# Betta Proofing your Cat or Cat Proofing your Betta?



## ChibiShishou (Dec 9, 2011)

As Im sure all of us here know about cats is that sometimes they just love little Bettas a bit too much. So I was just wondering how you guys have betta/cat proofed your cats/aquariums? Im currently doing battle with my sisters half feral feline who just ADORES fish (she once fished my mothers old betta out and we found them both on the floor fish was still alive and lived for awhile thank goodness((see below for an image of the perpetrator! beware she is fluffy but dangerous do not attempt to capture!!!)))

Anywho, I have an aquarium lid for one of my tanks and a makeshift craft mesh lid on my other. But I feel so mean chasing the poor cat away when she wants to just watch the fish. Ive tried training her to not put her paws into the water et cetera but you cant really train a cat unless they want to...

SO-Do you guys betta proof your cat or cat proof your bettas???


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

All my tanks have lids, so if one of my cats want to watch my fish, it's OK. Personally the only time I chase my cats away is when they try to drink from the filter!
I really don't have any way you can keep the cat away from the fish, sorry.


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## ZergyMonster (Feb 20, 2012)

The best way to get a cat to stop doing things to get a can of compressed air (used for cleaning computer accessories) and spray it towards them when they do something wrong. They will then associate the spray with their actions and to avoid it they will stop. 

These air containers will last for a very long time and they work on just about every cat. I've even had it work for my brother's Rottweiler when she was a puppy.


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

My cats leave them alone


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

My friend has two Maine ***** and they ADORE sitting and watching the fish in her aquarium. One of them is too stupid to realize he could get up there to where the fish are, but the other one has been a tiny bit of a problem. She fixed it by putting her aquarium in a shelf where there is a removable shelf above it that leaves only about an inch of room between the bottom of the shelf and the top of the aquarium. When she needs to clean the tank, feed the fish, etc. she just removes the shelf, but otherwise, her fishy friends are protected from the diabloical Mr. Antoine. LOL


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## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

My Maine **** mix is a brat about bettas. She USED to pretend they didn't exist but she watches Cicero like a hawk. I just made her a bed next to the table the tank is on where she can sit and watch.

My grandma's old cat, who died a month or so ago, used to sit on top of my ten gallon and look over the edge, and in that case I just snapped my fingers at her and she ran off.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

I don't currently have any cats inside my house (I have a couple outside that have adopted me, and they can't come in because the pup will eat them), but years ago, when I had turtles, I found a kitten in my backyard. The kitten, Creepy, used to crawl inside the turtle tank and sit on the sunning stone, and hang out with the turtles. He would touch their shells, but he never hurt them. Not that I recommend this as a safe behavior! But, when I was younger I thought it was pretty cute.


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## starrlamia (May 3, 2012)

my kitty leaves them alone, even though he is a prolific hunter his only interest in the fish tank is to try and drink from the filter :S


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Is there any way you can prevent the cat from entering the room with the fish? Or move the fish to a room that can be barricaded? My cats have never bothered my tanks, but I do know if they did, I would just close the door to my fishroom.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

toad said:


> I don't currently have any cats inside my house (I have a couple outside that have adopted me, and they can't come in because the pup will eat them), but years ago, when I had turtles, I found a kitten in my backyard. The kitten, Creepy, used to crawl inside the turtle tank and sit on the sunning stone, and hang out with the turtles. He would touch their shells, but he never hurt them. Not that I recommend this as a safe behavior! But, when I was younger I thought it was pretty cute.


:rofl: LOLZ


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=107444


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## ChibiShishou (Dec 9, 2011)

@ KoiMaiden I wish I could but the house doesn't have any more room and even if I close my door she knows how to open it. ^^;;

RegisteredUser that is a really neat idea! Im going to have to check around at the thrift stores see if I can fin me one! (hopefully I can find one dorm size though XD) 

Compressed air sounds like it might do the trick! Thanks for the input! Ive been spraying her with a water thing or chasing her out but air might just be scary enough to work.

And Toad...THAT is adorable! Dare I ask if you ever got pictures of this event?
It seems this question might get asked alot? Maybe there should be a sticky somewhere?


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## CharStarr (Jul 3, 2012)

*I dont recommend using the compressed air to spray towards your cat, it isn't safe and it should ONLY be used for cleaning out computer accessories. My cat doesn't even bother with my fish, when we got Kudo's 10 gallon, Milo came up and looked at it then decided he couldn't be bothered with it and hasn't even looked Kudo's way since. BUT in reference to "Betta proofing" your cat, when my cats are either scratching the furniture or on something they shouldn't be we spray them with a water bottle. They learn VERY quickly that way, though my one cat Smokie she just learned to withstand it LOL.*


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## fleetfish (Jun 29, 2010)

My cat knows he's not allowed to drink the water when there's a fish in it. Just a firm NO is good enough to get it through to him. I've never lost a betta to him, and he loves "his" pets. I also make sure to keep lids on whenever I'm not around . . . in case he gets peckish.


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## Bethydan (Mar 22, 2012)

My grandmother figured out that the air can sound startles her dog. So every time her dog did something naughty, she'd spray the air can in the air to make the little princess stop. Now all you have to do is say the words "air can" and she quits whatever she's doing and watches you warily. It's adorably pathetic. :lol:

My cat is practically perfect in every way. Practically. She ignores the fish tank. If there's a lid it means she can't drink the special-flavored water. So she doesn't care about them. She's really just a water fiend. However, she's a good surrogate fish mama. She reminds me every night to feed the fish. The fact that she gets a share of the food might have something to do with that. 









My kittykins at around three weeks. She was born a poor orphan baby. :-( 









Her today at 5 years. She only deigns to lounge upon shaped blankets. She prefers triangles, but has been known to accept squares and rectangles. :lol:


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

I do have pictures, but they are on my old, dead computer. I have been too lazy to have all my photos taken off the old hard drive lol 

Bethydan - that kitty is absolutely gorgeous!


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## Bethydan (Mar 22, 2012)

Thank you! She's my little kitty-model. :-D She was such an ugly, scruffy little kitten when I took her home for bottle-feeding. Maybe that's why I threw a fit when people tried to get me to rehome her. I knew there was a soft, sleek, shiny cat inside there somewhere. :lol:


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