How to feed wild cats (feral cats) without feeding ants

Yes, those dots floating in the water are dead ants
But dozens of ants found a way to get into the food.

Note how the edge of the smaller bowl touches
the edge of the larger bowl.
I did not make a good innovation

How can we keep ants away from the food that we put out for feral cats?   Sweet stray cats like Cheinha, Cara Meia Branca and Rosie have to fight ants when they eat the food that we put out for them.

One way is to take two bowls.   The larger bowl is filled with water.  The other bowl sits in the water and we hope the ants stay away.   The results from the experiment were not good.  See the photos at the top of this review.
Look at this REMARKABLE "wiki how" article


The other way is to buy a bowl with a "water moat" around it.  Here is an image from an Amazon product.

Here is a question and answer from the review of this product 

Question:

how much food does each side hold?

Answer:

Hi - I am glad to answer. Each side holds either 1 cup of dry or 1 5oz can of wet food. I hope that helps. I really love this bowl. I actually am going to buy two more for the two feral cats I feed outside.

By Carolyn Williams on June 7, 2016

This is an interesting tip:

ByDolores Brennemanon February 1, 2018

Color: pink

I had a bowl like this before. Years ago. I put a small amount of dish soap 

in the moat and them put the water in the moat and filled it to the top. 

Yes, in hot weather it dries up fast so you just keep an eye on it 

and put more water, but it's still soapy in the moat. 

Cleans up pretty good also with the dish soap on the bottom.

GOOD TIP!  Add liquid soap

Here is another review

starsGreat for keeping ants out

September 6, 2017

Color: Blue Pet Bowl|

This bowl has been great so far for keeping ants out of the cat food. 

We are caring for a feral cat and need to leave food out overnight. 

Other bowls were full of ants the next morning, but not this one. 

Can't really tell from the picture but it does have some water in it. 

We fill it all the way in the evening.

Here is another tip

when the moat has an appropriate deterrent such as dish ...

BySallie H. Jaroson October 24, 2017

Color: Pink|

when the moat has an appropriate deterrent such as dish soap 

or vegetable oil or even a bit of diatomaceous earth with a 5% Sevin garden dust 

included this dish is very helpful. For my needs however the size is small

Catwalks can create special spaces for cats to roam

Here is an example of using catwalks to improve a room... so that cats have a superior place for watching over us.

The wood came from two pieces of furniture that I no longer use.  The star, Tomas, likes to explore high places.   The minimum space from walkway to ceiling should exceed 12 inches.   The distance to the ceiling in this video is 13 inches and Tomas was close to the ceiling.

If you take care of a dog or cat, then take care of your mental health and brain

If you are a caretaker of a dog or cat, what are you doing for your mental health?

It matters what we eat (we are what we eat), so it matters what they eat. -- "They all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast,"

"For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. Who knows that the breath [spirit] of man ascends upward and the breath [spirit] of the beast descends downward to the earth?" Ecclesiastes 3:19-21

Cats and Dogs are People, too.   

That's why I like to think about the comfort of animals.  Our cats eat Nutra Max Cat and their coats are remarkably softer than when they ate cheaper brands.

Here's a story about Rosie, the stray cat.  She wants to live "free" but her hips looked weak and her coat was flat.  After three weeks of switching to Nutra Max Cat (salmon flavor), her coat looks smoother and shiny... and she cries out stronger.  She's not as weak as she was ...  For that special cat in your life, even the street cats, think about giving them Nutra Max Cat.

This is why we feel good when we feed animals -- they are innocent.  Let's read that again:
They all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place.

Does your pet run away? Use a Loc8tor to find your pet with a radio signal

For months we have put a harness on Sweet Pea, a naive black cat who is friendly.  She's so friendly, we assume that we will walk across the street and wander into a car and ride away. 


We heard about TILE (the bluetooth device) and we heard about radio beams for finding a pet.   Here are two observations:

The TILE is heavier.  A light cat doesn't need a heavier device.

The Loc8tor is lightweight.  Although the battery runs out after three weeks, we prefer the lighter device.

You can see in the video how we have used the Loc8tor.  Sweet Pea has started running back home as soon as the device starts beeping.





Here is a video to show you how the Loc8tor's battery is replaced and how the device beeps on the cat, too.