An aquatics store owner in Ohio, USA, has a couple of very satisfied customers as a result of a specially-adapted tank.
Jason Hering of Aquatics and Exotics in Cincinnati was asked if he could create a solution so that Melissa Krieger’s cat Jasper could get a close-up view of her tropical fish. The Siamese cat used to spend hours entranced by the fish, including parrotfish, angelfish, cory catfish and a spotted plecostomus, as he watched from a dining room chair. When Jason was cleaning the tank late last year, Melissa suggested creating a ‘mini SeaWorld’ so the intrigued feline could feel he was underwater too.
The tank now features an acrylic cube set into the bottom of the tank large enough for Jasper to put his head inside. Jason, who cleans Melissa’s multiple tanks every fortnight, spent 16 hours moulding the tank’s see-through acrylic panes and building its wooden base before fitting it in December.
The adapted 4ft x 2.5ft, 125-gallon saltwater tank cost $2,500 (£1,800) but Melissa insisted “it’s definitely been worth the money” to keep her “easily bored” pet occupied.
Melissa said: “You spend that much on a TV and this is like a TV for cats. As soon as we feed the fish, he comes running. It’s great to see him so happy because you’ve got to stimulate their brains. It’s definitely been worth the money.”
Jason added: “Jasper was apprehensive at first, but it’s great to see they love it. I have to shoo him away when I’m there cleaning the tank now.”
Melissa shared a video of Jasper and the tank on Facebook last month and it racked up more than 10million views and almost half a million likes within a week.
Picture credit: Kennedy News
