T-Blondi hairs vs. cat?

[Ladycolt29]

Ok. My now ex B.F. has moved and I'm left taking care of the female Blondi till he finds a place large enough for her tank. She's in a 40gal. breeder tank with the slide on lid that you can put a lock on.When we first got the T my cat knocked her out of a plastci kritter keeper, so we bought this to prevent a repeat. Well, I'm not sure if the hairs can get through the screen or if it happened when I had the lid off to mist and change her water. My cat's face in front of her ears was all red like a rash and swollen. The cat itched for days. I tried washing his face. He looks in the tank when I mist. Can the hairs blind my cat? I'm afraid it will happen again. I try to keep him from looking in the tank bu squirting with the mist. And if the hairs can get through the screen it must have happened while I was at work. I can't lock the cat in one room because he learned how to open the doors. Any help would be appreciated! I keep telling the ex.B.F. he needs to take her soon, because I don't want to be responsible for the T if the cat continues to mess with her while I work. Her tank also takes up most of living room. I would have rathered he left behind the Costa Rican Tiger Rump. It's still small and I could put it my closet on the top shelf where my cat can't get at it.

 

[Mina]

Well in all honesty, I don't think even a full grown adult blondi needs to be in an aquarium that big. I wouldn't put one in anything bigger than a 10 gallon. I would get a 10 gallon, a screen lid and move the blondi, then you should be able to fit the 10 gallon on a higher shelf or in a closet away from the cat. I don't think the T hairs can blind the cat but they can make her darn uncomfortable.
My own blondi is just a little under a year old and is a little over 6 inches. She is in a large kk, and seems perfectly happy. I would worry about your blondi finding its food in a tank that big.

 

[Hedorah99]

Ok. My now ex B.F. has moved and I'm left taking care of the female Blondi till he finds a place large enough for her tank. She's in a 40gal. breeder tank with the slide on lid that you can put a lock on.When we first got the T my cat knocked her out of a plastci kritter keeper, so we bought this to prevent a repeat. Well, I'm not sure if the hairs can get through the screen or if it happened when I had the lid off to mist and change her water. My cat's face in front of her ears was all red like a rash and swollen. The cat itched for days. I tried washing his face. He looks in the tank when I mist. Can the hairs blind my cat? I'm afraid it will happen again. I try to keep him from looking in the tank bu squirting with the mist. And if the hairs can get through the screen it must have happened while I was at work. I can't lock the cat in one room because he learned how to open the doors. Any help would be appreciated! I keep telling the ex.B.F. he needs to take her soon, because I don't want to be responsible for the T if the cat continues to mess with her while I work. Her tank also takes up most of living room. I would have rathered he left behind the Costa Rican Tiger Rump. It's still small and I could put it my closet on the top shelf where my cat can't get at it.

Move it to a smaller tank first of all. It doesn't need that much room. Then you need to find a way to keep your cat away from it because the hairs can cause permanent eye damage. Try locking the cat in the bathroom or something when you are doing tank maintenance.

 

[Windchaser]

Then you need to find a way to keep your cat away from it because the hairs can cause permanent eye damage.

I just want to reiterate this statement. Urticating hairs are the one known medically significant trait of tarantulas because of the risk to the eyes. They can cause permanent damage and even blindness.

 

[Johnny_27]

I just want to reiterate this statement. Urticating hairs are the one known medically significant trait of tarantulas because of the risk to the eyes. They can cause permanent damage and even blindness.

Especially to smaller animals. They have this defense mechanism to keep away predators IN THE WILD and the kind of stuff that wants to eat a spider is like cat sized.