Ants/Borax/My Cat

[briecats]

LOL sorry for the strange title. I posted this on a plant forum, but since they are plant experts not kitty experts this is a better place

All I can say is yuck! Tonight I found what must of been a gazillion of the teeniest tinyest ants I have ever seen, they are light brown tanish color, and so dinky. They were in my cats food bowl which is inside the house. She has a bookshelf on which she eats that sits under the window, I had a screen in the window, and Im wondering if they crawled through the screen. I have seen these before on a dead bird or dead bug in the yard ...but NEVER had them inside before.

I wiped up the shelf, the wall, with hot borax water (the kind you use for laundry), and vacuumed over and over again, then sprinkled dry borax onto the carpet all around the shelf, as I keep going back and looking and once in awhile see one walking up the wall.

My question is this, Will borax hurt my cat if she walks on it then licks her feet? Also can these ants hurt her if they get on her? As she was sitting on her shelf when I saw the ants, so I dont know if any got on her, I checked her over and didnt see any.

Now that Ive probably creaped you out and made your skin crawl, sorry.

 

[arlyn]

Borax, as per their website says that it is nontoxic if ingested in small amounts.

I've used it to kill flea infestations in carpet.

That ants are called sugar ants or piss ants, so named for the trail the make to lead the rest of the colony to the food source.
They can bite, but they aren't harmful, and if she eats a few, she won't do it twice, ants taste bad apparently.

If you are seeing them in your house, and you keep it clean, the chances are good that the infestation is in the house itself, I'd call an exterminator.

 

[hissy]

Laying out a line of cinnamon will deter the ants- there are also ant-proof food bowls for cats you can buy-

Borax if ingested in LARGE quantities is toxic to cats.

 

[courtney_ou]

you can also put down cucumber slices; ants hate them.

 

[jen]

Will the cinnamon thing work with earwigs? I have a similar problem with earwigs. I like bugs and spiders but I CANNOT STAND EARWIGS. I don't have as many like the ants but there are more then I care for in my house and they pretty much gather around the cat food dish and under the counters.

 

[briecats]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to post. Hopefully it was just a one time thing, and I still think they crawled through the screen that was just above the food. Why now? Who knows. But the catfood is no longer kept down at all times, I keep it and bowl tight in a tuperwear container, kitty doesnt like it much because she doesnt have 24 access, and I have to constently take it out for her, but thats ok.

 

[Skychick1]

I have electronic feeders for both my cats that are on timers for dry food and have tried everything to keep the darn ants out of it. Even placing them on top of a container over a boot tray filled with water to create a moat. Crafty little buggers figured out how to get over it. I called the manufacturer and they had no inkling on how to help. Any idea s

 

[Masha1983]

Hissy and Courtney are right. Cinnamon and cucumbers work. I can also add lime/lemon zest, and basically anything non-sugary with strong smell. They will deter ants and pose no harm to your cat. Even if she is too playful and -unlikely to happen at all- may lick them.