# Cat drinking LOTS of water from fish tank



## juicy555 (Jun 22, 2012)

Hey everyone... Every since i got a 20 gallon tank i have had a big problem...

My 20 gallon would not fit on my ledge anymore so i had to move it kinda next to me on a table. Before i left on my vacation, i noticed my cat was drinking out of my tank... I yelled at em and figured at least hoped he would stop but this is where it gets scary..

when i came from my 5 day vacation, the water level dropped a good 1/2" . There is no leaks or anything so i figured it was my car, my door was open after all...

And now every few days i catch him trying to drink water from it!! 

How dangerous is this for my cat? He always seems to drink near the filter btw.


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## Unearthed (May 7, 2012)

That was probably mostly evaporation...


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## Kenneth McLean (Jul 9, 2012)

bump


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## Marci99205 (Dec 13, 2011)

Most likely it will give him the runs, but there could be a chance of your kitty getting salmonella so get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Pe...1801737&sr=8-23&keywords=glass+hood+fish+tank there are many different sizes available and they cut down evaporation greatly!


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Most likely won't hurt the cat or fish. Mine did that all the time. But that much loss is probably due to evaporation. Put a hood on it or a piece of glass. It will keep the cat out and will lessen the evaporation.


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## claygriffith01 (Apr 24, 2012)

In nature, cats eat fish any chance they get. I doubt simply drinking water that contains fish will hurt a cat at all unless you are adding lots of chemicals. Either way just keep up with your water changes and everyone should be fine. No way your cat drank that all down, most certainly due to evaporation. Remember that cats will always prefer "found water" over the water in their bowl, so maybe leave bathroom sink dripping slowly to give the cat another source of "found water".


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

The water in most fish tanks is cycled and doesnt contain the chemicals that your tap does,making it actually better for the kitty and they enjoy the flavor more.If your tank is clean then it wouldnt hurt anyone,my cats drink from my tanks when they can.

If you want to stop it,get a good fitting glass canopy,and make sure to not cut too much of the back plastic strip(only enough for equipment)and keep the lid down,or place tin foil over the top or edges for awhile.


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## Rufus' Mom (Jan 2, 2012)

My cats did it too, even going to far as to knock the top off the HOB to get at the moving water. I think the constant movement and filtration makes the water taste better to them than the water that sits in their bowl and begins to stagnate in just a couple hours. If it becomes their preferred water source, and they can easily get to it, I think they can significantly drop the water level over a matter of days. In my opinion, that's your only risk in situation. My problem was solved when I moved the tank.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

They will contribute to the evaporation rate, but that is it. A single cat drinking from the tank will not cause a noticeable change in 1wk. If you at least topoff weekly there will never be an issue, even with quite a few more cats.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Cats do this all the time - and if they go outdoors, they drink from water sources that would frighten us. The feral cats in my area, who never get treated water are around for years. 
I wouldn't worry about the cat unless you have piranhas or snakeheads, but I would worry about the fish.


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

juicy555 said:


> Hey everyone... Every since i got a 20 gallon tank i have had a big problem...
> 
> My 20 gallon would not fit on my ledge anymore so i had to move it kinda next to me on a table. Before i left on my vacation, i noticed my cat was drinking out of my tank... I yelled at em and figured at least hoped he would stop but this is where it gets scary..
> 
> ...


Hello j...

The water isn't dangerous at all for your cat. If your fish can live in the water, then it's safe for an animal to drink. I have multiple tanks and multiple cats that have access to the tank water while we're at work. I discourage the "furballs" from getting up onto the tanks and drinking, but they've done it for years, with no problems.

Of course, I don't put anything out of the ordinary into the tank water, medications and such, so they drink it from time to time. 

B


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## gar1948 (Jan 25, 2012)

I would cover the tank to keep down evaporation and keep any fish from jumping out.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

my cats even fallen into my 75g open top a few times drinking from it, the tetras nip at its hair when this happens and yes a full WC and filter clean out happens(hair/dirt/enviro contaminants) but your drop is evaporation, the cat doesnt drink enough in a week to drop the water level 1/16th of an inch in a surface area that large.


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## Marci99205 (Dec 13, 2011)

Do cat's have a resistant to salmonella? http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/18/health/18cons.html


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