Dump out the ants and remaining contaminated food. Immediately close the bag and take outside. This helps keep the ants from crawling back out and getting back into the food., Ants leave pheromones behind that attract more ants, so make sure to thoroughly wash out the bowl with hot water and detergent. If the bowl is dishwasher friendly, you can put it through your dishwasher., After removing the ants, clean the area around the food. You have to remove the pheromone trail so ants from the colony won't return. Try using vinegar or lemon juice to erase the scent and deter future ants from approaching.You can also mop the area around the food container, or the entire kitchen floor. You can use what you normally use to mop, or use dish soap., Look for a shallow container that is wider than the cat food bowl. You can use a silver tray, a cake pan, a pie pan, a roasting tray, or anything else that will fit the cat bowl in.Make sure the container you put the cat bowl in isn't too big. However, there should be about an inch between the edge of the moat and the food bowl. This distance helps keep ants away.Some companies manufacture bowls that already incorporate the moat around the bowl's edge. These are great and easy to use and the entire bowl can be picked up and cleaned in one go. However, if you don't want to spend the money on that before seeing if it works, you can try this DIY method.
 Place a small amount of water in the moat container. You don't want to fill it too high so it spills into the food, but want enough water to provide a barrier for the ants. Ants aren't good swimmers, so it should drown or deter the ants from crossing.To help keep ants from crossing the water, try placing some vegetable oil, lemon essential oil, or dishwashing soap into the moat water. But only add dishwashing liquid if the space between the moat and food bowl is too small for the cat to drink from., Put the food bowl in the water. Make sure there is at least a 1-inch space between the edge of the moat and the food bowl. Fill the food bowl with fresh food.


If the container is extra large, put the food bowl close enough to its edge so your cat will be able to reach the food without difficulty, but far enough from the edge the ants won't be able to hop across.
If the food bowl is too short, use a block or other item to raise the food bowl above the edge of the moat container., The water may contain some drowned ants or spilled food. It will need refreshing as it begins to evaporate.
 Eventually, the ants will stop coming. In some places, like in warmer climates, you may have to feed your cat in this manner persistently as the ants never go away.
Remove any ants already in your cat's food bowl.
Wash the bowl.
Clean the food area.
Find a moat container.
Fill the container with water.
Place the food bowl in the moat container.
Empty the moat container as needed.
Keep up this process.
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