Ants

I found a small pile of ants in her food bowl again,any real good way to treat this besides reg spray? Only found 3 ants in bowl but like 20 by corner

Find out where the ants are coming into the house and try to treat it there.
I had a huge ant problem last summer and found the ants entering in a closet. I was able to use those small ant poisen traps. I also had to move the cat food up off of the floor and that seemed to help. Thankfully we do not get ants this time of year as the temperature is currently -4 and dropping.

Best way is to treat them outside, I use AMdro which is a granule that you sprinkle around the perimeter of your house outside. Ants carry it back to their nest and wipes them all out. Wal Mart and Ace Hardware, Lowes, carry it

In the meantime, while you are treating other areas of the house with chemicals, I would suggest putting the food bowl in a large bowl or dish of water (make sure the water isn't deep enough to get into the food bowl). Ideally, the dish of water should be a lot wider than the food bowl. Add just a touch of dish soap to the water to break the surface tension. Ants don't swim very well and drown rather quickly, so that should help prevent the ants from making it to the bowl. Also, when you are spraying the chemicals, make sure you get around the electrical outlets--I had a bunch coming in through there a few days ago.

When I had an ant problem last spring I got some Diatomaceous Earth from the local nursery and sprinkled it across doorsills and along the baseboards. DE is very safe for kitties and kills insects. I had no ants for the rest of the year after that.

I use DE as well. Make sure it's the food grade because the other kind is toxic. I spray with 1 part castille soap and 4 part water. It's safe also to use around pets and children.

Originally Posted by Shashagirl

I use DE as well. Make sure it's the food grade because the other kind is toxic. I spray with 1 part castille soap and 4 part water. It's safe also to use around pets and children.

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You're right - oops I forgot to mention it needs to be the food/human grade DE.

i started to use flea spray, the kind that you can use on animals. i don't use it on the cats but i spray it especially inside the house where i find ants. it kills them on the spot and keeps them away for a long time after. in places where the cats can't get to i use TERRO (lowe's)
the strays that feed i too put their bowl in a bigger bowl filled with water

Originally Posted by goonie

i started to use flea spray, the kind that you can use on animals. i don't use it on the cats but i spray it especially inside the house where i find ants. it kills them on the spot and keeps them away for a long time after. in places where the cats can't get to i use TERRO (lowe's)
the strays that feed i too put their bowl in a bigger bowl filled with water

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I would caution you about using flea spray. It is a poison and can be toxic to animals. The safest flea treatments for cats is the kind you get from the vet that you put at the back of their heads where they cannot reach to lick. I have no idea what Terro is but hopefully someone else here will.

At any rate, I wouldn't recommend anyone else try the flea spray.

Yes... be careful with sprays and pesticides around the kitties. I had an ant problem last Summer and I used the ant traps. I got several traps and placed them at various locations; including one right inside the door. Also... another trick that worked for me and their food dishes. Take vaseline and spread it around the perimeter of the bowls about 1/2 inch or so in width. The ants are unable to cross over the vaseline

Originally Posted by 2furbabies

Yes... be careful with sprays and pesticides around the kitties. I had an ant problem last Summer and I used the ant traps. I got several traps and placed them at various locations; including one right inside the door. Also... another trick that worked for me and their food dishes. Take vaseline and spread it around the perimeter of the bowls about 1/2 inch or so in width. The ants are unable to cross over the vaseline

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I've heard ants won't cross a chalk line either - I'm not sure if that's a fact or not though.

Originally Posted by 2furbabies

Yes... be careful with sprays and pesticides around the kitties. I had an ant problem last Summer and I used the ant traps. I got several traps and placed them at various locations; including one right inside the door. Also... another trick that worked for me and their food dishes. Take vaseline and spread it around the perimeter of the bowls about 1/2 inch or so in width. The ants are unable to cross over the vaseline

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what happens if the cat licks the vaseline?

That bit of vaseline won't hurt your cat....in fact some people let cats lick the vaseline occassionally for hairballs...

ants dont like cucumber slices either

i have a spray that's safe for children & animals - plant based - it's made by Raid. i got it for safety reasons, & also because regular insecticides bother ME.
here's a link: Raid Earth Options Ant & Roach Killer

When this happened to me, I also put the food dish inside a larger dish of water and it kept the ants out of the food.

I also tried to spray around the door or other points of entry with Orange Guard. It is a natural insecticide made from orange peel extract, food grade ingredients, and it is safe to use around pets.

http://orangeguard.com/