Cats Drinking Fish Tank Water

[Just_Another_One]

I was just wondering what people thought regarding cats or even dogs getting into dirty tank water.

I know it could be potentially harmful if certain medications are in the tank, but what about tap water conditioners??

My cat just got into the bucket full of old tank water during a water change just now when I left it for just a minute or so. The only thing I put in my tanks is API tap water conditioner- super strength forumla.

Anybody have cats that enjoy tank water and are fine afterwards, or should I be worried he will be getting sick??

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

I was just wondering what people thought regarding cats or even dogs getting into dirty tank water.

I know it could be potentially harmful if certain medications are in the tank, but what about tap water conditioners??

My cat just got into the bucket full of old tank water during a water change just now when I left it for just a minute or so. The only thing I put in my tanks is API tap water conditioner- super strength forumla.

Anybody have cats that enjoy tank water and are fine afterwards, or should I be worried he will be getting sick??

I doubt he will get sick. I know a guy who drank the water dripping from a filter pad of a fluval canister He got payed a pretty penny for it though and he was fine.

 

[LauraFrog]

My cat drinks out of my water change buckets all the time... she's drunk dechlorinator, ammo-lock, very small amounts of salt and very small amounts of melafix, plus plenty of nitrates and fish poo. I think it's disgusting, and if I catch her going after the ammo-lock I try and stop her, but she's never gotten sick.

 

[Gilli]

It will do no harm - same thing as cats drinking out of a pond. I asked a vet once why they do it and he said its because they prefer it to our chlorine flavoured tap water!

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

It will do no harm - same thing as cats drinking out of a pond. I asked a vet once why they do it and he said its because they prefer it to our chlorine flavoured tap water!

Yep... most cats/dogs seem to prefer even a muddy puddle over chlorinated tap water! Must be all those 'extra bits' in puddles that make them so appealing!
My dogs are always very curious about the interesting splashing nosies in the bucket when I siphon out water for a water change. One of my dogs has even taken a sneaky lap from a bucket of dirty tank water after I'd squeezed out a very sludgey piece of filter foam in it! Mmmm... 'extra bits'.

 

[Inchworm]

Pandora grew up with the tanks and, from the time she was still a young kitten, would only drink from them. If I put a dish of water on the floor, she would just play in it. To take a drink, she often dips her paw in the water and licks the water from her fur.

She's perfectly healthy and this doesn't seem to bother the fish at all. The only problem is that she drips water onto the sides of the tanks when she is getting off, and as a result, I have a lot of water spots on the glass.

 

[keenonfish]

Our cat won't drink water out of a bowl but will drink out of a pint glass, as I discovered once when a glass full on my side cabinet ended up all over me at about 2A.M. one morning
She will drink from the bath tap.

 

[meguro]

Some prefer moving water to still water as it is perceived as fresh/new water. Also if the water is in a different or new location to their usual water bowl, it is more appealing as it would seem to be fresh/new water. If you have indoor pot plants on ceramic dish things, sometimes when watering, the water will accumulate on the ceramic dish (when you use too much) and they will drink from the ceramic dish.

I suggest changing the location (new location every couple of days) of your pets water bowls to change their perceptions. There are even water bowls for pets that have a pump that cycles the water to keep it moving.

 

[roxywish05]

That is the cutest picture ever! I would be nervous that she would fall in one day though!!

 

[Inchworm]

That is the cutest picture ever! I would be nervous that she would fall in one day though!!

Oh, she has already!! She is fascinated by the water, but never bothered a fish. Here she is checking them out and doing a balancing act on an empty tank. She does that even if they are full, if the cover is off, and has completely or partially fallen in more than once.

 

[chr15_8]

my mums cat drinks out the koi pond water. i add additives to the water every week and the cat is still alive.

only time i made sure she didnt drink was when i treated with potassium Permanganate