My daugters fish in jeopardy!!!!

Our 5 month old kitten Buddy has just noticed my 6 year old daughters goldfish, She has had this goldfish for 3 1/2 years (suprisingly it survived all this time) , and it would break her heart if anything happened to it. She even named him Nemo . I have put a cover on the aquarium, but I know that cats are very smart and I don't want to find out later when it is too late that the cover didn't work . Buddy has become obsesive and contantly jumps up to the counter and just stares at the fish, and my daughter is panicking . Is there anything I can do to deter or prevent Buddy from going up there. Telling him no and making him get down is not working. I am also going out of town for 2 days next month (someone will stop by a couple of times per day), and am worried about this fish for my daughters sake. Any Advise would be great!

Bear in mind I haven't tried any of these tricks, but I do know a couple to teach cats to stay off the counter (and away from the fish that lives on the counter). I don't know how well they work, but I suppose anything that won't hurt the cat is worth a try. You can take a bunch of plastic cooking utensils, and lay they along the edge of the counter. When the cat jumps up there, he'll knock the utensils down, scaring himself, and not want to jump up there anymore (theoretically). I've also heard that cats do not like aluminum foil. If you lay a sheet of it on the counter, he won't want to jump up there anymore. My sister tried this one to keep her cat from peeing behind the couch though, and the cat went back there and peed on the foil. So that one may depend on the cat!
So those are worth a try. Also, a squirt bottle works, but you have to be there every time the cat jumps up there, or he'll learn to just do it when nobody's home.
Can she keep the fish bowl in her bedroom and shut the door to keep the cat away?

Amber

The Fish is in a ten gallon tank, He is a pretty big fish, so we upgraded to a tank. I can move it to my daughters room temporarily while I am out of town those 2 days, but there really isn't an appropriate place that the tank can be put besides our kitchen counter, we live a a 2 bedroom apt. I will also try those other tricks and see if any work. Thanks

Hopefully you dont have a h2o loving cat... with my tanks I stuck a paw in the h2o that was the last time that kitty got near.... I have snap on lids that the cats cant get off for the one that loves the h2o

Well he doesn't seem to mind water, He had no problem having a bath when I first got him, (he was really dirty when he came from the shelter) And I always catch him head first in glass's of water drinking them, and coming up with his face all wet , he seems to prefer that instead of his bowl. I have a cover on the aquarium, but that doesn't mean he won't figure out how to bypass it. Ever since he noticed this fish, he just stares at it intensely as if he is trying to figure out how to get to it. Sometimes he is concentrating so hard that when I go to pick him up and take him off the counter he practically jumps out of his skin, because he didn't see me come in the kitchen.

What kind of lid is it? Could you tape it down or install a latch? Has the kitty ever tried to reach into the tank, or does he just watch the fish? My brother had a goldfish that lived in a bowl on the kitchen counter for several years. The cats loved to drink the water out of the bowl, but they never touched the fish. We figure the cat saliva was a long-life tonic or something because that goldfish lived forever!

I'd get a wire cover (about $8 for a ten gallon size at the pet store) like what they use for reptiles and stuff, and a pack of clips (about $2) and then set the light fixture on top of the wire cover. I have them on my hamster cages now and my cats haven't managed to get in yet.
I figured you were using a fish bowl.

Amber

Thats what I have, but he keeps pushing at it like he is trying to lift it up. I had a hole cut into it, so the filter would fit. I think I am going to cut one more small hole for a feeding space, and tape down the metal lid, he seems really intent on either eating nemo, or playing with nemo, either way, nemo won't like it.