How to Keep Ants Away From Cat Food

Ants can be a real nuisance when it comes to your cat’s food and when feeding it. They will often prevent your cat from eating well since they tend to cover the food all around. They will then steal your cat’s food depriving it of much-needed nutrients. We are going to look at some of the ways to eliminate this menace.

Why do ants attack your cat’s food?

Ant attacks your cat’s food because:

☑️ They want to have a share of the meal – though they may not even be aware that it is something edible.

☑️ They use the food particle to construct their own “houses”.

How do you prevent and keep away ants from your cat’s food

There are more than one ways of keeping them off from your cat’s meal. They are:

Place the bowl in a water bowl

Ants loathe water. With this in mind, simply place the food bowl in a larger bowl that is loaded with water. The “water channel” that surrounds the cat food will discourage ants from getting into the bowl. Make sure you fill the bowl every day, especially in summer when the water will be evaporating quickly.

Invest in an ant-proof cat food bowl

You can find an ant-proof cat food bowl nowadays. They are usually made to prevent ants from reaching the food. one of the best items is the Iconic Pet Anti. it featured a rubberized base made from a high-quality stainless steel material that makes it long-lasting, and difficult for ants to climb. The design of the bowl will not make it possible for the ants to crawl into the food, ensuring the feed stays hygienic and healthy to your cat.

Using baking soda

You can apply baking soda liberally around the bowl which will repel those ants away from your pet’s food bowl. This is a safe approach that will not harm your pets. You just have to reapply the baking soda every day or after every few days to repel ants and other bugs.

Using a tape

A slightly cumbersome but successful method of repelling ants from dog food is to put tape around the bowl. Tie the tape around the food bowl with the adhesive side facing up. Just make sure your pet doesn’t step on the tape and accidentally eject it. Ants and various beetles will stick to the adhesive area and will not contaminate your pet’s food.

Chalk

Chalks are also not a favorite of ants and they will try to avoid it as much as possible. By that, your pet’s food will remain un-visited.

To apply chalk, draw a line using it around the food bowl.

Clove oil

The base oil of the cloves has a firm scent that repels ants. Use a dropper to put a few drops of oil near your pet’s feed bowl. The disadvantage of this ant repelling technique is that some cats can also be repelled by the aroma of the oil. It is therefore ideal to add the oil drops to the interior of the house or rightly to the house of the ants.

Sulfur powder

Another ant repellent solution is sulfur powder. Sprinkle it around the food or near the ant colonies so that ants don’t get close to your cat’s bowl.

Other ways of preventing and keeping away ants from the cat’s food

• Always remember to keep your pet’s food in a plastic container which is airtight. Ants do not have the ability to eat up the storage all the way to the food. Another good thing about this container is that it preserves the freshness of your cat’s food, without getting bad. There are many brands of containers that are good for keeping your cat food.
• As a way of defense against the ants, always apply petroleum jelly as a cover outside the bowl. This is highly rebellious to the ants, with a tendency of keeping them away. On the other hand, ants do not have always find it hard to walk around in a sticky and slippery surface; hence it won’t be able to reach your cat’s food easily.
• You will need to spray insecticide to the ants to stop them from attacking your cat’s food. Alternatively, you will need to demarcate the border around your cat’s food.
•  There are different methods of placing a border around your cat’s food and they include:

☑️The use of vinegar or even lemon on the floor where you place your cat’s bowl of food. This substance automatically repels the ants.

☑️Use petroleum jelly around the place you keep your cat food. It gives the ants a rough time walking across it.

☑️ Use chalk to draw a line around the bowl of your cat food. This chalk is poisonous in nature hence the ants can’t withstand it.

• When the ants get used to the same feeding area of your cat, they will always attack that food. This could be due to the presence of food in its colony. When you change the feeding location, the ants will find it difficult to locate the foods, at least for some time; hence they won’t be able to attack it.
• Ants usually find it difficult to attack your food if the feeding area is clean. They always go to a dirty area because of the likelihood of finding a meal there. You will need to clear the feeding area of any leftovers as that is what the ants like to attack the most. Wash the floor using acidic component such as lemon. Ants won’t withstand that.
• When you are not feeding your cat, consider taking off the bowl from where the cat usually feeds from. When ants come looking for their meal, they will be disappointed not to find any. Finally, they may finally end up giving up on the search.

Can cats share the food with the ants?

No, they won’t share a meal with the ants. In many cases, the ants will eat the leftovers from the cat’s food but they cannot share a meal from one plate. In some instances, what is edible to the cat may not be edible to the ants and vice versa. So, it won’t be ways to find them sharing a meal.

Ants, being small as they are can cause your cat to starve. They are a big nuisance that needs to be get rid of for your cat to be able to enjoy its food in peace. There are many ways of getting rid of this menace. This article is built with insightful information that should guide you on how to reduce this problem. Refer to this guide any time you need some information about keeping the ants away from your cat’s food.

Related Resource:

How to Keep Cat Food Away From Dog