us. The one time my husband didn't listen and just put a cat in a new house all at once, it took much longer for her to settle in.

I think ragdolls are pretty people oriented, you probs wont have any trouble.

 

[rishu_pepper]

I got a couple cats. They never tried to get on top of the tank. what I did learn though was, If you have extra sand stored in 5 gal buckets make sure there is a lid on the bucket. I found some "cookies" buried in the bucket.

Haha good advice. I store pretty much all the dirty stuff out on the patio so that's no big deal.

shes pretty!
I agree with the advice to rig some kind of childproofing to the doors.
Also, make sure that you have separate buckets for things like fish meds and chemicals so you don't grab the wrong measuring cup or anything. I've heard of dogs getting palytoxin from drinking water out of buckets that had been exposed to it. Not a hard sitch to avoid if you are aware of it.

my cat doesn't even notice the tank, it's weird.

I think the best thing with a new cat is to introduce them to the house slowly. Like, have a few rooms that are hers where she can get her food and sleep and litterbox while she learns the noises and smells and rhythms of your house without being overwhelmed. Then gradually start letting her explore another room and another at her own pace. That's always worked well for us. The one time my husband didn't listen and just put a cat in a new house all at once, it took much longer for her to settle in.

I think ragdolls are pretty people oriented, you probs wont have any trouble.

Good call, I am going to store all the chemicals/additives in the sump stand and childproof it, just to be on the safe side.

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?

Sorry if this sorta derailed from a fish thread lol...

 

[Macimage]

We have cats and they will get on top of the tank and walk around. We have solid tops on all the tanks as if they fall into the tank they will drown (assuming you are not there to quickly get them out).

 

[jlabeaume]

I have two cats. Ones too fat to jump that high but the other has made it on top my old freshwater tank. It was close to a table that made the jump easy. I set up my new tank where nothing is too close so the cats can't make it up.

 

[stingeragent]

It all depends on how easy the top of your tank is to access for a cat. I have a freshwater tank in the living room that is near a window. I have one of those suction cup shelves on the window for the cat to lounge in. The cat can easily get from the shelf to the rim of the tank, and he occasionally will walk around the top rim of the tank( I need to get a pic of this one day), but he never puts his paws in. The saltwater tank however, unless he jumps 5 ft straight up to the rim it aint happening. I'll agree your biggest worry is making sure the cat can't get behind your stand and start messing around with the sump/wiring back there.

 

[Sk8r]

Always had cats and tanks, including office floor pond. No problem. Cat hair is rare, is only another organic; cats fishing in tank is rare, and most don't like their feet wet. If there's a problem, add a canopy or glass top: fan on your sump and you're ok. One of our cats can jump chest height from a standing start and has more interest getting in front of the tank on a cat pedestal and playing wth the fish, who keep coming back for more, so it seems a two sided interest. Never has gotten onto tank. There are a hundred ways to protect a tank and only one way for a cat to fish in it. Just keep the FISHFOOD locked up. Cats can get real fat on a hidden stash of food in a tinfoil bag. Ours found the food for the koi pond and put on 3 lbs real fast.

 

[alton]

My daughters Maine Coon was a great jumper

 

[MeghanisradxD]

I have a cat that we re-named Diablo, because we are convinced he is the devil. The hair is no big deal, but I did have to end up putting a canopy on the tank, because he would try to jump into it from the stairs close by.

Now that the canopy is on, all he'll try to do is jump up and try to catch fish through the glass. no more harm.

 

[sde1500]

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.

 

[Sk8r]

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.