Cats & Open top tanks

[Aqualoon]

I am watching a cat for 4 weeks while it's owner is on a series of business and personal trips. I currently have two open top tanks - one is sitting on my desk right now so really easy to access, the other is in my living room and would require some effort to get to.

The cat has never been around aquariums and I have never owned a cat while in the hobby. Question is how do cats do around open top tanks?

The tank on my desk is a 20H that has my betta in it that will frequent the upper portion of the tank, will a cat "go fishing" even if getting wet in the process?

Beyond getting glass tops would egg crate or something else work to keep the cat out? It's a planted tank so I never did get tops for it.

 

[justonemoretank]

Every cat is different. I don't have any open-top tanks, but I do have a pond, and the filter part is always open, as there's no cover for it. The biggest problem I have with my cats is that they drink by sticking their paws in the bowl of water, and then lick the water off of their paws, so they do the same thing in the pond. However, they are strange, and I have never met another cat who refused to just put its head down and drink.

 

[benzjamin13]

Cats can be curious. Egg crates would work fine. I used to have an open top aquarium when I had a cat. All it really did was drink from it, but the fish were mostly bottom level fish.

 

[Aqualoon]

Alright, I'll get some egg crate to start off with and if need be I can buy a glass top for it. If I didn't have a betta who liked to swim near the top portion of the tank I wouldn't be too worried.

My other open top tank is in my living room like I mentioned, but it's a saltwater tank. I think it's inhabitants will be fine.

Thanks for the quick responses, really appreciated

 

[IKeepPacu]

i have 2 cats that get into anything and everything, and for awhile while my 75g was open they would perch at the top of the tank and watch, but never do anything more than drink from it

i would second the egg crate suggestion just incase the cat does want a fresh snack, or see's your fish as toys.

 

[SimonL]

I have an interesting open-topped/cat story to relate...I had a 65 planted tank with some 3' Cypress growing out of the top. The tank began to get randomly cloudy for no apparent reason. Later I discovered the cats were walking on the light fixture, eating the (I soon discovered) mildly toxic cypress and vomiting into the aquarium...

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

This is /\/\onsterfishkeepers: The glass is not around the water to protect fish from cats - but to protect cats from fish!

HarleyK