Ants can be a real problem when it comes to feeding your cat. They steal his food and often prevent him from eating. On the other hand, would you eat if there was a colony of ants hanging around your plate? Here's how you can go about keeping them away from your furry friend's food.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Preventing Ant Invasions
Step 1. Store your food in an airtight plastic container
Instead of keeping the cat food in the bag, place it in a plastic container once the package is open. There are several on the market, specially designed for storing pet food
Step 2. Wash the bowls
Ants are attracted to crumbs and any food residue. Therefore, wash the bowls at least once every two days or more if you can. This is extremely important if you are having a hard time dealing with an ant invasion.
Use a detergent that is harmless to the cat and rinse thoroughly with fresh water
Step 3. Keep the area where your cat eats clean
Prevent ants from being attracted to where you place bowls by keeping it clean. Collect any crumbs or food residue once the cat has finished eating. Clean the floor with a vinegar mixture to deter ants from approaching.
Consider taking the bowl off the ground when your cat isn't eating or leaving it out at certain times, placing it back in the evening
Step 4. Move the area to feed your cat
You can also try moving the bowl to another place. This way the ants won't be able to find it. If they enter the room, place it away from the colony.
Step 5. Draw a boundary around the food
Try to outline a perimeter around the bowl that the ants will not be able to go beyond. There are some repellent substances that will help you keep them away.
- Surround the bowl with a chalk border.
- Place a few sheets of newspaper under the bowl and outline a side dish using ground cinnamon, coffee grounds, chili powder, or ash.
- Surround the rim of the food container with petroleum jelly.
- Sprinkle some vinegar on the floor around the bowl. Mix 1 part vinegar with 1 part water. Put the solution in a spray bottle and spray it near the bowl until a border is created.
Step 6. Cover the outside of the bowl with petroleum jelly
A not very pleasant way to prevent ants from reaching the food is to smear petroleum jelly on the outside of the bowl. They will have difficulty climbing the slippery surface.
You can also apply it around the perimeter surrounding the food container for a more effective line of defense
Step 7. Use essential oils
Many essential oils can help keep ants away. Try cleaning the floor around the cat bowl with a damp cloth soaked in a few drops of peppermint oil. Ants will not be tempted to approach due to the strong smell.
- Also, to repel them, try using lemon, orange, or grapefruit oil. Clean the floor around the bowl with a cotton swab dipped in oil. But make sure the citrus smell doesn't keep your cat away too.
- Essential oils are safe and contain no chemicals.
Step 8. Use an attractant to attract ants
A great way to keep ants out of the bowl is to use a specially formulated bait against these insects (under a box so it's safe for the cat) in the walkway area. Make sure there is only a small hole they can enter and eat the poison through. At the same time, make sure that the cat cannot access it.
You could screw a box into the floor or place it behind a stove or refrigerator, but only if the space is inaccessible to the cat. Remember that cats are curious animals that can sneak into the most unthinkable places
Method 2 of 2: Create a Perimeter Around the Bowl
Step 1. Remove any ants from the bowl if necessary
Completely empty your cat's bowl of ants and debris. Close the garbage bag immediately and take it out. This will prevent the ants from swooping back into the food.
Step 2. Wash the bowl
Ants leave behind powerful pheromones that attract other mates as they pass, so be sure to wash the bowl thoroughly with hot water and detergent. If it's made of a dishwasher-safe material, wash it this way.
Step 3. Clean the area where the cat eats
After removing the ants, clean the part where you put the bowl. It is necessary to remove traces of pheromones so that the ants do not return from the colony. Try using vinegar to clear the smell and discourage others from coming.
Try washing the entire area around the food container or the entire kitchen floor. You can use the detergent you normally use for washing on the floor or use the detergent for the dishes
Step 4. Find a placemat
Look for a shallow container that is wider than the bowl. You can use a silver tray, cake pan, baking sheet, pan, or whatever else the cat's bowl can fit into.
- Make sure this container isn't too big. However, there should be a 2-3 cm gap between the rim and the bowl. This distance will help keep ants away.
- Some brands produce bowls that already contain this space around the rim. They are functional and easy to use: you can pick them up from the ground and clean them in one go. However, if you don't intend to spend any money before seeing if this system works, you can try it out on your own.
Step 5. Fill the container with water
Put a small amount of water in the container to put under the bowl. It is not necessary to fill it to the brim so that water does not fall into the food, but it does need to be an effective barrier against ants. These insects are not great swimmers, so this system will either drown them or discourage them from climbing.
To make sure they don't cross the area that contains the water, try pouring some olive oil, lemon essential oil, or dish soap inside. Add detergent only if the space does not allow the cat to drink
Step 6. Place the bowl in the container
Put it in the water. Make sure there is a gap of at least 2-3 cm between the rim of the bowl and the bowl. Fill the latter with fresh food.
- If the container is very large, place the bowl close enough to the edge so that the cat has no difficulty getting its snout close to the food, but not so much that the ants can get to the other side.
- If the bowl is too low, use a base object to lift it over the rim of the bowl.
Step 7. Change the water in the container below when needed
The water will contain some drowned ants or food residue. Also, you will need to replace it when it starts to evaporate.
Step 8. Repeat these operations
In time the ants will stop coming. In some places, such as places where the weather is warmer, it will probably be necessary to continue feeding the cat this way until the ants finally give up.
Advice
If you keep the area where the cat eats clean, you will not have any problem with ants
Warnings
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Do not use insecticides or any other poison!
They are harmful to the cat.
