Cat Attacking Fish!

[ATK!!!]

I bet there's looaads of people out there with the same problem as me! It started off being quite funny watching my 5 month old tabby following the fishies movements around the tank, but now it's an all out battle between me saving the fish and her getting them. She continously jumps right up to the tank and scares the fish half to death, they are very pale and the shrimp never come out any more .

So, any suggestions on how to stop her from getting the fish?

Will she get bored of them when we finally let her outside after being neutered?

Infact if anyone has any funny pics of cats and fishtanks this'd be the time to show them off!

 

[Blubble37]

you could make the cat learn not to go there by doing something unpleasant (but not harmful) to it like picking her up and shoving her in a box for 15 minutes. I think it's called pavlovian training.

eventually she will learn that scaring fish = nasty box and will stop doing it

 

[fluttermoth]

A water pistol would be better than shutting her in a box...

 

[mbeer21]

A little spray of water every time she approaches the tank should do the trick - definitely don't put her in a box

My cat has never paid the slightest bit of attention to either of my fish tanks, which is lucky I suppose

 

[StandbySetting]

+1 on the water pistol, it works a treat.

 

[ATK!!!]

Lols, sounds cruel but I guess it would work. Whether my mum would approve...... Hehehe like I really care anyways

 

[Kelly-Jo]

My dog kept doing this so we've put a washing basket in front of the cabinet so she can't jump up at it anymore.

 

[mislisa]

my cat used to attack the side of the tank....


but thankfully he never thought to jump on top, as he would have probably broken the lid!! my fish didn't seem to mind.. in fact, i'm pretty sure my krib would tease him on purpose.

it was pretty fun to watch, as the would often try to bite the glass, bumping his nose in the process. silly kitty

 

[fluttermoth]

Lols, sounds cruel but I guess it would work. Whether my mum would approve...... Hehehe like I really care anyways

It's not cruel; you're not hurting the cat in any way. All you're doing is making the cat assosciate jumping on the tank with something unpleasant (being wet; cats don't like being wet, that's why they never cry ).

 

[Bazza57]

I bet there's looaads of people out there with the same problem as me! It started off being quite funny watching my 5 month old tabby following the fishies movements around the tank, but now it's an all out battle between me saving the fish and her getting them. She continously jumps right up to the tank and scares the fish half to death, they are very pale and the shrimp never come out any more .

So, any suggestions on how to stop her from getting the fish?

Will she get bored of them when we finally let her outside after being neutered?

Infact if anyone has any funny pics of cats and fishtanks this'd be the time to show them off!

Buy a large aggressive cichlid! put it in a tank where your moggy can get to it & watch the fun - kill or cure.

Nah, seriously mate, I once had a cichlid that regularly "went for" my missus (displaying all the territioral colouring & aggression typical of big cichlids)

 

[Caprichoso]

Whatever you decide to do (though I am in agreement with the water sprayer), chances are your cat will grow out of it. My cats were obsessed with my aquarium when they were young. Now they could care less and probably pay more attention to the television than the tank lol.

 

[mark2109111]

That funny my cat never paid any attention to my tanks until he saw the electric blue hermit crab in my 55 gallon saltwater tank lol

 

[nurglespuss]

Get rid of the mog, #41#### sneaky thieving little creatures...

 

[coldcazzie]

One of my cats loves the fish, one couldn't care less. The one who loves them only ever goes for the BNs, must be something about the way bottom feeders wiggle - the shrimp and tetras are not even vaguely interesting to her. The fish know she can get them and ignore her.

 

[Crazycat lady]

Please don't shut the cat in a box! My cat watches the tank all
Day but only goes for it when my chinese algae eater is sucking
On the side. Water pistols are definately the way to go.

With regards to pavlovian training, I studied this in psychology,
Pavlov was a behaviourist who studied conditioning. Bit of an evil
Man in my opinion, look up “pavlovs bell” an interesting and mean
Experiment he did to his dogs.

Like blubble37 said its about association an action with either negative
Or positive reinforcement. But you don't wann traumatise the cat.

Although cats are stubbord things! find their achilies heel, when my
Cat goes for the tank, one jingle of mr froggie and she couldn't
Care less abt the tank!