2006-08-10 21:53:44 · 32 answers · asked by Gayle 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Ants make their nests near food and wander everywhere. Every surface an ant can reach has to have no food for them to find. If it's there they will find it and they leave a trail to it and come back, If they don't find food they go somewhere else. Maggie's right, don't leave the dish on the floor when the cat's not eating. If they don't find food they leave and go elsewhere, It's when they find food that they swarm. It's in there nature. One McNugget can support the colony for a while. Keep this in mind and if you keep your house clean you can trick them into leaving without pesticides. Otherwise it's all out war. Too bad we don't have nomiadich's special bowls in the states. She should know, they have some crazy ants in Australia (If get ever get bit by a jack jumper then you know what ants are about.) See here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_jumper_ant
2006-08-10 22:03:15 · answer #1 · answered by ferdinand 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Putting down something poisonous for the ants may make your kitty very ill. But, if you wash the bowl out after the kitty eats, and you clean the floor by where the kitty eats (one day, use a little water and ammonia, the next day wipe with a dampened rag and vinegar... alternate). What you can also do, by the way, is moisten a rag and put some cinnamon on the rag and try to rub it around the area by the kitty's food plate (ants do not like cinnamon at all).
Really, the best thing to do is see where the ants are coming from and put some cinnamon by their entrance and get rid of them. You're going to have to stop leaving food out for the cat for a while. Good luck.
2006-08-10 23:12:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My sister had a bowl called something like "Confuse-an-Ant". The underside is designed to totally disorient ants so they can never find the food at the top, unless they stumble upon it by accident. Sure enough, ants would be crawling around the underside, but none made it to the food. You'd probably have to ask around at the pet store. Also, something I've tried is to fill a regular dinner plate with water, then place the food bowl in the middle. Since ants don't swim, that'll keep 'em out!
2006-08-10 21:58:41 · answer #3 · answered by Jonathan P 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I used to have that problem, and I had cockroaches too eww! I bought food and water dishes that came on a stand so it's elevated a few inches, and the stand has 4 legs, so it's harder for ants to crawl on, and after that I had no more ant problems in my cat's food. It cost me about $30 for the dishes and their stand. If you want to see the thing I bought then email me. Oh and supposedly it's better for the cats' neck because they don't have to hunch down while they eat. I'm sure there are other solutions, but that's mine. Good luck!
2016-03-16 21:18:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try spreading a little baby powder on area leading to bowl. Shaved pieces of Ivory bar soap repeals ants and so does oil of peppermint or bay leaves. This info is in "The Natural Way To Get Rid of Pests", without harming your pet. I don't know the author, but have ordered the book for more detailed information.
I have tried the soap scapings on the sliding glass doors leading to the kitchen where the cat's eat., and placed them under the kitty's bowl and it DOES work....
2006-08-13 15:08:36 · answer #5 · answered by Tommy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Find out where the ants are coming from, presuming this is indoors, and get ant traps. Place them where the cats cannot get to them. Wash the bowls as soon as the cats are done eating and put them away till lunch or dinner. A small stool where you can place the food bowls off the floor helps as well.
2006-08-10 22:27:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A rag with a light ammonia and water mix. Wipe it around the bottom 1/4 of the bowl. Ants use scent trails left by previous ants. They won't cross it. Make sure its not so strong your cat will be affected. I heard hot sauce is another good alternative. Try them both
2006-08-10 21:58:59 · answer #7 · answered by voyager21_1999 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Buy some of those little ant hotels that are baits to kill the ants. That's what I buy and then I don't see anymore ants after awhile so they work pretty good.
2006-08-10 22:45:21 · answer #8 · answered by Turtle 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put a circle of ant powder around the cat bowl. This will stop the ants from crossing it.Watch out though you don't want the cat eating the powder.
2006-08-10 21:58:57 · answer #9 · answered by shelz042000 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
place the cat's food bowl in a shallow dish/plate that's filled with water. the ants will not be able to get to the bowl. trust me, it works :-)
2006-08-10 22:01:12 · answer #10 · answered by TK 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋