Problems with cats on tank tops??

[DragonChild]

Menagerie, do you have any problems with your cats and the tank? WAY off topic, I know, and I apologize, but I just wanted to ask real quick. My cats ignore my tank, except Shadow, and he weighs so much the hood bows in. Any ideas on keeping him off?

 

[Menagerie]

I split this from the other post in the hopes others may be able to help too.

You can see one of my cats on the 80 gal in my gallery. Clearly my cats rule the house None of my cats are large and the tank top never bows in. All my cats drink from various tanks around the house.
The only way I can think of to keep Shadow off the tank top is to add a hood.

 

[QTOFFER]

I read somewhere that you can use flypaper or double-faced tape to train cats not to walk on surfaces that are off-limits. It doesn't hurt them in the least, but they apparently hate the sticky sensation and they soon learn to avoid that surface.

 

[Menagerie]

Good idea!!

 

[lyquidphyre]

Mine loves to sit on top of my tank and it doesn't seem to bow. You can use a squirt gun to get them off, do what qtoffer said or add foil because they don't like that crinkling noise.

 

[bungle]

I've always used a spray bottle to keep the cats off of tables or other "off limits" areas. It only takes a couple of times to get the point across.

I have two kittens in the house now, who are just figuring out how to climb things and explore new areas. Its only a matter of time before they find a way on top of my tank, there will be a spray bottle waiting for them....

 

[chasgood]

A spray bottle works for me. Cats stop what they are doing when I pick it up now. Don't have to to even use it.

 

[shawmutt]

Leave the top off the tank one day first time they take a dip they'll think twice about jumping on top.

I had a problem with my ten gallon tank, Sophie (my cat) loved to knock the top off the HOB filter and drink the fish flavored water. I just put the tank on a higher stand. She doesn't bother the 30 gallon for some reason, probably because I have a plastic hood on it and she can't see anything (I had a full glass hood on the 10 gallon). If you have a full glass hood, perhaps the answer is to get a full plastic hood.

 

[dhs9831]

Double sided tape works well. I also have dog and cat repellent. If you get this, obviously, dont spray while the hood is on the tank, I just wipe it on with a rag and it works well as well.

 

[ferret]

Mine sometimes jump up on mine. One sleeps regularily on top of the 90 gallon planted tank in my bedroom, but I think it has to do with the lighting canopy, I think its comfy (Not to mention warm, 220 watts)

They also sometimes get on the 75 gallon, which is near the door. This is usually when someone is entering or leaving the apartment. Except for one incident where one knocked loose my juryrigged glass cover (fixed) on the 75 and took a quick bath, no problems. They do occasionally try to drink from the HOB filters though

 

[SquishyFish]

We used a super soaker to keep them off. You only have to knock their furry little butt off the kitchen counter once or twice before they learn to stay down.

 

[DragonChild]

LOL

Glad to see mine aren't the only ones who drink the fishy-flavored water!

Shadow is 27 lbs, so he is pretty hefty, enough at least that the full-plastic hood bows in. I try to keep him off...I think it's the heat from the light that encourages him.

I'll try some of those ideas. We tried a squirt bottle when the cats were younger, but they ended up playing with the squirts, not running. Heck, the one cat will beg you to squirt it so she can get a drink!!

Shawmutt...he's the only who has ever taken a dip in the tank, and he still goes near it.

 

[swanandmokashi]

i don't have cats ,, so don't know , but don't your cats eat the fish in your tank ?
especially if they can drink from it , they can catch the fish too right ?

 

[DragonChild]

swanandmokashi, They could catch the fish, if the holes were big enough. Kysha and Kamikaze drink off the HOB filter, as it cascades back into the tank. All of my fish never come up to the surface enought that the cats could get them. I don't doubt someone here has had a cat catch a fish though.

 

[Menagerie]

When my cat-in-retirement was in her prime, she caught fish from my stepfather's tank.
Now, my three cats just dink from the HOB and only one lays on the top--she loves the heat from the light.

The squirt gun trick doesn't always work. One of my cats continually scratches at our bedroom door at night. She runs when she hears us coming, because she doesn't want to get wet. However, she still scratches. We fixed that by keeping her in the spare bedroom at night. I didn't realize how much sleep I was loosing!!

 

[deli_conker]

My cat has never actually been caught on top of my 55. But he has turned the heater down more than once. He's very stubborn and will let me squirt him all day if I had the patience to do so. It's only after I take a couple of steps toward him that he decides to quit doing what he was doing and run off.