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Ants + dry cat food = trouble city. Setting dry cat food outside here in Arizona is an ant magnet (troops of them). To keep them out of kitty's food, I take a pie tin, set kitty cats bowl in center, then fill tin with water. Ants don't want to cross over, and the few that do don't make it - sorry guys! Now if you've got slugs and snails, well you know this wouldn't work -boy howdy- but, copper wire surrounding will.
By Pamela Rochelle Woodworth from Sun Lakes, AZ
I was getting ants around their food dishes. I read somewhere to put vinegar on cotton balls and place them around the food bowls (under food mat edges, etc.). Bingo no ants and pet safe!
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Does anyone know how to get rid of the small ants? We have a cat and her food dish is in on the floor. Someone suggested you draw a chalk line around the dish and the ants won't cross it and get in the food. I put a piece of wood down and the bowl on top of it and drew a chalk line on the wood. It seemed to work for awhile, but now the ants are back in her food. How else can I stop them from getting in her food? I want to use a homemade remedy that really works. Thank you.
Hardiness Zone: 5a
By Linda Delcamp from Brighton, MI
Yesterday there was a post here on thrifty fun about uses for used coffee grinds. One of the tips may work for your question.
I put water in a container then put the dog dish in that.
Thanks for all the answers but the question was how to get rid of ants in my cat's food bowl. I did try the one where you put water in a container and put the dish on top of it. So far, it is working.
Sweet 'n low and Nutra Sweet really worked to eliminate my ants. They apparently carry it back to the nest.
Sprinkle a circle around the bowl of talcum powder. Ants will not cross it.
If the chalk line around the bowl worked the first time, try it again. Keep re-newing the chalk line.
I have cats and dogs. My house was built on what used to be orange groves and I was told that I would always have an ant problem. I put the food bowls inside a container of water, such as a container lid or a large tray. This works great. While I still have an ant problem, the pets don't.
I put my dogs food in a ice cream container it worked
Sprinkle baby powder around dish
They won't walk thru powder
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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 Monique
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
Ants don't like baby powder either so dust some around the area. All the best. Teresa (06/20/2008)
By Teresa
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
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 kristi
Baby powder does the same as chalk if you don't have chalk. (06/23/2008)
By
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
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 Cricket
Place the dogs bowl in a plate or shallow dish of water and I solved the problem. (09/24/2009)
By Dorothy
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
How do you keep ants out of dog food?
By evelyn from Hot Springs, AR
I put the dog's bowl inside another, larger bowl of water or a shallow tray filled with water. The ants won't go across the water and the one's in the food somehow leave. (04/29/2010)
By Maya Lee
Ants will not cross Crisco. No other brand will work. You can keep ants away from hummingbird feeders by making a thick ring of Crisco around the pole the feeder is hanging from. With the dog, try making a ring of Crisco around the outside of the bowl and see if it works. I use it for the hummingbird feeders so I know it works for that. (04/29/2010)
By Lilac
Be sure you wash your dog's dish after each time you feed it. When you put the dog's food down, if the dog doesn't eat it right away pick it up and try again later. Never leave dog food sitting out, or a dirty bowl on the ground. I am afraid if you use the Crisco method the dog may possibly lick up the Crisco, which isn't good for the dog. (05/03/2010)
By Danialle
I used to have problems with ants in the dog bowl until I tried this. Wash the area where the bowl was with soapy water. This destroys the ant trail scent.
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.
