5 DIY Ant-Proof Cat Bowls You Can Make Today (With Pictures)
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Are you having an issue with keeping ants out of your cat’s food bowl? This is a common problem when we welcome warmer weather. Not only is the sun shining and the greenery blooming, but the ants are marching one by one into our homes and yards.
Whether it be inside or outside, ants must be dealt with when they start swarming food. We’d like to share with you some great DIY ideas for creating your very own ant-proof cat food bowl. Since ants are excellent climbers and have a knack for getting into everything, you will notice these DIYs all have the same theme, creating a moat around the food.
The 5 DIY Ant-Proof Cat Bowls
1. DIY Bowl in Bowl Ant-Proof Cat Bowl
| What You’ll Need: | Large stainless steel pet bowl, cat food bowl |
This DIY is quite simple and can solve your ants-in-the-bowl problem quickly. What you’ll need is a large stainless steel pet food bowl, which you can get at any pet store or local retailer, fill it up with enough water to cover the bottom but not send the bowl floating, and then place your cat’s food bowl down inside.
A bowl inside of a bowl is about as simple as it gets, and it will keep the ants from being able to reach the food. You will want to ensure the stainless-steel bowl is large enough to have some space for water to sit surrounding the cat food bowl but not large enough that your cat cannot reach their food.
2. DIY Aluminum Baking Pan Ant-Proof Cat Bowl
| What You’ll Need: | Aluminum baking pan, cat food bowl |
All you need to do for this DIY is grab a disposable aluminum baking pan, fill it with some water and place your cat’s food bowl down inside. This is a very cost-friendly and effective way to keep the ants at bay. Most households have aluminum baking pans stashed away in the cupboard. If not, you can find them in just about any grocery store and the good news is that they are super cheap.
Remember your cat’s size when choosing the size of the pan. While larger dogs may not have a problem with larger pans, your cat surely won’t want to step into the water to reach its food. You can purchase a shallow pan too, as long as it can hold enough water to keep the ants from getting to the bowl.
3. Suspended Anti-Ant Cat Bowl by Homify
| What You’ll Need: | Pet bowl, pot rack, shallow bowl |
Then, place the cat bowl on top of the rack. Keeping it raised makes it harder for ants to get inside and helps your cat each comfortably—just make sure it’s not too high. Change the water in the shallow bowl occasionally to prevent mold.
4. DIY Ant-Proof Pet Food Bowl by Instructables
| What You’ll Need: | Stainless steel bowl, plastic CD container, epoxy glue |
This DIY ant-proof pet food bowl uses a water moat to prevent ants from getting into the cat’s food, but it incorporates a handy plastic CD container. As long as your cat’s food bowl fits into the container with a little distance, it will work. The goal is to have too much water for the ants to swim.
Once you have the right fit, you just glue the center of the container to the base of the outer container to keep it from floating in the water. Best of all, this design is so quick and cheap to make that you can replace it as needed.
5. Baking Soda Feeding Station by Alley Cat
| What You’ll Need: | Baking soda, pet bowl |
Based on an innovative design from Alley Cat Allies, a baking soda feeding station keeps ants at bay because they won’t cross powder, and if they do, it dries them out and kills them. Like baby powder, baking soda isn’t toxic to cats but repels ants effectively without the strong scent of baby powder. You can also use diatomaceous earth, but that’s a little more expensive and difficult to come by than a household staple like baking soda.
Alternatively, you can opt for a bowl that is practical and modern and was designed to improve your cats' eating habits and benefit their overall health. Our Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl was created with both pet parents and their feline companions in mind. The shallow stainless steel bowls protect your kitty from whisker fatigue and the elevated base brings their food to a height that's comfortable for them to eat. The wrap-around tray ensures that your floors are always clean of mealtime mess. Cleaning is a breeze since the NomNom is entirely dishwasher-safe.
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Extra Tips for Keeping Ants Out of Cat Food
Other than building a moat around your cat’s food bowl as you see in the DIY ant-proof cat bowl projects, there are some other tips we can provide to keep those pesky ants from invading your cat’s food. Take a look:
1. Store Cat Food in an Airtight Container
Once ants find their way into your home, it can quickly turn into a full-blown invasion. One way to keep them out of your cat’s food is to place the food in an air-tight storage container. Ants will manage to sneak their way into even the tiniest openings, so it’s best not to keep food in the original bag or within a container they can make their way into.
2. Wash Food Bowls Thoroughly
An ant’s odor receptors are four to five times that of most other insects. They are drawn in very easily by even the smallest amount of enticing food that has been left behind. Once your cat has finished their meal, pick up the bowl and discard any leftovers, then wash it thoroughly to rinse away the smell and any pieces that may have become stuck to the sides.
3. Always Keep the Feeding Area Clean
In addition to keeping the food bowls clean, you will want to keep the entire feeding area clean and tidy. After your cat finishes dinner, go ahead and sweep up around the area to ensure all food debris has been picked up. Wiping down surfaces and mopping the floors regularly will also help deter an ant invasion.
4. Never Leave Out Any Food
It’s not just your cat’s food that will be a target, ants are highly attracted to human foods as well. You may not notice them in the wintertime but when the weather starts to warm and the ants start to move, they will certainly let you know if you aren’t cleaning up after yourself.
Make sure to rinse and wash dishes rather than letting them sit in the sink, never leave food out unattended, and always put it away in the pantry or the refrigerator. It’s best to prevent this problem before it gets started and while you can’t always avoid ants getting in the house, you can avoid them coming in large numbers and swarming the kitchen.
5. Use Ant Baits
Another way to keep invading ants out of the cat’s food is to set out ant baits. You will need to be careful when sitting out toxic chemicals like the ones found in ant poison, but it’s easy to find a secure place out of your cat’s (or other pet’s) reach. These ant baits are designed to draw them in, and you will see an increase in ants at first, but it will ultimately resolve your problem.
6. Use Natural Repellants
There are many natural ant repellants that you can either purchase commercially or put together yourself as a DIY. There are many ways to use these repellents so you will want to find one that works best for you and your situation. Remember that essential oils can be highly toxic to cats, so it is of the utmost importance that you use caution when using them.
- Diatomaceous earth
- Glass cleaner and liquid detergent
- Ground black or red pepper
- Peppermint
- Tea tree oil
- Lemon eucalyptus oil
- White vinegar
7. Treat the Outside of Your Home
Many of the natural repellents can be placed around the outside of your home to act as a deterrent for ants. There are also insecticides available for spraying the perimeter of your home if you wish to go the chemical route. Remember to always use caution, especially when using chemical insecticides to ensure people and pets do not come in contact with the solution.
8. Call in a Professional
If all else fails and you are still stuck with a severe ant problem, you can always go the professional route. Call up a local pest control technician and let them know the problem you are facing, and they will show up and go over the proper treatment protocol with you. This is the most expensive route, but sometimes it’s well worth the cost to eliminate this pesky problem and you can also help support local, small businesses this way.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many creative ways you can create a moat around your cat’s food to keep the ants out of it whether your cat is being fed indoors or outdoors. There are also plenty of other tips and tricks you can utilize to keep control of an ant infestation.
Featured Image Credit: mik ulyannikov, Shutterstock
