I am looking for something that can kill ants, but itsn't harmful to cats.. Anyone have any suggestions?

Question

I have this huge ant farm in my house underneath a wall. I have two cats that I am very protective of.. I know I could use raid, but isn't that harmful to pets? Is there any safer thing I can use to get rid of the ants?

Answer 1

I cant tell you how to kill them but I can help you keep them out of the food and water dishes, if the food sorce is taken away it may help them to move on? I had a problem for years and after keeping control on the food sorce in my house I have not seen one this year! KNOCK ON WOOD!

Anyway heres what you can do until they are under control..

I no longer have to do this, but I wanted to share for those who have the problem. I have conquered the ant problem this year!! Keeping ants out of your pet’s dishes and small animals cages

As you will see there are so many uses for what I am going to tell you.  You can keep ants from getting to the fruit you have put in your birds cage, and keep ants from getting into the soft wet litter areas in small animal cages like hamsters or guinea pigs. There is no end to what it can do.  You see, its simple, I use petroleum jelly (Vaseline). I know you have seen the scout ants hunting around your house. They hunt for damp cool areas and for food.  Ants cannot cross over a line of petroleum jelly. They would get stuck, one toe in and the see the cant cross, they don’t even try.  So they won’t be able to get to your pets food or water so therefore won’t be able to bring back the rest of the troops to invade your home!!  A thin line around a trash can, or bird cage legs and base of your pets food or water dish, (apply to sides of dish about 1 inch from the floor).  I use a thin line applied with a q-tip around my guinea pigs cage, she used to get ants in her cage they wanted her fruit all the time… I just tried my tried and true way of keeping ants out of my cat’s dishes and it WORKED GREAT!! I am so happy with this method for the past several years… I used to put my cats food dish in a pie tin of water, which worked great because ants can cross water… a good idea and can be used in a pinch, but I found the food kept falling in the water and making a murky mess and attracted even more ants if I did not change the water in the pie tin few times a day.  

REMEMBER ONE IMPORTANT THING! Keep cages, bowls, etc. from touching the walls by at least one inch so the ants can’t bypass the petroleum jelly and enter the bowl or cage from the wall where it is touching as to avoid the carefully placed petroleum jelly. I even use the petroleum jelly around my trashcans in doors and out.  Keeps ants from there as well!

Answer 2

Vinegar - pour right on ant colony

worked for me

Answer 3

Corn Meal.

Ants can't digest it. They will carry back to their nest to the rest of their colony.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

boiling water but u dont want that all over the wall get an ant killer that doesnt harm pets it tells u on the back of the spray

Answer 5

You posted this question in the wrong section btw.... But you should just get a exterminator to your house and let them kill the ants! And while he is doing that take your cats with you and go do something with them. By doing this there is no need to worry that your cats will get hurt in the process in killing the ants.

Answer 6

If you have an actual ant infestation you will have to call an exterminator. But I disagree that you and your cats can go somewhere and not worry...that is simply not true.

What you will need to do is, yes, take your cats to a friend or relative's house during the extermination process, but you should remain at home, if possible, to observe where inside the house the exterminator sprays chemicals.

I would then stay out of the home for a night, again, if possible.

I would then (before bringing your babies home) gently clean the walls with soap and warm water and run a warm water and soap mop over the floor areas that he sprayed. Don't worry about carpeted areas.

This will eliminate most of the toxic poison off the floors. Remember that cats are very clean animals, and l**k their paws often. Whatever they step on will likely be ingested, so do mop up after poison.

I wouldn't recommend Raid, it doesn't work very well.

If you have an ant attack on the counter, floor, etc. (you know, a big mass of them, carrying some sort of food in a trail back home) most cleaning products will kill them. I, personally, use a squirt bottle with warm water mixed with about an eighth cup of Dawn. Also a product called Simple Green kills them. So does Lysol cleaner...etc etc. That works to kill them and sponge them up and won't harm your kitties, but it won't stop the problem at it's source. you have to eliminate the nest itself.

If you don't want to use an exterminator, I would recommend using those "bug bombs" or ant bombs. They are fumigators that you can buy over the counter. Set them off in the room the ants are living in, and leave the house (with your kitties) for several hours. Come home, air out the house, and you'll have to wash everything. The floors, the walls, the counters, tables, clean all dishes in cabinets near the fumigator and all sheets, bedding, etc that is near.

Hope this is helpful!!