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Ant traps and cats

post #1 of 6
Thread Starter 
I am having a problem with small ants around the cat food bowls. I'm over a crawl space and have ants each spring. In the past I just used the Raid ant traps. I didn't get my first cat until July last year so by then the ants were gone. Are these traps a danger to the cats? I try to pick up their wet food bowl before I go to work, but sometimes they're not finished so I leave it. I have caught the cats stalking an ant, what a sight to watch. They are both mighty hunters.
post #2 of 6
I use ant traps with no problem. I think the main danger would be if your cats ate an ant that had been feeding on the poison. I'd also make sure the food bowls are cleared away as soon as possible so that the ants can't crawl around in them and leave traces of poison in them.
post #3 of 6
If you use a borax based ant poison, the danger to vertebrates in the house is minimal. We get tiny ants (sometimes called "sweet ants" or "pharoah ants") I use terro liquid ant traps and aside from making a keen kitty toy (they do skid across the floor in the most amusing fashion) they haven't hurt the kits and the opening is too small for kitties to get into --just fine for ants, though.

Also, a very old school way of keeping ants out of the pet bowls is to place the pet bowl inside a larger bowl with a little water in it. The ants don't swim Of course if you have kits that like to have a water party, this could get more complicated
post #4 of 6
Ants generally won't walk over chalk, so if you make a chalk outline around the food bowls that should keep them out.
post #5 of 6
Ants also don't like bay leaves. So buy some good quality bay leaves and lay them anywhere that you see ants.
post #6 of 6
Thread Starter 
My cat loves to have water parties. I need to keep the bowl on a cookie sheet with a lip on it just to keep the water off the floor. I'll try chalk & bay leaves. Also going to put the traps against the wall, I'll see what happens.
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