Killing ants in my apartment without harming my cat?

Question

I have ants in my apartment and I want to get rid of them. however, I also do have a cat and Im weary of using any kind of ant traps or sprays because I do not want to harm my cat. Does anyone know of any kind of home remedies to get rid of the ants? The ants do not have access to my cats food because it is in airtight container so that is not the problem.

Answer 1

what type of ants are they? pharo ants, very small, are difficult to get rid of, as they will go long distances from their nests and if they realise they have poison, they drop it before they get to the nests. Amazing how such a small creature can go so far.

Diatomaceous earth is probably the best non toxic ant / insect killer you can use. place small piles of it where the ants come out. As the ants travel over it, millions of tiny blades cut into the ant exoskeleton which causes them to dehydrate and die. No ant then goes back to the nest, no food trails are made, and no other ants will then find any food in your home.

Diatomaceous earth is made of the fossilized remains of diatoms, and are mostly silica, and have very sharp points, think tiny pieces of glass. These fossils are so small, they will not harm you or your cat, unless you breathed it in.

My wife and I use it in the Caribbean, where we have far too many ants invading our house, and have found it to be the only product that really helps.

Answer 2

First thing you want to do is clean, clean, clean your living area. Where the ants go, there is either grease or sugar of some kind. Take it away from them! Keep a tidy house and you will find the problem much more manageable.
Second thing to remember: insects hate vinegar. Spray it onto any/all affected surfaces after you clean. Even for a couple days after it dries up, insects will avoid the area., but they don't die unless you drown them in it. If you want to kill them, use Windex or any glass cleaner stuff you have lying around. Cover your cat's food and water bowls with a book if you are going to kill the ants with this method. Also: cats don't like the smell of vinegar, either. It won't harm them like the Windex can do if used improperly. Another method to lessen the ant problem is to buy one of those big lollypop sucker things, and put it under your neighbor's porch or something. That'll divert the bulk of them for a while, but it does nothing to slow the colony's development. It actually stimulates a growth in the number of ants, I'm pretty sure. But If you are at wit's end, it may be a good option.
Lots of Luck!

Answer 3

To successfully get rid of the ants you should first talk to the landlord. The rest of the apartment building could be having this problem, too, and if they aren't gone from the whole building, it may be useless. The owner should call an exterminator.

If your landlord can't be persuaded, you could try to find out where they're coming in and spray outside. Put the ant traps inside your cupboard or under the sink. Make sure your wastebaskets, kitchen counters and stove are spotlessly clean, because a grease residue from cooking will attract them. If you have houseplants, check those, too, because the ants might have taken up residence there.

If you have to treat the ant problem yourself, other than the traps, you could put your cat in a room where there are no ants, do the spraying (read the container and follow directions) and don't let the cat out until the spray is dry. Once it is dry it should be okay. Or, maybe a friend could keep your cat for a day while you take care of the problem.

Good luck. I once had ants, couldn't get rid of them and found out that they had taken up residence in the door of my dishwasher. I had to take the door apart and spray the insulation in order to get rid of them. My cats spent the day in the bedroom and suffered no ill effects.

Answer 4

you really want to give the place a really good clean. Not having any garbage or food lying around at all point is a good idea to avoid ants. Clean under the fridge, stove and any other areas that is hard to reach and doesn't receive regular maintenance or cleaning.

You can buy any traps that will effectively kill and poison the ants. They are no aerosol and pose no threat to animals. You can get them at any hardware or grocery store. Place them in an area where you see the most ants you may want to tack them down using some double sided tape so that the cats will be less able to kick them around and play with them.

Answer 5

I too have the same problem but now ants are gone.
Spray a mixture of 1-2 table spoon of Vinegar to a cup or glass of water at the ants`s trail . Wipe along the area where u see the ants with this solution. U will get results very soon. Ants hate the smell of vinegar.

Answer 6

If the ants can't get to the cat food, there is something else that is attracting them to the apartment. Find that and get rid of it. Ants don't hang out where there is nothing for them to eat.

Try Diatomaceous Earth if you can't find the source of their food. It is natural and won't hurt the cat.

Answer 7

I think ant traps should be pretty safe. You might want to tack them down with some tape so the cat can't move them and won't think they are a toy. Since the poison is inside the trap I don't think it would harm your cat.

Answer 8

Place orange peels around, ants hate that smell. Also there is a product I am not sure of the name, but i believe its from orthomax, anyway it kills all kinds of bugs including animals, and is not harmful to pets.

Answer 9

I seem to get ants at the beginning of the summer every year. I have used those little ant trap things without any problems for my dog.

Answer 10

I thought I saw this posted once before by someone else, the best answers was using peppermint extract, the ants hate it and it is not harmful to humans or animals, try to find it in past answers