CAT PROBLEMS!!!!

[Jaime]

well this just isnt good... when I first got my beardie I had put him in my room which I keep the cats out of anyways, however he was a nervous grumpy baby since he wasnt around us so we moved him to the dining room to help socialize him. I was so proud of my cats for not bother him but now all of a sudden my big male cat notices him... he watches the tank like a creep and ive cuaght him a few times sitting on top of the tank. We moved the tank and put it up higher but the cat can appearently jump the height and we cant go any higher :/ We do have a screen cover that locks but what are the chances my cat could claw through the cover I have on now? Any suggestions??... I freak out and yell so that cat gets nervous if he gets on the screen so now he doesnt get on the screen when im in the room but I worry he will when I leave the area or go to work.

 

[drgnfly2265]

Which screen is it? Is it the metal mesh or plastic mesh? If it's the plastic one then I'm sure the cat could get through. But with either of them I would be afraid of it not being able to hold the cat weight and it falling through. I'm sure the cat will try when you are not there. I would also be concerned about the cat also knocking over a heat lamp. This is a common problem that I hear about with cat owners. Some try to use tin foil to surround, not cover, the tank. Or place items that the cat doesn't like around the tank. If I was home and seen the cat up there I would spank it (not abuse it, lol) and hope that it would learn.

I hope that you find a to solve this... If you do please let us know!

 

[117star]

This might sound cruel but it works. Get some duct tape and cut strips the length of the screen top. Lay the duct tape sticky side up on the tank. Next time your cat gets up there he will get duct tape stuck all over him and he will not be happy. i used this method to keep my cats off of my kitchen counters and other furniture that I don't want them on. It usually only takes one time.

 

[ajandj]

l would definately try the tape. cats are very clever creatures and also would be afraid that the screen wouldn't hold their weigh.. not worth risking..

 

[Brett]

Our cat pearches on top of the tanks all the time. Guess we just let him be the BD dont seem to care. The only reason he goes up there is cuz of the basking lights he warms up then leaves.

 

[117star]

My cat doesn't really bother anything either. She just looks but doesn't get aggresive in any way to try and get to Scarlet. And she is a tiny cat so her weight is not an issue either. But better safe than sorry if you think your cat is trying to have your beardie for a snack.

 

[ajandj]

ahah Brett, l'm actually waiting for my Jackrussell to do that but as l have a solid wooden enclosure l'm not worried about the weight.. my 11 year old is like 35kg and half the time he sits on it watching the tv (for the same reasom.. to keep his bum warm)

 

[Spikeleebd]

my pitbull doesn't even pay any attention it is my 9 month old daughter i have to worry about lol i only take him out when she is in her playpen or taking a nap because she tryies to grab him out of my hand lol

 

[packfan74]

I have two cats. One is a shut in (meaning he rarely goes outside - only to wee and then runs back in (5 minutes tops - total pain) But he is so scared of himself, let alone ANYTHING else, I'm more worried about the beardie biting him than visa versa. Sam, (short for Sam I am) has major social issues - came from an abusive home; so sad.

The other cat is a total different story. He's an avid killer who truly enjoys his blood sport! He is totally living up to his name (Jack - short for Jack the Ripper); longer story but we initally gave him this name when he was only 6 weeks old never thinking of the dark side, only that he had SHARP sickle claws!

Unfortunately, there is not a mouse, mole, chipmonk, sugar glider, bird or rabbit he doesn't fancy enough to bring home for dinner on a DAILY basis - it's totally embarrasing to constantly have dead, dying or dissected things on our front stoop! Sometimes we can only guess at what it was after sweeping away the fur - gross! The vet only suggests I keep him sedated in order to reduce the casualties - not something I'm likely to do; not w/all the apex predators about.

HOWEVER, Jack has never once looked at Henry (our beardie) twice. At first while Henry was on the floor, Jack checked him out. He smelled him, sat down (a respectable distance away) and looked at him for a long while until Henry got bored w/the staring game and walked away. Jack didn't expect "it" to move and lept straight up in the air about 3 feet (hystarical). Since then, Jack walks completely around Henry, totally pretending he isn't there - denial is a powerful thing.

I would suggest that if you're concerned (and for good reason), then do one of two things: Either stage a supervised introduction when your beardie is of suitable size as to give the cat pause (all those spiky bits tend to be unsettling). Or, keep a spray water bottle handy and every time the cat even looks in the direction of Draco give Didymus (assume, Sir, for short) a good spray - aim for the face or square in the bottom. Sir's feelings more so than anything else will be hurt. He may give you the "how dare you - you work for me" look for a while but he'll soon learn he doesn't want to be a tea bag, thus he'll opt for the attitude Jack has settled on. Which is, as long as I keep pretending "it" doesn't exist - it doesn't!

Good luck - Cheers

 

[Polly]

My cat's also pretty keen on my dragon, I've found her a few times watching his cage, she even tried to get in once when I was feeding him! But generally when Sid's out, Pluto will just come up and give him a sniff then watch from afar, Sid doesn't seem to mind much, he's only puffed up at her once, Mostly I think Pluto just wants to play. But she gets major frights when he moves! As long as you teach the cat that it's not allowed to touch the dragon it should be fine, just don't leave them alone together. And yeah, just use one of the above methods to get the cat to stop sitting on the cage!