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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

1609.0. "Ants in the food dish!!" by MEMV03::BULLOCK (Hulk's REAL name is Terry!) Tue Aug 02 1988 19:36

    I know that there have been many notes on using ant traps when there
    are kitties in the house, but I haven't seen an answer to this one.
    
    We have had a bad time with ants this summer, and I spray with RAID
    and use ant traps wherever I see ants around.  The latest problem is
    that they get into Billie's food dish for the "leftovers".  I move
    her food dish periodically to fake out the ants, and put down new
    traps, but sooner or later, they figure it out and get right back
    in.  
    
    My concern is that if the ants have been in the traps, and then
    get into her dish, will Billie get sick from it?  I try to gauge
    what I think she'll eat and not leave a lot lying around;  I also
    clean the dish a few times a day.
    
    I'm worried about Billie's health because of this.  Has anyone had 
    this happen?  Any ideas?
    
    Thanks for any help,
    
    Jane
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1609.1CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren, Sweetie, & Holly; in Calif.Tue Aug 02 1988 20:466
    I believe that if you can "interrupt" the trail of the ants you have
    some chance of success.  There are a number of ant colonies in my
    yard, and occasionally I will find a line of them in the house.
    I wipe them up and clean the trail area with wet paper towels,
    and use Raid outside the house wherever they were getting in.
                                
1609.2some thoughts on thisSKITZD::WILDETime and Tide wait for NormanTue Aug 02 1988 20:4911
Ants carry the ant trap bait back to the nest when they get it, they would
not be infesting the food with it.

If you are feeding canned food, I use the "eat now or lose it" technique
of feeding Nicky his canned food so I don't have ants or other cats getting
it.  I offer the food to him several times each evening and once each
morning...as long as he is actively eating, the dish stays down - when he
stops eating and moves away, it gets taken up, the leftover food stored
in a plastic container in the fridge, and the dish is cleaned.  We don't
get ants in the Science Diet kibble if I use the ant stakes around the 
OUTSIDE of the windows.
1609.3Jim Easson says...JULIET::CORDESBRO_JOWed Aug 03 1988 00:179
    I recently heard on a local radio talk show (KGO for you west-coasters)
    that ants will not cross a chalk line.  Several people called up
    to say that they had tried it and it worked.  
    
    Maybe you could draw a chalk circle around your cats food dish.
    
    Sounds kinda crazy but it might work.
    
    Jo
1609.4SKETCH::BASSETTDesignWed Aug 03 1988 11:3010
    I agree with .2
    
    Don't leave left overs on the floor.  I had problems with ants getting
    into Asia's moist food that was left on the floor.  I thought once
    they are in my apt they will never leave--they do leave once the
    food is gone.  I feed her can food in the morning right after I
    get up and if she hasn't finished eating by the time I leave for
    work then she looses it.  I think she prefers dry food anyway....
    
    Linda
1609.5how I keep ants from cat foodHUMOR::EPPESMake 'em laughWed Aug 03 1988 22:3333
    I saw an "insect prevention" dish in one of the pet supply catalogs
    (mentioned in another note).  For a lot of money you can buy a dish
    under which is a reservoir that you fill with salt water.  The part
    containing the food is raised above this reservoir, thus creating a
    sort of moat that ants would have to cross to be able to climb up the
    dish into the food.  Ants are reluctant to do this.

    I have an ant problem when I leave Jasper's food dish out on the deck.
    (I keep him on the deck in nice weather when we're not home because
    he has an unfortunate tendency to use the carpet as his litterbox
    [story is in a note way back].  The deck is about 5-1/2 feet off the
    ground and has no stairs to the ground, so he can be left there without
    my worrying that he'll run off into the woods.)  Rather than spend big
    bucks on one of those fancy dishes, I sort of concocted one of my own.
    I put salty water in a shallow plastic plate.  On the plate (in the
    water) I place a small bowl, facing up.  On top of this bowl, I place
    Jasper's food dish.  The food dish fits right into the plastic bowl,
    which raises it an inch or so above the water in the plate underneath.
    Ants can't get to the food dish because it is raised off the floor and
    surrounded by water.

    Here is a poor attempt at illustrating what I'm talking about:
    
			--------
		       /        \   <--food dish
		      +----------+
			 \____/    <--bowl underneath, holding dish up
		       |~~~~~~~~| <--plate containing salty water
    

    Luckily we don't have an ant problem in the house (knock on wood!).

							-- Nina