Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

If ants are eating pet food from your pet's bowl, create a moat around the bowl. To do this, place the food bowl into a pie tin or similar low pan and add soapy water to create a barrier around the bowl.

By KimMcG

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Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

What can I use to keep ants out of the cat food bowl in the house?

Darlene from Danbury, CT

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RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Ants won't walk over chalk so if you can make a chalk outline around the bowl. If the bowl is on a carpeted area find a piece of wood to put it on then draw the chalk around the edges. Good luck =^..^= Monique (06/19/2008)

By Monique63

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Try putting a Bounce dryer sheet under the pet bowl. Works for kitchen counters too where those tiny annoying ants like to crawl around. (06/19/2008)

By Mary Lou Campbell

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Ants don't like baby powder either so dust some around the area. All the best. Teresa (06/20/2008)

By Teresa

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

I found the best thing to use for ants was cinnamon, pure cinnamon, no sugar added. I sprinkle it all around my pets bowl and no more ants. Good luck! (06/20/2008)

By Crafty47

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Spray full strength vinegar around and under the bowl. Let the area dry then put the bowl back down. Also, if you see a trail of ants, spray the trail with vinegar. It removes the scent ants leave behind for others. My daughter is allergic to ants and I have learned that vinegar works the best for quick results. Cinnamon works as a wonderful smelling deterrent, but the vinegar (when sprayed on the ants) will kill them right then. If you use cinnamon, make sure to sweep it up before mopping, otherwise it may stain the surface it's on (learned from experience) then it's really hard to clean it off. (06/20/2008)

By momoffour

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Baby powder does the same as chalk if you don't have chalk. (06/23/2008)

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Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

A few days ago, we had to move our dryer to another room - thus, we had to drill a hole in the outside wall for the vent. Our cat has his food and litter box in that room and now ants are swarming in his food bowl.

My husband and I are students and we can't afford to buy ant spray or traps for two more weeks. Does anyone have an idea about how to keep the ants out with something I might already have, like vinegar, baking soda, baby powder, or anything else? Help!

Marie from Idaho Falls, Idaho

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RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

KimMcG has the answer that works best (for me). I feed a stray kitty outside and always had ants until I read about the moat idea; they won't cross water. I've always used just a touch of bleach, tho, instead of soap to keep the algae and insects out. (08/16/2008)

By doodles

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Sprinkle cinnamon around the hole and the cat's dishes. Ants don't like it and they will change directions and leave. (08/20/2008)

By quiltinlibrarylady

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Did you caulk or seal the access point to prevent the critters from coming in?

Also, I heard that peppermint oil deters ants. (08/20/2008)

By Oberhund

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

I would be concerned about putting bleach into the moat water. Should the cat or other animal decide to take a drink of the water, it could be hazardous if not fatal. (08/20/2008)

By Tripleb

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Move the cat bowl up for one day or night and put cornmeal in that spot where the cat bowl sat. The ants will eat and carry the meal back to their nest. Ants can not digest corn meal so the ants die. (08/20/2008)

By sis

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Simple question and simple answer shouldn't cost you a thing. Take a large bowl put water in it (enough so the ants will drown and smaller bowl won't float) then put a smaller bowl in the large bowl with the food. This has worked for me in a pinch and there is no chemicals to hurt your animal. (08/20/2008)

By candleglows

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Cinnamon works and smells good too! (08/21/2008)

By Mary Moo

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Another thing that has been noted to deter ants is cucumber peel. Best of luck! :) (08/21/2008)

By VTMama

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

I lived in southern Florida for many years and dealt with many different kinds of ants. I was told to wipe lemon juice anywhere you didn't want ants. It did work in my many apartments, but I'm not sure if your pets would like the lemon smell. I was told by someone that ants basically "breathe" through openings on their legs or feet (can't remember which) but all these items mentioned above (powder, cinnamon, vinegar, etc) most likely are breathed in when they walk across it! (08/22/2008)

By keldewber

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Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

We get ants when we leave our cat food on the floor. Since the food is in the laundry room, I put a non-skid rug on the dryer and put the cat food on the dryer. Since my cat is older and does not jump too well, I placed the dome covered cat litter box next to the dryer, so the cat can make two steps up to get to her food. I showed her this method 2 times, and now she does it all the time. No ants and a happy well fed cat.

Source: Necessity is the mother of invention! I really dislike ants.

By Eiw from Lancaster, PA

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RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

I have had dogs and cats at the same time. And anyone who has, knows that dogs like to eat cat feces and cat food. So I fixed this problem the same way. Put everything up higher than the dogs can get to! The food on the dryer is what my cats like best because it's warm up there, and it also keeps their water warm in winter. (09/23/2009)

By Cricketnc

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

Place the dogs bowl in a plate or shallow dish of water and I solved the problem. (09/24/2009)

By Dorty

RE: Keeping Ants Out Your Pet's Bowl

When I have small kittens that can't jump up, I put their little bowls in a saucer of water so the ants drown before they get to the food. (09/27/2009)

By Robyn Fed