ANT-PROOF PET FOOD BOWL

My cat loves tuna. So do the ants. The solution to the ant problem is to put a water moat around the cat food bowl.

Starting with the stainless steel bowl for the tuna, I found that it fits perfectly inside the plastic container that CDs come in. For the feeding bowl you use, you may need to find a different container it will fit into. That container, in turn, needs to fit inside another plastic container. Leave an adequate distance between them for the water moat. The moat has to be wide enough that an ant can not reach across it without swimming, which they tend not to do.

Step 1

A few dabs of epoxy glues the center container to the base of the outer container. It will stay centered and not float around when the gap between them is filled with water. That is all there is to it. It is a very simple thing to make once you find the right size containers to make it with.

Comments

[asteude]

This bowl will deter ants, but if you get slugs coming after the cat food like we do in NC, you'll want to add a squirt of detergent to the water. Now, how do you keep the racoons, possums and neighbors' cats out?

[Thinkenstein]

No raccoons, possums, or neighbor cats out here where I live. I did used to have some feral cats sneak into the house and steal food sometimes. The food loss didn't bother me as much as the house invasion. Anyway, the problem came and went.

[jmccleve]

Great idea. I've seen those anti-bug bowls at the store, but I've never thought of this. Great work, I'll have to try it out with the cat food dishes that I already have.

[VampiricPie]

I've done something like this by filling an old cookie sheet with water, then placing pet bowls in this. It's worked so far.

[KDiggins]

Of course it is natural for cats to eat bugs ,but bugs can also carry nasty diseases ( especially in their waste) that can make your cat , dog etc very sick. It is also true that the cats will tend to not eat food that has been claimed by ants.

[bben46]

Love it, and so will the cats.

[merijnvw]

What is the problem with ants in the food, they can't eat a lot can they? Is the cat not going to eat it anymore when there are ants in it.

[GeekTinker]

Most common ants produce formic acid, which is used to deter predators and make ants taste bad. Although I have never tasted one myself, I am told that it is a pretty good deterrent to keep predators at bay.

[Thinkenstein]

Have you ever put your face in a bunch of ants? I love my cat.

[merijnvw]

My cat eats insects all the time!

[jody250]

Check out The Mote "Ant Proof Pet Bowl" and be done for good.

[GeekTinker]

Buying a $20 product sort of defeats the DIY spirit of instructables.com, doesn't it? I suppose some people would rather spend the money instead of their time though. Personally, I enjoy the DIY solution and keeping my $ to spend on my pet.

[supertav]

THANK YOU!!! my cat always leave 2/3 food because of ants.. merijnvw, do you really have a cat?? they hate ants, ants have a pungent odour, cats nose is very delicate, and ants do bite me when im cleaning the bowl...

[Thinkenstein]

You're welcome. May you waste no more cat food and have no more ant problems. Yep, I have a wonderful black and white long hair cat.

[pmpinc]

It's not really a trick, it is the unique design of this bowl that confuses the ants. You only have to fool one ant the others follow the scout ant.

[cbennett811]

This is a genius idea! It's one of those things you look at and say why didn't I think of that. This solves a big problem for many a pet owner. I will be passing this on to all my pet owning friends and family. Thank you Thinkenstein!

[Thinkenstein]

You're welcome. High five!