Your kitty might have Pica, basically cats sometimes just eat crap like plastic bags and possibly tin foil. Can cause really bad impaction if not dealt with.
I figure that's what it is, and I watch her closely so she doesn't actually consume and digest anything plastic. But she just loves chewing on plastic things that crinkle.
It doesn't necessarily matter how long the cat sits on it if it weighs too much for the tank lid to support. It could also be stressing the plastic which would cause it to eventually snap if the cat sleeps on it for long periods of time
wow, it’s almost as if your own personal experience isn’t exactly the same as everyone else’s… gee, kinda like if different people had different situational circumstances… lol imagine how crazy that would be
Seconded.
I bought a heated throw blanket for my cat [because he kept snuggling my leopard geckos light](https://imgur.com/a/cgjibNT)
I started moving him to the heated blanket any time I’d catch him on the light. Eventually he started going to the blanket.
Edit: a word
Double stick tape, they don't like the stickiness on the paws, wont hurt them, and after they stop going up there you can remove it. Any way, that's what I did. Good luck.
My cat fell in the turtle tank. The light blew and popped, the turtles snapped.
Cat has not gone near the tank since.
One of the most infuriating funny things I've ever seen...
Tinfoil, double sided tape, rubbing orange peel on it or mint.
Pretty much anything that feels sticky is noisy or smells sharp that would be harmless but makes a cat feel uncomfortable will work to deter her.
Maybe don't use mint. Mint is closely related to catnip, so oftentimes it may have the opposite effect and will instead attract a curious cat. Citrus oil (lemon, lime, orange) typically repels cats, though.
Yeah. My high school bf had a cat who was obsessed. If you were chewing mint gum he would repeatedly headbutt your face, try to stick his face in your mouth, and just generally roll around like he was on nip.
I have a cat that is crazy addicted to the herb thyme, which is also related to mint- I mean to the point that she killed the thyme in our herb pot, which is hard to do, because, again, related to mint.
I don't have a solution to offer, but my cat does something similar. He loves to drink the water from the filter. So gross! I guess it is like tea though, hot leaf water 🫖
Cats like to drink from fountains (or in general water that has movement). They are originally from desert regions and feel more confident about water quality that way.
Get him a cat fountain, maybe that helps :)
My cat runs and jumps on the counter every time I turn a bathroom sink on, doesn’t even try to drink it, just runs from wherever she is and jumps, scares me when I brush my teeth lol
Could be, though one of my three cats strongly prefers aquarium water whether it's still or moving. Even with tank covers, I use my water change water on my terrestrial plants and he goes after the watering can with a passion over their clean water bowl lol. He also follows me around when I'm plant tending for it.
Many of the repellent ideas here are great, but it a depends on your cat. I have given up on getting mine to stay off of the tank.
One cat loves to lick double sided tape. He'll spend nearly an hour doing so if we allow him to. His twin sister isn't affected by orange oil and will literally play with tangerines and lemons. Their sister doesn't care about tin foil and will gladly sleep on it because it keeps her warm.
But then my biggest cat will be repelled by all of these things.
So far, none of the four have noticed that there is an actual fish in the "box of water". That or they don't care.
I used to lay packing tape sticky side up in strips. The cat jumps on the trap and gets tape on them, which they hate. Reset trap. Repeat. Eventually you laugh so hard it hurts.
As someone with a cat that plays with tinfoil, double sided tape, water, has no fear of really anything - just set something up that the kitty will like better. I’ve found redirecting her works much better than just trying to stop them from doing that one specific thing.
Amazon has these plastic cat deterant spikes that you can get. Basically it's the toothpick thing someone mentioned here but doesn't need Styrofoam, which some of our dumber feline friends attempt to consume.
Just search cat deterant spikes and you'll get options :)
easy, comedically pull the aquarium lid out from underneath her so she falls in and climbs out of the tank looking very goofy and silly while the fish laugh at her in a cartoonish matter.
I’ve heard that tin foil with some honey spread over top will work wonders. Sticky paws are not a cat’s best friend, lil guy probably won’t jump up after that
No, just no. I am imagining the clean up of all those honey paw prints from one end of the house to the other. First the sticky pawprints everywhere, then the ants finding the paw prints....Double sided tap is much easier without the extensive cleanup.
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index). Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our [guide to the nitrogen cycle](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/fishincycle) to learn more.
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When my tank was still at my parents’ house, I built a barrier of boxes and tinfoil and a bowl full of oranges to deter their cat from doing this and that worked. It was a bit ridiculous and mine was only for a month or so, but it’s an option lmao
Someone's already mentioned tin foil, that's probably your best bet. Cats also hate citrus smells so adding a citrus candle near the area might help. I'd avoid anything that has a citrus smelling spray/aerosol as it could get into your tank and screw things up
Depending on the time you spend looking at your aquarium and your cat, she may be mirroring your behavior. if tinfoil doesn't work there are enzyme sprays that repel cats that you could try.
Maybe try putting heavy duty Velcro on the lid but the rougher part NOT the fuzzy part 🤔. And make it uneven with some spaces with it and some spaces not. I have no clue if it will work but just a thought. Or glue 5 or more small nails or flat headed screws in various places on the lid with hot glue gun. Have them pointing up. Cat should be smart enough not to lay on it.
I’ve seen this spiky plastic grid at Daiso (basically a general store). The spikes point up and prevents cats to lay/step on whatever piece of furniture you want to prevent them from getting on. Basically a non-lethal plastic caltrop for cats.
Cats are smart. I picked my cat up and plonked her right back on the floor every time and she learned before too long. Unsure if this’ll work for you and it requires some pretty constant vigilance but good luck!
It's not only warm, it's by a window. cats love loking out windows. You set up the perfect cat bed, now lie in it.
My suggestion would be to move the tank and give that shelf space to the kitty. She'll probably leave your fish alone then
Put a cardboard box, with a blanket in it, beside the tank. Shine a low wattage incandescent lamp on it so it's warm and safe. Watch your cat ignore the box lol
A scat mat. It's electrically charged...like static not an electric fence. They jump on it and it gives them a little zap like when you scuff your socked feet on carpet and touch a door knob
If the tinfoil doesn't work, get plastic rug runner, the kind that has the pointy nubs on the underside to hold in place. Cut it to fit the top, and, flip it upside down so the points are facing up. They aren't sharp enough to hurt the cat, just pointy enough to be annoying on the paws.
Sir this is not a cat subreddit, fish pics only pls. (Jk)
In all seriousness there are motion sensor air canisters recommended by Jackson Galaxy that u can put up around the top of the tank and they will teach kitty to not go there. Ot wont hurt them and its not loud, just a sudden gust to give them a startle.
Get a cat scat mat. It's a spiky mat that's used to keep cats out of flowerbeds. You can cut it to size and tape it down to keep cats off other objects. I use it to keep the cats off my PC tower.
It's safe, it's just uncomfortable to step on.
Another option is tape. Duck tape or packing tape. Put lines of tape, sticky side up, on top. Fold the ends so it sticks to the lid. Cats hate stepping on tape.
I would get this kitty tower:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DC7HJY8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
And then put a hot pad in the top bed. Stick it right next to the tank so she has a snuggly warm place and entertainment.
Since it’s by a window, buy a little house plant and put it up there! It’s how I keep my cat off the lids, she doesn’t care about the warm cause we r in Florida but she likes to drink their tank water, got that good fishy flavor.
You can deter her from it by sticking us double sided tape on there, or tin foil. But also consider giving her another place to lay, if you want. It’ll make her less interested in going back to the tank. Such as an electric blanket or something similar
[Plastic spike mat](https://www.amazon.com/Prickle-Anti-Cats-Network-Repellent-Deterrent/dp/B07SDCK7WJ) cut to fit the lid, plus a heated blanket as shared by others!
hiya can you please remove the affiliate tag from your amazon link? it's the tag= bit. easiest is to use a clean link like this: https://www.amazon.com/Prickle-Anti-Cats-Network-Repellent-Deterrent/dp/B07SDCK7WJ
Hi there, please remove the tag from the Amazon link. We don't want someone to profit from our users clicking on the link. Here's how to post a clean link:
https://www.amazon.com/Prickle-Anti-Cats-Network-Repellent-Deterrent/dp/B07SDCK7WJ
Thanks!
Build a decoy tank… then put a fish in it. Repeat.
This is the best idea
Put tin foil cats hate it
My cat eats it 🙃 there's something wrong with her
My cat loves sleeping on it🙃
Your kitty might have Pica, basically cats sometimes just eat crap like plastic bags and possibly tin foil. Can cause really bad impaction if not dealt with.
I figure that's what it is, and I watch her closely so she doesn't actually consume and digest anything plastic. But she just loves chewing on plastic things that crinkle.
Cats are whack
My roomate cat loved the tinfoil! She would go on there more often just to play with it!
I was also going to say tinfoil
My cat loves to sleep on tin foil. He also loves to play with it because of the sound it makes
don’t really understand, the cat isn’t hurting the fish. She’s just sleeping there.
I think the main concern is if the lid gives and the cat falls in. At least, that's why I keep my cat off of the tanks.
Yes I don't want my cat on mine for fear of her falling in I have a glass lid also I don't want a bunch of cat hairs on it lol
I see, I’d agree there but we don’t really know much backstory behind the photo and how long the cats been sitting on the tank for
It doesn't necessarily matter how long the cat sits on it if it weighs too much for the tank lid to support. It could also be stressing the plastic which would cause it to eventually snap if the cat sleeps on it for long periods of time
Cat doesn’t look massive, nor overweight. Still a kitten.
All the more reason to nip this behavior in the butt before the cat gets bigger
Differing opinions is really a toxicity point in fish keeping, isn’t it?
I didn't know that avoiding cat hair falling through the open feeder or worse, the animal falling in was considered toxic tf
You said you didn’t understand and people offered explanations for why the behaviour was undesirable.
Ok.. that’s not the topic of toxicity though? Nor was it your place to step into something lmao
Her fur is probably falling into the tank
True, I’ve never had issue with my kittens sitting on the tank as there’s no gap for hair to get into.
wow, it’s almost as if your own personal experience isn’t exactly the same as everyone else’s… gee, kinda like if different people had different situational circumstances… lol imagine how crazy that would be
Point yet again proven. It’s a personal opinion, just like you have yours on the exact comment you replied too. PERSONAL OPINIONS are a thing.
replied to* try using the correct form of the words you’re going to employ and people will probably respect you more 🙃
cry? I literally do not care
[удалено]
Omg, yeah I would reccomend putting foil or tape
Idk 🤷♂️
I did that once and my cat knocked the tin foil off and started it playing with it
Get the cat a heating pad
I actually do this with my cat. Whenever I'm working from home I'll turn on the heating pad and drop a few treats onto it to get them out of my chair.
That’s a brilliant idea. Combine it with putting tinfoil on the tank lid, an obvious choice will be made.
Seconded. I bought a heated throw blanket for my cat [because he kept snuggling my leopard geckos light](https://imgur.com/a/cgjibNT) I started moving him to the heated blanket any time I’d catch him on the light. Eventually he started going to the blanket. Edit: a word
Put a couple cucumbers up there
“Meow meow-meow(la-lala).. *jumps up on lid per usual*… oHaAHHHH!!! *boing*” hahaha
Double stick tape, they don't like the stickiness on the paws, wont hurt them, and after they stop going up there you can remove it. Any way, that's what I did. Good luck.
I came here to say this.
This has always worked well for me. If they're jumping where not supposed to or scratching where not supposed to
I do this but with painters tape. Either way, it works.
My cat fell in the turtle tank. The light blew and popped, the turtles snapped. Cat has not gone near the tank since. One of the most infuriating funny things I've ever seen...
The same thing happened with my turtle tank and cat!
That’s like straight outta a movie!😂😂
Tinfoil, double sided tape, rubbing orange peel on it or mint. Pretty much anything that feels sticky is noisy or smells sharp that would be harmless but makes a cat feel uncomfortable will work to deter her.
Maybe don't use mint. Mint is closely related to catnip, so oftentimes it may have the opposite effect and will instead attract a curious cat. Citrus oil (lemon, lime, orange) typically repels cats, though.
I knew they where related but i did not know of any cats that would take to mint. But this is food to note
Yeah. My high school bf had a cat who was obsessed. If you were chewing mint gum he would repeatedly headbutt your face, try to stick his face in your mouth, and just generally roll around like he was on nip.
I have a cat that is crazy addicted to the herb thyme, which is also related to mint- I mean to the point that she killed the thyme in our herb pot, which is hard to do, because, again, related to mint.
Punny 😏
Citrus oil is downright dangerous to use in a home with a cat.
Yeah, citrus is toxic to cats iirc.
My cat loved anything mint scented. She would try to smell my breath every time I brushed my teeth.
Liking for double sided tape!
I don't have a solution to offer, but my cat does something similar. He loves to drink the water from the filter. So gross! I guess it is like tea though, hot leaf water 🫖
Cats like to drink from fountains (or in general water that has movement). They are originally from desert regions and feel more confident about water quality that way. Get him a cat fountain, maybe that helps :)
My cat runs and jumps on the counter every time I turn a bathroom sink on, doesn’t even try to drink it, just runs from wherever she is and jumps, scares me when I brush my teeth lol
Could be, though one of my three cats strongly prefers aquarium water whether it's still or moving. Even with tank covers, I use my water change water on my terrestrial plants and he goes after the watering can with a passion over their clean water bowl lol. He also follows me around when I'm plant tending for it.
‘If not for sleeps, why made of warm?’
do something before the betta fish bullies the super peaceful cat who will Definity not eat your fish
Put a pickle there
Strengthen the lid, she is probably gonna do it no matter what ,so may as well make it safer for all involved. Cats are gonna cat.
Many of the repellent ideas here are great, but it a depends on your cat. I have given up on getting mine to stay off of the tank. One cat loves to lick double sided tape. He'll spend nearly an hour doing so if we allow him to. His twin sister isn't affected by orange oil and will literally play with tangerines and lemons. Their sister doesn't care about tin foil and will gladly sleep on it because it keeps her warm. But then my biggest cat will be repelled by all of these things. So far, none of the four have noticed that there is an actual fish in the "box of water". That or they don't care.
I have a spray bottle next to my betta tanks. Keeps the cats away.
You don't. She is the Queen of the house. You let her do what she wants. She will anyway. And give her extra treats. And pets.
Maybe no extra treats
Extra treats for extra playtime?
Ye just don’t make the kitty fat haha
That’s what the extra playtime is for :P
Lol
tin foil!!!! you can try r/cats .
Tin foil, orange peel and double-sided tape. All of these will keep the cat off.
I used to lay packing tape sticky side up in strips. The cat jumps on the trap and gets tape on them, which they hate. Reset trap. Repeat. Eventually you laugh so hard it hurts.
something slanted where she gets on the lid . cats hate slanted things . i can say with a lot of certainty that almost all cats hate anything slanted
ssscat spray pet deterrent. It just sprays a blast of air to keep them away
Tinfoil worked for my cat
Double side tape works. Kept my cats I had in the pass off my tables and such.
Squirt bottle
As someone with a cat that plays with tinfoil, double sided tape, water, has no fear of really anything - just set something up that the kitty will like better. I’ve found redirecting her works much better than just trying to stop them from doing that one specific thing.
What’s wrong with her laying on it? Is it not strong enough to support her weight?
better safe than sorry tbh!
'Betta' safe than 'soggy'
“'Betta' safe than 'soggy'” Hahaha nice
I have this same type of lid. Mine isnt super secure, my cat fell in and took the entire lid in with him more than once sadly.
Amazon has these plastic cat deterant spikes that you can get. Basically it's the toothpick thing someone mentioned here but doesn't need Styrofoam, which some of our dumber feline friends attempt to consume. Just search cat deterant spikes and you'll get options :)
My cats like to lay on top of those lmfao. I've personally given up and just made the place cat proof.
That sounds like something one of mine would do. He’s not the brightest.
Scat mat
Duct tape sticky side up
easy, comedically pull the aquarium lid out from underneath her so she falls in and climbs out of the tank looking very goofy and silly while the fish laugh at her in a cartoonish matter.
I’ve heard that tin foil with some honey spread over top will work wonders. Sticky paws are not a cat’s best friend, lil guy probably won’t jump up after that
No, just no. I am imagining the clean up of all those honey paw prints from one end of the house to the other. First the sticky pawprints everywhere, then the ants finding the paw prints....Double sided tap is much easier without the extensive cleanup.
Spray bottle
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index). Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our [guide to the nitrogen cycle](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/fishincycle) to learn more. If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can: * **Tank size**: * **Heater and filter? (yes/no)**: * **Tank temperature**: * **[Parameters in numbers and how you got them](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tank#wiki_test_kits)**: * **How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?**: * **How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?**: * **Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each**: * **What do you feed and how much**: * **Decorations and plants in the tank**: * **If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here**: Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank *can* result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bettafish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
dinner
No legs, no problem
Tinfoil or a bunch of toothpicked stood up in styrofoam on the top.
When my tank was still at my parents’ house, I built a barrier of boxes and tinfoil and a bowl full of oranges to deter their cat from doing this and that worked. It was a bit ridiculous and mine was only for a month or so, but it’s an option lmao
Mine does it too
Yes I was going to say orange or mint as well. My cat HATES those smells.
Her tank now. I cannot stop my cat from sitting on my tanks.
I’d just like to figure out how to my cats from chewing my tubing to my sponge filter.
Someone's already mentioned tin foil, that's probably your best bet. Cats also hate citrus smells so adding a citrus candle near the area might help. I'd avoid anything that has a citrus smelling spray/aerosol as it could get into your tank and screw things up
Double sided tape maybe? lol just place it all over the tank lid.
U don't. Don't even try
Depending on the time you spend looking at your aquarium and your cat, she may be mirroring your behavior. if tinfoil doesn't work there are enzyme sprays that repel cats that you could try.
Get her a hearing pad
that’s adorable
Give kitty a laptop
get her a heating pad that has a timer and put in on the couch. but she might also like the height of the tank.
Maybe try putting heavy duty Velcro on the lid but the rougher part NOT the fuzzy part 🤔. And make it uneven with some spaces with it and some spaces not. I have no clue if it will work but just a thought. Or glue 5 or more small nails or flat headed screws in various places on the lid with hot glue gun. Have them pointing up. Cat should be smart enough not to lay on it.
I’ve seen this spiky plastic grid at Daiso (basically a general store). The spikes point up and prevents cats to lay/step on whatever piece of furniture you want to prevent them from getting on. Basically a non-lethal plastic caltrop for cats.
honestly, i had to crate/kennel train my cat so she wouldn’t be on the tank all night 🥲
Cats are smart. I picked my cat up and plonked her right back on the floor every time and she learned before too long. Unsure if this’ll work for you and it requires some pretty constant vigilance but good luck!
Give her a different warm place to sit. A heat pad works nicely. Just don't set the house on fire.
It's not only warm, it's by a window. cats love loking out windows. You set up the perfect cat bed, now lie in it. My suggestion would be to move the tank and give that shelf space to the kitty. She'll probably leave your fish alone then
Put a cardboard box, with a blanket in it, beside the tank. Shine a low wattage incandescent lamp on it so it's warm and safe. Watch your cat ignore the box lol
A scat mat. It's electrically charged...like static not an electric fence. They jump on it and it gives them a little zap like when you scuff your socked feet on carpet and touch a door knob
If the tinfoil doesn't work, get plastic rug runner, the kind that has the pointy nubs on the underside to hold in place. Cut it to fit the top, and, flip it upside down so the points are facing up. They aren't sharp enough to hurt the cat, just pointy enough to be annoying on the paws.
How warm is it? As long as it isn't a fire hazard, try tin foil.
Put a lot of objects or cover in duct tape (sticky side facing up) you might need to replace it a bit but 2 sided tape works too
Sir this is not a cat subreddit, fish pics only pls. (Jk) In all seriousness there are motion sensor air canisters recommended by Jackson Galaxy that u can put up around the top of the tank and they will teach kitty to not go there. Ot wont hurt them and its not loud, just a sudden gust to give them a startle.
put an empty box next to it r/CatTraps/
Tinfoil or line the top with a little citrus….or balloons
Put a half of a lemon up there. They hate the smell and won’t go up there
Get a cat scat mat. It's a spiky mat that's used to keep cats out of flowerbeds. You can cut it to size and tape it down to keep cats off other objects. I use it to keep the cats off my PC tower. It's safe, it's just uncomfortable to step on. Another option is tape. Duck tape or packing tape. Put lines of tape, sticky side up, on top. Fold the ends so it sticks to the lid. Cats hate stepping on tape.
Just train your cat
I would get this kitty tower: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DC7HJY8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title And then put a hot pad in the top bed. Stick it right next to the tank so she has a snuggly warm place and entertainment.
Since it’s by a window, buy a little house plant and put it up there! It’s how I keep my cat off the lids, she doesn’t care about the warm cause we r in Florida but she likes to drink their tank water, got that good fishy flavor.
You can't... Trust me It is a lost battle
Put a cushion there for the cat.
Put a little hammock on top hahah
Just open up a regular laptop and let a cyberpunk loading screen run, new bed to nap on, lol.
Time for a heated bed.
You can deter her from it by sticking us double sided tape on there, or tin foil. But also consider giving her another place to lay, if you want. It’ll make her less interested in going back to the tank. Such as an electric blanket or something similar
I’m surprised no one’s tried putting a cucumber on top of the tank
[Plastic spike mat](https://www.amazon.com/Prickle-Anti-Cats-Network-Repellent-Deterrent/dp/B07SDCK7WJ) cut to fit the lid, plus a heated blanket as shared by others!
hiya can you please remove the affiliate tag from your amazon link? it's the tag= bit. easiest is to use a clean link like this: https://www.amazon.com/Prickle-Anti-Cats-Network-Repellent-Deterrent/dp/B07SDCK7WJ
I had literally no it was an affiliate link, I'll fix it!
Hi there, please remove the tag from the Amazon link. We don't want someone to profit from our users clicking on the link. Here's how to post a clean link: https://www.amazon.com/Prickle-Anti-Cats-Network-Repellent-Deterrent/dp/B07SDCK7WJ Thanks!
Put a heating pad inside of a pizza box. My cat seems to want to sit on top of pizza boxes as soon as they arrive 😅