# Kitten won't stay off reptile cage



## Vanellope13 (Nov 14, 2013)

I have a leopard gecko and my kitten won't stay off her cage. I'm afraid that as Vanellope gets heavier, she's going to fall through. I'm not even sure how she gets up there. The top of the cage isn't very sturdy either. Vanellope likes going on top of the cage and laying next to the heating lamps. Anyone else with cats and reptiles have this problem?









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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

I would guess that she loves to sit heating her tummy! Perhaps put something up there she doesn't like or make it a bit more uncomfortable somehow....
And...offer her a nice warm spot instead....a heating pad/blanket on low.


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## bobbycos (Aug 5, 2013)

heating pad on low, excellent idea


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I've got a few methods I use to keep all the pets safe:

-complete separation.
I'm currently boarding two snakes and they were put into a completely cat free room. The door is always closed and the cats might be allowed in for a minute with me right next to them.
now ask how much my guinea pigs are enjoying sharing a room with snakes, lol! (Ok, the pigs don't care, but the boa spent the first 24 hours frantically trying to break out so she could reach the pigs. Her cage is completely boa safe.

-positioning
Piper, my fat tailed gecko, is in a 20gal long. It fits nicely on one of our bookshelves and with a small fluorescent light fixture there's no room for naughty kitty paws to cause problems. (Her heat is all from a UTH)

-prevention
My fire belly toad tank has a thin screen lid that would never hold a cat, they don't need a light so I put the cutout from where the sink went when our counters were installed on top of the tank. It protects the toads from cat hair and the screen from falling in...but the cats can technically still sit on the tank.

Duke, rescue leo, lives in a huge tank right in our kitchen. I found a heavy duty wire top that's definitely safe for cats (I think you can order them online. Its not mesh though) then I covered the underside in heavy duty plastic (cat fur) and suspended the lights inside the tank (naughty paws). I can get away with this because the tank is fairly tall, and I was careful to keep the heat away from the plastic. Most of Dukes heat comes from his UTH anyways, I have plain house bulbs in the fixtures. The cats love to sit on his tank in the winter and soak in the heat.

-maturity
the cats (read: Doran and Muffin) were much more interested in breaking in when they were kittens I made sure my tanks were always cat proof, heat fixtures included, and since they never successfully broke in thry eventually gave up.

I will say the easiest option by far is to simply keep your reptiles where the cats can't go. A good second would be to build a casing for above the tank that would protect all cords, light fixtures, and the screen from mischievous paws.

I can grab some pics of my different tanks if you'd like to get a better idea of what I did.

*edited to add* don't just give her another option. That's a good idea, but kittens and exposed heat fixtures aren't safe. It only takes one mistake to start a house fire.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Ah Yes, Cats and reptiles and other little Critters!
My solution was to take hard wire, fold in half, so its double strength, bend to fit over edges and its Strong!
No cats have been able to defeat it!
I did the same thing for the Mouse House!


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## Heckle& jeckle (Feb 16, 2013)

Vanellope13 said:


> I have a leopard gecko and my kitten won't stay off her cage. I'm afraid that as Vanellope gets heavier, she's going to fall through. I'm not even sure how she gets up there. The top of the cage isn't very sturdy either. Vanellope likes going on top of the cage and laying next to the heating lamps. Anyone else with cats and reptiles have this problem?
> View attachment 41194
> 
> 
> ...


That looks like my girl cat lol, she's not allowed in my sons room where his turtles cage is but she does sneak into the room on occasion and that's where I find her..


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

I saw a My Cat From **** episode EXACTLY like this, cat wouldn't stay off the reptile cage. I wish I could remember how it went!


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## Heckle& jeckle (Feb 16, 2013)

Oh I love that show, I really wish they would play it on tv..


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

Heckle& jeckle said:


> Oh I love that show, I really wish they would play it on tv..


I watch it online: Watch My Cat from **** online (TV Show) - on PrimeWire | LetMeWatchThis | Formerly 1Channel


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Auroraei said:


> I watch it online: Watch My Cat from **** online (TV Show) - on PrimeWire | LetMeWatchThis | Formerly 1Channel


^^^^ Yep, this. Easy fix.


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## Heckle& jeckle (Feb 16, 2013)

I will do this


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## Vanellope13 (Nov 14, 2013)

Thank you guys very much for all the advice! I have roommates so unfortunately, my gecko cannot go in a cat-free room. I'll have to get a heat pad. I have a heated mattress pad and she looooveess laying on that. I will definitely reinforce the cage. 


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## Kytkattin (Oct 18, 2013)

I use a Ssscat on top of my tarantula tank. I don't even have a logical reason for why Midas likes to sit on her tank as she has no heater or anything. My guess is that Midas likes the air flow on his belly? I'm not going to try to understand a cat though... In any event, I LOVE the wire mesh idea. I plan on doing that when I rearrange the room and the Ssscat won't work as well (IE, we will set it off). I can even spray paint the wire to match since I don't use any heat elements.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

You need to find a way to make sure the lamps can't get knocked over too! Its very important they're secured with a kitten already interested!


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