My cat keeps drinking the fish tank water.....?

Question

How can I get her to stop? We keep yelling "No" and taking her off of it but she just runs back onto it and drinks more....she does not seem to get it. Also will the water hurt her? It's freshwater......

Answer 1

my cat does that too, it shouldn't hurt her but it's still not a good habit to get into...we put a secure lid on top of our tank and now the only way in is through the filter which he has yet to realize *thank god* however soon we will be getting him on of those kitty water fountains because we realized our cat seems to be attracted to running water, which is probably the cause of him trying to drink out of the fish tank which has bubbles and is temp regulated and has a filter...but the reason could be different for your cat; if I were you I'd run so little experiments with your cat to see if maybe she likes the water because the fish entertain her, because it is clean filtered water, because of the temperature of the water...or, its' a long stretch maybe she likes the attention she gets form the behavior...that's usually a problem that dogs have not cats but it is possible to have a cat with that problem, just in case have you tried re-direction to the proper water source followed by praise via petting, soothing voice tones and a treat or playing? I find that positive training methods work better than punishment so try not spraying and not yelling just pick her up and pet her and take her over to her water and pet her and play with her-if she's not interested in the water then put dip your finger in it and touch her nose....if all else fails you could invest in a kitten fountain they usually cost $30 to $50 and I know Dr Fosters and Smith's website has at least one nice one

Answer 2

My cat did this all the time, I even got her one of those water dishes that circulates the water... she still would rather drink the fish water. I had a beta, which was in a still water tank (non circulating). Unfotunately one day while I was at work she knocked the bowl over. She didn't eat the fish, but he was petrified by the time I got home. And for the remark about fish emitting toxins in the water... that's just silly. What do you suppose outdoor cats drink? Or any other cat or animal since the beginning of time!

Answer 3

LOL!

You've just discovered one of the truths of cat-dom: Cats *LOVE* drinking running water.

Any time they have a choice between drinking running water and water standing in a dish, they will ALWAYS choose the running water, even if this means they have to stick their heads in a toilet bowl or under a dripping faucet.. or, as in your case, drinking out of the fish tank.

The fish tank water shouldn't hurt her unless you've put any kind of algae killer drops or fish medication in.

The only good way I can think of to ensure that she stops is to give her another source of running water to drink from! They make special "cat fountains" just for this purpose, you can find them at any pet store.

Answer 4

Some cats like fresh running water - the water in your tank won't hurt your cat. Try getting a cat bowl fountain which will continually keep the water filtrating through.

Something like this:

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/home/improvements/09109-cat-water-fountain-bowl.html

Also, try filling a glass with water and leave it near the cat's food dish, but you will have to replace the water every day.

Answer 5

HI,
cat's like to drink from the fishwater bowl as the water does not taste to chemical anymore.The usual water from the tap has added loads of chemicals(depending on area you can check that out by googling on water quality and limiting the results by searching for your regions in the search in results function on the bottom of the page).Human's won't taste the chemicals, but cats do.In a fishbowl, these chemicals have usually been dilluted and resolved into air.It won't hurt the kitty at all, but it might scare the fish!

Answer 6

get a top for the tank, some tanks come with lids, otherwise try chicken wire or something. the water wont hurt her but she might be terrifying the fish :P
my cat fell in a fish tank when he was drinking from it once. lucky i was there to pull him out, it was a big tank and he would have probably drowned. imagine coming home to find a drowned cat in your tank :/
if its a big tank, cover it with something for safety reasons.

Answer 7

TO OFFSET ALL THE BAD ADVICE YOU ARE GETTING, HERE ARE SOME EXPERTS(and even declorinator counts as a chemical the pet should NOT drink):

"About Fish

Watching Fish swim has been shown to lower one's blood pressure. However, be cautious around the aquarium water since several people at risk have been shown to have acquired unusual infections from the water. Be especially careful if you have cuts or sores on your hands."


Now here is a list of specific infections pets can get from people who don't watch over what they get into.. Notice what they get from drinking aquarium water, due to it's bacteria (yes, fish ARE alive, and excrete waste!).

Infections Carried by Animals



Disease

Type of Organism

Transmission

Illness


bartonellosis
(bahr-te-nel-O-sis bacteria cat scratch skin lesions
campylobacteriosis
(kamp-pe-lo-bak-ter-e-O-sis bacteria animal stool diarrhea/blood infection
crytosporidiosis
(krip-to-spo-rid-e-O-sis) bacteria animal stool severe diarrhea
mycobacteriosis
(mi-ko-bak-ter-e-O-sis) bacteria aquarium water skin lesions
salmonellosis
(sal-mu-nel-O-sis) bacteria animal stool diarrhea/blood infection
toxoplasmosis
(tok-so-plaz-MO-sis) parasite cat stool brain infection



3 My Kitten drinks the fish tank water in my room. Will he get sick if he drinks it? It has some type of chemical in it.

It is not a good idea to allow the kitten to drink out of the fish tank. The kitten may be attracted to the water because it is continuously aerated and seems fresher to the kitten. Try offering your kitten a pet drinking fountain and/or a water bowl that is changed twice a day.

And here is some info about the TOXINS in an aquarium that some of you believe don't exist (yeah, fish don't poop or anything I guess.) These rise in a new aquarium to bring them up to the appropriate level, since the water was previously drinking quality, and the TOXINS stay there to care for the fish.

The Bad
Mini aquariums do require maintenance, and should not be purchased with the notion they can be ignored for long periods of time. However, the biggest down side of small aquariums is that problems can occur swiftly, and are often fatal before they can be rectified. This is due to the small volume of water in which the fish live. Changes in water chemistry and temperature can happen in a matter of a few hours - or even minutes. Therefore it is critical to monitor the water conditions closely, and perform water changes faithfully. First time fish owners should be particularly careful during the initial break-in stage of the mini aquarium. Toxins in the water will rise sharply as the biological system is first being established. If water changes are not performed, the levels will become lethal very quickly. Testing is a must, so have water-testing kits on hand or make arrangements with a local pet shop to do the tests for you.




Eww, I would cover the fish tank. Your cat will get sick drinking in all the bacteria and ammonia in that tank. It's very dangerous! The people who say it's not dangerous are forgetting that there is a fish in there emitting toxic stuff to the cat. You may end up having to treat a health issue, just buy a cover for the tank, even if you just get a $10 one for terrariums (is this tank even filtered, usually they have lids)
I think cats and all animals drink because like us they need water. But what does that have to do with fish tanks? Is it your opinion cats in the wild drink out of fish tanks?

KEL, I own fish and it is a fact that I need to check nitrate and ammonia levels all the time, and that they are full of bacteria, good and bad, even when the tank is "clean" and under control, especially if the tank is overloaded as most are, since people don't give fish appropriate space. You are silly to compare a fish tank to outside water. And because a cat will drink dirty water, or even poison like antifreeze (which they will) for that matter, doesn't mean you are doing your cat any favors. Use your common sense. Good luck on the vet bills if you let your cats eat and drink all this junk.

And to answer your question: Cats and other animals have been drinking water since the beginning of time for survival. But what does that have to do with this cat drinking out of a fish tank? Is it your proposal that wild animals drink out of fish tanks? Fish in lakes and rivers don't crowd the way they do in tanks -- you would need a HUGE tank and a tiny fish to compare the amount of junk a pet could drink in something natural. And, the water is being filtered as it streams, by the bottom of the lake -- hardly a fish tank, where even with a filter the food lays still at the bottom. If you care about your cat, you would not want it to eat bacteria and risk a serious infection you may not catch til it's too late.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

she could always "accidentally" fall into the tank, she may not be so interested after that! j/k I would try a spray bottle. Give her a quick squirt next time she gets up there. And I think I would considered getting a lid...

Answer 10

well if she's drinking it now than i would say its not hurting her any.....try spraying her with a water bottle when she does it...also getting a lid for the tank wouldn't hurt either....