How to Keep Roaches Out of Cat Food Bowl – 8 Things You Should Know About Now

Are you wondering how to keep roaches out of cat food bowl? Keeping roaches and other insects out of the house can be hard to figure out sometimes, that’s why in this post, we will be guiding you on how to keep roaches out of cat food.

Due to the busy life we lead, we may have to leave out our cat food before going to work. The cat may not get to eat up his food, or the crumbs and leftovers which was not taken care of becomes an attraction to roaches.

Although cats love to play with roaches, cockroaches threaten your cat’s health because of the bacteria and parasites on them which is a result of places they have been to.

A house that is infested by this bug, means the roaches will always crawl into the cat’s food when the cat goes to take a nap– then you return from work or wherever you’ve been and unsuspectingly refill the cat’s bowl with fresh food after the roach has scuttled through the cat’s bowl.

In this article, we will detail how to keep roaches out of your cat food whether or not you’re home.

Table of Contents

• Use Homemade Repellents That Are Safe For Cats
• Store the Cat’s Food Properly
• Use Bug-Proof Bowls to Feed Your Cat
• How to Keep Roaches Out of Cat Food Bowl: Use Glue Traps
• Use Bait Stations
• Place Caulk on All Entry Points
• Hire A Pest Extermination Professional
• Clean Up Your House
• Final Thoughts 

Use Homemade Repellents That Are Safe For Cats

Roach repellents safe for cats include baking soda, Diatomaceous earth, citrus, cucumber, and boric acid. The great thing about this homemade roach repellent is that they are probably in your pantry, take them out and use them.

• Baking soda

Since this will be sprinkled on spots where roaches are present, it poses no direct risk to your cats. Cats can ingest little amounts of baking soda without any harmful effects on them. Baking soda creates gasses in the roach’s stomach, causing its stomach to explode. This is a cost-effective homemade cat-safe roach repellent.

• Boric Acid

Boric acid is a mixture of boron and water, it’s also a naturally occurring compound that is found in fruits and plants. It is safe for both you and your pet, but it’s a nightmare for roaches, as  it affects their digestive and nervous system–killing them almost instantly. Adding a little peanut butter to it will do the trick of attracting and killing the annoying bug.

• Citrus

Citrus is a lovely treat for us humans it’s a repellent to both snakes and roaches. It is ideal where you have pets and kids, as there will be no real threat of harm. Adding lemon drops to water you use in cleaning your house and wares will send the roaches away from your home.

• Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth is a natural repellent that is essential to your home–the main components are fossilized and pulverized algae. The particles are dehydrating and sharp; when the roaches come in contact with them, their exoskeleton is damaged plus they also get dehydrated to death. They are safe for kids and pets–get the food grade Diatomaceous Earth and sprinkle where necessary.

Warning: ensure to return and hide the packets of these things since your pets or kids may access them and probably ingest them. If plastics are swallowed, surgery may be required to take them out.

Store the Cat’s Food Properly

The inability to store your cat’s food properly will lead to the infestation by roaches, this is why you have to ensure you store the cat’s food properly.

As a rule of thumb, you should refrigerate canned food after use and store dry food in a dry and cool place. This will ensure that they stay fresh and they are not easily accessed by the insects.

Store in cool dry places: The dangers of storing dry foods in a warm place include; the food will lose its vitamins and the food could also become rancid, and worst of all, could be accessed by a roach.

Ensure you keep the food stored in its original bag:storing it in a bag you clipped will not only help retain the flavor (since it has a fat barrier) it’ll also keep the roach from accessing the food.

Finally, you can place the bag in a sealable container: a metal container or a tin bin with a lid is a solid way to seal off the roaches for good. Also, ensure not to store these foods on the ground.

How to store cats canned food away from roaches?

Store foods you have yet to open in a cool and dry place. Pantries are best suited for these tins.

Discard any canned food that has been opened and not refrigerated for over 4 hours. After four hours of serving your cat canned food, discard and clean up the place to avoid roaches coming on board.

You should store your opened canned wet foods in the refrigerator for at least 5-8 days, storing in the refrigerator will keep the food away from the reach of the roach and still fresh.

Use Bug-Proof Bowls to Feed Your Cat

Purchasing a bug-repellent bowl for your cats from any of your preferred stores will go a long way in keeping roaches away from your cat’s food. These bug-repelling feeders are effective in keeping your cats meals fresh and free from roaches

Auto feeding bowls

Auto-feeding bowls are a great way of feeding your cat when you’re away. The best thing is that they can be controlled from your mobile app on the go.

They usually come with anti-cloggers that ensure the cat’s food is dispensed, and when the cat is done eating, it seals up making a no-entry point for roaches. Perfect!

Some other cat bowls have designed a special rounded lid that makes its content inaccessible to crawling insects.

You can get creative and make a special bug-proof bowl by placing the cat’s main food bowl inside another bowl that has water and lemon in it–if the roaches manage to climb the first bowl, they’ll end up drowning in the water between the two bowls. If you apply this fix, let us know how it worked for you in the comment section.

How to Keep Roaches Out of Cat Food Bowl: Use Glue Traps

A very effective method on the list of how to keep roaches out of cat food is glue traps. The smell of the trap lures the roaches–once they step a leg on the strip, they are held in. The more they try to break free, the more they get glued.

Place where you’ve noticed the presence of these pests–they are usually behind refrigerators beneath the sinks, where there are clustered properties and dirt.

Keep the glues in places your pets and kids won’t have easy access to. Also, ensure you change the strips as soon as it becomes messy.

Use Bait Stations

What else could be so instantaneous in killing roaches? Bait stations. The bait stations come in long tubes. You can easily place them where you are noticing the presence of roaches.

It has an attractive smell to roaches who eat its poison. As the cockroach sojourns back to its home base and dies–the roach will be eaten by other roaches, who will also ingest the poison in the process, leading to multiple deaths.

You need to place this strategically since it can be harmful to pets and kids in a certain amount.

Place Caulk on All Entry Points

All roach repellents have situations where they are effective. The above-listed repellents are effective for the cases we listed with them. The Caulk is more effective in entry points.

Caulk won’t repel roaches, but they can be used to seal up holes and gaps under the doors. Find out gaps between the tiles, fissures on the walls, and any possible entrance points for the roach.

This is safe for kids and pets, but it also wears out with time. Keep track of places you have sealed and re-apply if need be.

Hire A Pest Extermination Professional

The best thing to do is to hire a professional, these people know the roach’s ins and outs. They’ve had experience dealing with roaches before, they could easily identify and point out likely roach bases.

The only downside is they may have to use some chemicals if need be. But you can sleep at your relatives or friends place. Proper extermination can eradicate all entry points and things that attract roaches in your apartments or yard. This may be more expensive than the other procedures.

Clean Up Your House

This is the most important approach on how to keep roaches out of cat food. There is no need to pay for an extermination service when your house will remain dirty.

A clean house is a natural deterrent to roaches. While cleaning up, you’ll be able to discover their hideouts and take care of them effectively. Roaches are notorious for hiding behind boxes, kitchen wares, shoes, refrigerators, cabinets, and packed-up spaces.

• Clean up spills and crumbs as soon as possible, this will ensure the roaches don’t have anything attracting them in any part of your house.
• Wash dirty dishes as soon as the cat is done eating.
• Take out your dirt bin daily.
• Sweep and clean the floor more often.
• Don’t leave out the cat’s food for extended periods.
• Wipe your counters and tables after you cook to avoid having anything left over. You can also use drops of lemon, this will effectively keep roaches away.
• Get rid of old newspapers since they are excellent nesting and breeding materials for the roaches.

Final Thoughts

Cleaning the House and wares are the easiest methods of feeling roaches from your cat’s food. A dirty and packed-up house provides breeding and nesting grounds for roaches, proper and regular clean-up using drops of lemon will keep roaches away from your cat’s food.

If your house is infested, it is best to let a professional handle it, as they can root out all breeding grounds of the roach.

Clean your cat’s and dog’s bowls before and after serving food. Invest in an automatic feeder if you can; you can lend us a paw and share this awesome post.