Can my cat, drinking out of my fish bowl, effect the well being of my fish?

Question

My cat was drinking a lot of water out of my fish bowl this am and now 2 of them have died. Can the cat have something bad on it's tongue? Any help appreciated. TY for your attention..hugs 2

Answer 1

It's possible that there was bacteria on the cat's tongue that killed the fish, yes, because the teeny tiny bowl was too small to properly dissipate the bacteria. But the thing is, and it's not your fault, if you kept your fish in a proper size aquarium, it would've been able to properly cycle whatever bacteria may have been on the cat's tongue and wouldn't have harmed the fish. Fish should not be kept in bowls, despite anything you may have been told by the employees of stores such as Wally-Mart, Petcrap and Pet-Not-So-Smart. Fish, through their waste, create high levels of very toxic ammonia, which, in a proper sized environment and with proper water changes and tank maintenance, can be kept at safe levels. You say two of them have died. How many fish do you have in this bowl? A bowl is too small for even one fish, let alone several and if they're goldfish, this is even more of a no-no because goldfish are the highest ammonia producers of all. For one 3 inch goldfish, you need a minimum of a 10 gallon tank and if they are larger, you need a minimum of 20 gallons of water per fish. So, for at least 3 goldfish, you should have a minimum of a 30 gallon aquarium and you're going to need a larger one as the fish get larger. Fish also need excellent filtration to help get rid of the ammonia and to also provide sufficient oxygen in the water, which bowls never have either. And proper aquariums have covers, so your cat wouldn't be able to drink out of the water anyway. It is possible that the fish died from the cat's bacteria, and if that were the case, it could've been prevented with a larger tank, or it is simply coincidence and the water was just getting toxic anyway and the fish would've died regardless of whether the cat drank from the bowl. To prevent any more deaths, I suggest reading all the articles on Koko's you can about how to take care of goldfish and I think you will find that your fish will be much, much happier and healthier. Good luck to you!

Answer 2

Drinking Fish Bowls

Answer 3

Personally, I allow my two cats to sit on top of my aquarium and they routinely drink the fishwater. Unless your cat is indeed taking sneaky swipes at the fish and stressing them out, I doubt just drinking the water is causing your fish to die.

You should be cleaning the bowl and replacing the water about every 48 hours by 50% and using a good dechlorinator/slime conditioner.
I assume you have goldfish or moors. The reason I assume this is that there are not very many fish that can survive living in a fishbowl. Cold-water fishes, like golds and moors do okay, but they are VERY dirty fishes and that is why you have to do 50% changes if not every day, then every other day. Make sure you are not overfeeding them either.

How big is the fishbowl and how many fish do you keep in it? The average sized fishbowl (diameter 6 to 8 inches) and holds approximately 1/2 gallon of water can only support three small sized golds or moors. A gallon sized can support 5.

If you are trying to keep Tropical Fish in an unheated and unfiltered fishbowl I would hazard a guess that this is what killed your two fish, not your cat drinking the water.

P.S. Cats love extremely fresh cool water in a shallow dish. Some cats love to drink water straight from the faucet in a thin stream. Maybe you need to be looking at how you provide water for your cat too. Just a thought.

Answer 4

It's possible that it was the cat - drinking or "fishing" and stressing the fish. Venice girl also brings up a good point - in a bowl, you're likely to get chemicals building up quickly in the water.

A solution to both problems would be to get a larger tank (at least a 10 gallon) with either a glass cover, or light hood/canopy. This would keep the cat out (it could still watch the fish), allow more water for wastes to distribute, keep your water from evaporating as quickly, and keep the fish from jumping out.

Answer 5

Cat saliva can kill birds and mice. To be honest, I am also afraid of the bacteria in the fish bowl harming your cat.. I would try to prevent it.

And just to clarify, goldfish and moore's actually don't do well at all in bowls. They may have suffocated, or died from too much ammonia and lack of filtration, or they just got too big for the bowl. I know stores tend to let people believe it's OK to have fish in bowls, I fell for that once too. But anyway, you can get an inexpensive tank at Walmart even, for $9, and if you want them to live long, a larger tank with a pump, and that would keep your cat out and also keep the fish living a long time. I have a cute 28 gallon tank I paid only $84 for at Petsmart and it's very relaxing.
I also disagree that five goldfish can be kept in a 2.5 gallon -- they can grow a footlong each, and their insides keep growing if their outsides don't.
I have a couple cool fountains that encourage my cats to drink, whcih are just $30 each. One has water flowing down like a slide, another bubbles up over a big round bubble. I had a waterfall one but my cats hated it so I gave that one to my parents for their cats.

Answer 6

Cats saliva is full of nasty bacteria. Just the saliva in the right amount can kill birds, so why not fish? Also- your cat could be swiping at them when you aren't looking, or they could be stressed out from having a predator staring down at them all the time.

Answer 7

I would probably clean out that water. Cats typically have a very heavy bactieria-d mouth - as do many other creatures. Think of all the things you cat has licked ... yeah.

Answer 8

Stop you kitty from drinking fish water. There are bacteria,parasites and other things like slime in the water that is beneficial to your fish not your cat. Your cat can get sick and develop parasites.

Answer 9

I put that darn answer on the wrong person and I'm very embarrassed. Your the one that "starts my engine" Your cat is probably wackin those fish

Answer 10

did you add more water in after your cat drank some? because if it wasn't just the right temperature it might have shocked your fish. i dont think the cat had anything on its tongue though