“The world’s most expensive water bowl”. Sometimes that is how my pond seems to me. I have on many occasions watched my cat Pippin interact with my pond. Many of you may think cats and ponds is a deadly combo that will result in diminishing fish counts in the pond and stinky breath on your cat. I have found from practical experience over the many years I have been working with ponds that the concept of cats fishing for their dinner or for sport in backyard ponds is something of an urban/suburban legend. Could it happen? Sure, but it is pretty unlikely.
I will say that a domestic cat given access to, let’s say, a fishbowl on a table top, may go after the fish, not so much for a meal, but more for playing; which may result in an overturned fishbowl. Cats going after fish in ponds however; not really an issue. The typical domestic cat has an aversion to water and getting itself wet, although, granted there are always exceptions to the rule; and if your cat happens to be one that does not hesitate to dive or wade into a garden pond for a bit of fishing you might be able to make a buck or two sharing a bill with the famous high diving horse of Coney Island!
My cat Pippin has had a pond for his entire life, all 12 years. He has a total routine with the pond when he is let out. Pippin will circle the entire pond, clockwise from one rock to another, stopping at the waterfalls for a drink, then completing the circuit of the pond before heading off into the neighborhood to make sure all is well in his world. This is his routine EVERY time he is let out during pond season. Pippin certainly acknowledges the fish and will sit, very relaxed, pondside casually observing them. Often times getting nose to nose with the koi when he goes to drink from the pond, the koi will actually go right up to his face with theirs. This is a fascinating look at two very different species of animals interacting….peacefully, if not even comically.
A large percentage of my pond keeping customers own cats and dogs. In 15+ years of being in the pond industry I have yet to come across a confirmed account of a cat going after pond fish although there is still plenty of speculation. I have had pond owners tell me that a fish disappeared and they just know it was the neighbor’s cat seen though they did not actually witness this feline abduction of their fish. I don’t know how the myth began but I can confirm from my experiences in this field dealing with many hundreds of ponds and situations that I have yet to come across any real problems with cats and ponds.
Dogs are another topic all together!….