[rosalie]

Not sure if my question fit in this forum...I'm considering a bowl with a moat around it for my cat.
Because of ants that would come not only for the the crumbs but get in the dish. Not matter how much I clean, the dishes are in a corner but far from the wall, nothing seems to work.
Hence the dish w/ moat idea..but I would like to hear some opinions about it, pros and cons, etc. Thank-you very much!!

 

[Aonir]

You do know that ants can live under water?

 

[ospunkyo]

I don't like ants I DON'T like ants. Aonir - you just freaked me out - is that true that they can survive UNDER water?

A moat-dish sounds like a good idea - however, I have heard that ants can WALK on water (((shudders)))

 

[rosalie]

Ants + water

Speaking of freaking out..ants can live/walk on water 8O ?? You might be right but let me doublecheck..however now that I think sometimes she picks out kernels and eats them out of the dish; I know many cats do that but I wonder if that will deter her too_lest she drops it in the water, or what? I don't know everything about ants, but y'know these dishes are advertised as anti-ants, anti-bugs..oh-well, we know thruth in ad goes so far.
Lets google the moat thing and I'll tell you. Thank-you for the imput!

 

[Aonir]

YES! Ants can live under water! When it rains, ants stay UNDER ground, in the water. They can live up to 2 weeks under water I think. I don't like ants either. I dispise bugs but don't want to kill them because other animals/insects need them to survive.

 

[Empath]

Ants may be able to live under water, but a moat still effectively keeps them out. Ants invaded our house this year, and the cat food bowl is where they headed. I set the bowl in a large saucer, and poured a layer of water around it. It worked. The ants searched out other areas. We still had to deal with the ants elsewhere though.

I haven't tried it, but some of the sites I had checked while trying to figure out something, suggested that you can take chalk and draw a line around the bowl near the bottom. Chalk, containing diatomaceous earth, becomes a deterrent since it would tend to tear at their "flesh".

 

[rosalie]

Ants

After my search and reading your replies I'm more enlightened..thank-you very much. I'll try the bowl on saucer with water approach. I heard about the chalk but didn't know why..thanks again

 

[BoscosMum]

I really want to know.....what in the world is a moat?

 

[Empath]

Usually a moat is associated with a castle or some area of fortification. It's a wide trench that encircled them, that would have to be crossed in order to gain access. Of course castles usually had drawbridges they'd let down in order to permit easy crossing.

 

[kitkat]

Lets ask for picture shall we :?:

 

[brite]

not to sound mean, but isn't there a cat-friendly way to keep ants out of your home? just wondering. i know that during certain times of the year, ants can become a problem, but i can't imagine them getting very far into the house without you noticing (unless you keep the kitty food by the screen door?)

good luck with the moat dish though... good idea. i would've never thought of it... probably would've fumigated the place or taped everything shut instead LOL!

 

[ospunkyo]

There are things you can try to keep ants out of your house, and things to try once they are in your house, but even if you can find every source of ants coming in, and every nest already set up in your house, it's next to impossible to eliminate them for good.

There are some cat safe ant repellant ideas here: http://cats.about.com/od/housekeeping/qt/antcontrol.htm

Includes stuff like the moat dish idea, some natural deterents, and diatomaceous earth - which is great, but is non-discriminatory (also kills "good bugs" like lady bugs and worms). You can buy it at garden centers, but be sure to read the warnings on the box. I only use it outside my house - and not ever near human or cat food (my own concerns - you can decide for yourself).

 

[kitkat]

I just got a huge trail of ants coming in from the back door to the kitchen area where the cats food bowl is. OMG, it was so many ants!! My brother helped me clean it up before my parents got home but a question.

Would a raised cat feeder help with ants staying out (and us spraying the outside area with ant repellant too of course)?

I don't know what to do, I've never been baffled with ants before since I was on 3rd floor before my parents house.......

Thanks :lol:

 

[faile]

I really want to know.....what in the world is a moat?

moat: protective ditch/trench that encircles whatever needs to be protected, sometimes filled with water or the bottomed lined with sharpened stakes. as empath said, often surrounding castles, crossing was occomplished with bridges/drawbridges.

visual aid:

 

[BoscosMum]

WOW...that's a HUGE cat bowl :lol: :lol: :lol: Just kidding! hehe

I cant believe they make a dish like that for animals! Cool idea.
I am glad we dont have an ant problem!