Thank you for posting something not so sad or serious ... your fish and cat will be fine.

To add to the not so sad or serious ... here's my silly cat.

{{!gwi}}

Izzie-I had a Beta that would do that.His name was Okie.I had him almost 4 years,long time for a Beta.He died a year ago and I really miss him.He greeted me every morning when I went into the kitchen.I would touch the side of the bowl and he would swim over and rub against the side of the bowl.He loved gnats and flies.I would swat them and drop them in the bowl and practically before they hit the water he had them gobbled down.My cat never bothered him.She would sit and watch him swim sometimes but never tried to get him.Sounds like yours just likes the taste of that fishy water!LOl
pamghatten-Pretty cat,cute picture.

Great idea of the live bugs, I'll have to try that. pamgh what a pretty cat, just beatiful. I have a large cat (its a maine coon my husband insisted on getting I would have been happy with a mutt) She lies flat on her back with front and back legs streched out, must be 50" long, I gotta get a picture. She usually does it more in the summer to cool her belly (has long double coat) A few summers ago she had a few matts and I took the trimmers and took off all tummy hair. She put up a fuss at first then calmed down, I think she wanted me take all hair off. I used to have persians and when I could no longer deal with matting would get all hair buzzed off at groomers, what a nightmare, I don't know how many hours and scratched up arms I spent in bathroom wrestling with a growling, hissing cat. Thank god this cat actually enjoys being combed and cut.Anyway...she now likes to have tummy hair trimmed off for that cool belly feel.

When I had a betta (named Fishy Fish) I put a flat plastic strainer over the top of his bowl to keep the kitties from bothering him and drinking his water. It worked for me.

My son had a beta named Sushi. Our cats would watch him sometimes.

Now, THIS current cat, I wouldn't be so sure of. Note the scary claws and competitive spirit.

{{!gwi}}

Yeah, it depends on the cat as to how safe the fish is. It's not uncommon for a cat to 'fish' them right out of the water!

My last betta met a sad fate since my kitten Heny flipped him out of the bowl and we found him hours later. henry is now huge and the new betta who is quite friendly has a heavy grid in his bowl. Henry knows he's not allowed near him and my other cats never tried. Good idea about the gnats and moths.

Something else to think about.Betas will sometimes jump out of the bowl all by themselves.Especially if the water level is near the top of the bowl.My DD had one that did that and she found him on the floor dead.I had mine in a large container that looked like a brandy snifter.It held almost a gallon of water.I took one of those stretchy plastic mesh bags that you get fruit in sometimes and cut a circle about 1 inch bigger than the opening of the bowl.Then wove that stretchy plastic cord that is used for making bracelets through the edge and tied it a couple of inches smaller than the bowl opening and stretched it down over the opening,like a hairnet.I also added some heavy crystals from some old jewelry to the edge of the netting to kind of hold it down.They also caught the light and looked really pretty. Made a good safety net in case the fish decided to jump.
Something like that might deter your cat from drinking out of the bowl Izzie.

OFF TOPIC somewhat, but I've just GOTTA post here... I used to keep a betta in a large round glass fish bowl that I kept on the dining table where we ate breakfast. I was getting ready to leave for work one morning and smelled smoke. Checked the oven, toaster, etc... nothing. Still smelled smoke. Then I saw a little wisp of smoke curling up from the morning paper where I had left it on the table. Turns out that a sunbeam was focusing through the fishbowl onto the paper and had scorched it - there was even a tiny flame starting to flicker up. I couldn't believe it - it seemed so farfetched and unlikely - but I was so glad I had not dismissed what I was smelling, and had been able to identify the problem before I left the house.

Just something (besides all the other things :o) to keep in mind.

Susan

Two years ago my children each got a betta from my brother (no, he did not ask first!). One day, while cleaning the little tank, I put one of the fish in a Cool-Whip container. I wanted the new tank water to come to room temp, so I put the Cool-Whip container on the counter and shoved it back to the backsplash because I had to go to the store. I thought it was fine - cats don't jump on the counter right?? Besides, kitty wasn't even around.

I came home and there was no fish in the bowl and water all over the counter.

I ran to the store and got a new fish that looked just like him. My kids (age 4 and 6 at the time) would have been hysterical at the cat and me and I thought they were a little young for this life lesson.

My cat continued for over a year to torment the bettas. He'd sit on the counter and "smack" the tank with his paw. I moved the remaining tank (after the "new" fish died) to a warmer room, our library. One day I heard a crash -- the cat wedged himself behind the tank and knocked it off the shelf. Water and gravel went right down the heat register.

The latest bowl is a covered bowl and sits way, way back on the kitchen counter. I don't know where in the house I could put this darn fish where the cat won't be after him.

We've had the betta for two years now -- how long do those darn fish live???

Mine lived almost 4 years but I think that is unusual.2 to 3 years is the norm from what I have read about them.They are supposedly about 6 months old when you get them in the stores.