...and they all go marching DOWN...to the ground...(need advice!)

Ant invasion.

I figure if I drop something on the floor and am too lazy or preoccupied to clean it up, the ants have a right to the feast...and the resultant feeding frenzy not only shames me, but shows me where the trouble spot is.
Fair enough. However...

Today I found ants IN MY CATS' FOOD. They have a free-feed station, and it and their water dish stand on a plastic mat, since the little rats darlings tend to be sloppy eaters and scatter their kibble. I put the plastic mat down for this very reason, but it didn't stop the ants this time...
Not only were there ants in their food, but in their freakin' WATER DISH, doing the 'ant-ball' thing. :wow:
:grr: Of course, you realize THIS MEANS WAR!!:nuke:

Mopped the floor using lemon-flavored ammonia,:cry: making sure it got down along the cracks...thought I'd taken care of the problem. Came in later after I'd put the cats' food back down...
AND THEY'RE BACK!
:wtf:
Not in the free-feed station, but on the floor...

What is the stuff you can pour down the cracks to discourage the little pests...the ants, I mean?
I used to know, but I forgot...:blush:

keep it away from the cats.

Also - elevate the cats bowls, sometimes that helps.

I think vinegar may disrupt their scent paths - I'll have to check (I used to have a major ant problem). Cayenne pepper is another deterrent.

edited to add link:

http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/natural-ant-control.html

:hi:
I'm about to do a hot water-vinegar thing on the floor...but 'borax' does ring a bell.
:pals:

Food grade DE will kill ALL insects, but not harm people and pets.

http://www.internet-grocer.net/diatome.htm

The ants carry it back to the nest so it doesn't just get rid of the foragers.
* 1 Heaping teaspoon of Granulated Sugar
* 1 Level teaspoon of Poisonous Boric Acid powder.(Small jar available at drug store)
* 1 Teaspoon of HOT water
I looked it up to make sure of the recipe, and to make sure your cats can't lick it, the website recommended hiding a little jar lid of this mixture inside of a plastic tub with a lid in which you've punched little ant access holes. The ants gather around it and have a feast for a day or so, then they are no more.

Thank you! :hug:

Will try this, also elevating their feeding station. Been thinking about doing that anyway; make it a bit easier on their little necks.
Esme turns 10 this year and is getting twinges in the hinges...

The wooden hive stands had legs, and each leg rested in a tuna can with some oil in it, to keep ants from crawling up into the hive (oil, because you could leave it for quite a while and it wouldn't evaporate). I have put dog and cat kibble bowls in plates of water to provide a moat for the same reason.
LOL- Twinges in the hinges, I can relate to that!

The one thing I found in the cats' space at our house is - just being vigilant. I found that if I set their food bowl down and left it, the ants would always find it within a half-hour after the last cat ate his/her last mouthful (and usually left a little in the bowl). So I wait til they've finished, pick up the bowl straight away, let the dog lick the rest, and then it's straight into the dishwasher. I found that leaving a food station around was just asking for it, unfortunately, as convenient as it can be.

And I don't quite understand why they seem to want to congregate in the water bowl, either. Unless they're after whatever they smell or sense in cat spit. Only way around that is just to stay on top of it and keep everything clean, with no chance to sit around for awhile. My husband once pointed out that ants will always come if they sense the presence of any food. Once the food is gone, so are they.