Help!

[Sall223]

i just found this site today....never knew it existed.

I have been a cat owner my entire life, getting my first kitten at age one (1). Needless to say, I am in love with all things cat.

Here’s my question, having cats my entire life, I have never run across this issue: little, tiny, telescopic red ants near food bowl. I checked the container of dry food and there are none there. I’m still not even sure how I noticed these little buggers. They are seriously the tiniest bug I have ever seen.

Has anyone else had these, and if so, what can be done? I have wiped up the area, even using bleach, but there are still some lingering ones.

Any help would be appreciated. Attached is a very blown up photo of these ants.

 

[Kieka]

Looks like thief or pharaoh ants.

How to tell a Thief ant from a Pharaoh

From what I've heard you can't use regular local posion because they will just come back. You have to do a slow acting bait type thing. Terro works on pharaoh's but not thief's. Maxforce works on theifs Maxforce FC Ant Bait Gel but isn't as pet friendly so your want to put it in a Tupperware with a hole cut into the side, enough that ants can get to it but not your cats.

From what I've heard these buggers can be a pain to get rid of. So you may need professional help.

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

I've not had this issue myself, but I know others here have. Standing the food bowl in a bigger bowl of water usually keeps the ants off the food. There are more details in this thread: Eww! Ants Won't Leave My Cat's Food Alone

 

[Sall223]

BTW- These ants are not IN the food. I have never found them IN the food, just around the bowl.

 

[silkenpaw]

I don't think these are a threat for your cats, but they are yucky.

I usually follow the ants trail as far back as I can and put a small bowl of food somewhere along it. The ants generally go no further than that bowl and leave the cat food alone. I don't know how to get rid of them permanently.

Good luck.

 

[sabrinah]

You can use food grade Diatomaceous Earth to make protective barriers if you don't want to use poison. It also comes in chalk form. It will cut open the exoskeleton of any ant that walks through it. When/if it makes its way back to the nest it will be covered in DE, spreading it over others.

 

[xcourtney3]

I got rid of the ants in my bathroom by putting a line of powdered cinnamon across the wall where they were coming in

 

[Sall223]

You can use food grade Diatomaceous Earth to make protective barriers if you don't want to use poison. It also comes in chalk form. It will cut open the exoskeleton of any ant that walks through it. When/if it makes its way back to the nest it will be covered in DE, spreading it over others.

Where can this be purchased?

 

[Sall223]

I don't think these are a threat for your cats, but they are yucky.

I usually follow the ants trail as far back as I can and put a small bowl of food somewhere along it. The ants generally go no further than that bowl and leave the cat food alone. I don't know how to get rid of them permanently.

Good luck.

Well, I spoke too soon. Yesterday they did swarm her food bowl. I am at my whits end. Don’t know what to do from here!!

 

[rubysmama]

Another member, @doomsdave, posted a thread with some helpful tips for getting rid of ants in his Oh No! There's Ants In My Dry Cat Food! thread.

 

[sabrinah]

Where can this be purchased?

I buy food grade DE from Amazon. My preferred brand is the diatomaceousearth.com brand. You can also buy it straight from their website. They do have one labeled for pesticide use, but according to their website, it's the exact same as the food grade version and just as safe. Other companies may add chemicals to their pesticide DE.

 

[Sall223]

Well, I just noticed today AGAIN that these microscopic ants are back. In and around my cats food and dish. I believe it was this same time last year that we found these for the first time. I have had a cat my entire life and have never seen these before, thinking the first time last year was due to bad food (which I immediately threw away).

Any suggestions or ideas of how to get rid of these permanently or should I expect them every summer?

Thanks!

 

[rubysmama]

Not sure if you should expect them every summer. I guess it depends on where their nests are, and how they're getting into your home.

About them getting in your cat's food, this TCS article might have some tips for you: How To Keep Ants Out Of Cat Food

 

[maggiedemi]

I'm seeing tiny ants on my cats' food for the first time this year too. I haven't gotten any ant traps yet, so I just started putting my cats' food in bowls instead of on a plate.