How to Get Rid of Ants When You Have a Dog or Cat in the House

Ants are common pests that can invade your home, contaminating food, damaging wood and testing your sanity. While there are plenty of poisons out there to kill ants in their tracks, you’ll want to be careful if you have pets in the home. Ant poison can be harmful to cats and dogs if ingested, but with a little knowledge and foresight, you can quickly eradicate ants while sparing your pets. If you want to learn how to get rid of ants without harming your dog or cat, we’ve got you covered. Read on for pet safe pest removal solutions with help from Dr. Tina Wismer from the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

Start With Ant Prevention

The first step in learning how to get rid of ants, whether you have animals in your home, is don’t make your home attractive to the ants in the first place. That means keeping your kitchen cabinets and floors void of crumbs, which the workers ants seek out and bring back to their queen and her kin.

It can be hard to keep track of every tiny drop of food, though. So if you’re a cleaning machine and still come home to a kitchen swarming with ants, then you’ll want to learn how to bait the workers ants.

First identify the trail of workers—where they’re coming from and what food source they’re going to. Now, place ant bait stations along this trail. Not all bait is pet-friendly, however!

Keep Ant Killer Away From Pets

“Indoor ant killers come as bait stations, liquid baits, gels and sprays. These can vary in risks for your pets,” Wismer says. Spray products are safe for pets once dry. “Remove pets from the area, spray, and once dry, they can have access again,” Wismer says.

The EPA suggests using low toxicity stations that won’t harm your pets. You can try Combat products, which are specifically designed to target ants while also having a low order of toxicity in animals including house pets. The insecticide mixture within the stations isn’t easily accessible to pets, but to be on the safe side, make sure the stations are placed behind appliances, in the back of cabinets, and generally out of reach from your curious critters. Don’t place the bait stations near your pet’s toys, food and water areas.

“Outdoor ant killers can be more problematic. Bifenthrin products (both liquid and granules) if ingested by pets can cause tremors and seizures,” Wismer says.

If your pet does ingest any poison, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435). “It would be very helpful to have the packaging available when placing the call so the toxicity can be assessed quickly,” Wismer says.

Use Pet Safe Ant Killers

A common ingredient in pet-safe ant killers is diatomaceous earth, which contains the fossilized remains of small aquatic organisms called diatoms. It looks like an off-white talc powder, with the main ingredient being silica. The FDA considers diatomaceous earth to be “generally recognized as safe.” Just be sure you choose a product labeled as “food-grade” when purchasing, as this means it’s gone through a purification process. You can also purchase diatomaceous earth alone.

For a minor infestation, soak a large absorbent sponge in sugar water. Place it near the ant trail and let it sit for a day. Wash off the dead ants, soak in more sugar water and place back near the trail until you no longer see any dead ants when squeezing out the sponge.

About the Expert

• Dr. Tina Wismer is the senior director of toxicology at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.