Slugs enjoy eating and drinking from your cat’s bowl.
They’re a natural source of food, but they could harm your kitty if they aren’t properly fed. protect your cat’s heath and prevent him from getting upset when you make shovel-shaped formulations out of catfood sold in tubes.
So, how do you keep slugs away from cat food?
When you fill up a cat food bowl, make sure that any holes in the lid are secure so that slugs can’t squeeze in and feed on your cat’s meal.
If you’re feeding your cat food from a tube, avoid shaking or stirring the food inside the tube after you’ve opened it for the first time, as slugs can crawl in and feast on your kitty’s meal. Instead, wait until you’ve finished feeding your cat before opening the tube again and feeding him his daily meal.
After you’ve finished feeding your cat his food for the day and it’s no longer wet, wash out your cat’s bowl thoroughly with hot water and dish soap, and allow it to air dry so that no lingering food can attract any unwanted guests.
What Happens if a Cat Licks a Slug?
Slugs are a common problem for cats in warmer climates.
When it comes to your cats health, some predators can be extremely dangerous for your feline friend.
Slugs may carry diseases that can have adverse effects on your cat’s health, making him sick and potentially making him less able to fight off potential diseases in the future.
Lungworms will burrow into the tissue of a cat’s lungs and reproduce there and can cause cats to have difficulty breathing and could even cause death.
These eggs will hatch and develop into adults that are usually visible and could look like black specs within the cat’s respiratory system.
If not addressed, this may cause severe harm to your cat’s respiratory system and could make his heart stop beating.
You will, of course, want to keep the slug away from the cat as best you can because cats may eat the slug for no reason other than a snack.
It is critical to keep lungworm from affecting your cat’s health, and for you to take him to see a veterinarian immediately.
How To Keep Slugs Away From Cat Food
Make use of Coarse Salt
It’s also critical to keep in mind that although cats love to eat slugs, it could actually cause more harm than good.
This may be because the slug may contain parasites or bacteria that could harm the cat’s health.
Simply rubbing it against the edge of the glass will get rid of most of the slugs, but some stubborn ones will stick around.
Coarse salt is an effective slug repellant because it sticks to slugs and keeps them from crawling up plants or flower pots.
As you discover how to keep slugs away from cat food, you will want to remember that there are many destructive pests that can harm your cat and make him sick, including slugs.
Elevated Food Bowl
Keeping your cat’s food dish out of the reach of rodents and other animals is advisable to keep your cat healthy and safe while eating.
Place your cat’s food dish on a table or counter at least 4 inches off the ground and away from other pets.
Then, to produce a slippery surface, sprinkle around the rim of the bowl with coarse salt or a mixture of water and a small amount of vinegar.
Slugs will be unable to cling to the edges and slide off.
This strategy is low-maintenance and will temporarily keep your cat’s food safe from unwanted pests.
Place Broken Egg Shells Around Food
Broken egg shells will also repel slugs from your cat food dish.
The objective is to scatter enough of the shells around it so that the slugs have nowhere to cling to and slide off.
This will keep slugs at bay for about 24 hours, but repeated applications will be needed if you want to rid your cat’s food dish of slugs permanently.
Because slugs dislike uneven or confined spaces, keep them away from your pet food dish by sprinkling around the rim of the bowl with coarse salt or a mixture of water.
It will not harm your cat or other animals and will create a slippery surface to repel the pests.
It is critical that the cats eat the right type of food with the right nutrients in the right amounts and in appropriate proportion to their actual needs.
You don’t want slugs to get cat food though.
Water Barrier
A related approach is the water barrier method, which is meant to deter slugs from climbing up and onto your cat’s food dish.
The slugs will be unable to cling to the edge and slide off.
Placing your cat’s bowl on anything to raise it inside the water can also work to prevent slugs from reaching food.
This process isn’t perfect and may attract other insects such as mosquitoes, so use this method cautiously and only in extreme cases, when other methods have not worked.
All you need to keep this garden pest away is some salt or coffee grounds scattered out around the edge of the bowl or spaced evenly on the dish.
You will also most likely need to apply several applications of salt or coffee grounds, because they will not repel the slugs forever.
Cats want a clean eating area, and the plastic lids on the cat’s food bowls can cause them to attract debris like dirt or insects that could contaminate their meal.
Make Use of a Storage Box
As you discover how to keep slugs away, make some use of a hard plastic storage box with a lid to keep cat food safe from these pests.
For example, in a storage space, it will mean that your cat’s food will be free of slugs and protected from contamination because they are unable to crawl up onto the lid or into the box.
To ensure that cat food is protected from slugs (or any other pests), choose a lid with a lip or a lip guard.
This will help to keep pests out of the food bowl and will also encourage your cat to eat more cleanly; they will instinctively begin to eat around the edge as the lid.
When placing cat food on the storage box lid, try to keep it at least half an inch from the edges so that the lid is wide enough for your cat’s paws to comfortably step.
This guarantees that the cat consumes all of their food rather than spitting out food that is still stuck to the cup or bowl.
Also Read: Can I Leave Wet Cat Food Out Overnight?
Conclusion
There are many methods for learning how keep slugs away from the cat food of cats.
Slugs contain highly dangerous parasites that can harm your cat’s health.
Unfortunately, many man-made pesticides include chemicals that can harm your cat with long-term use.
Eggshells, water, and seaweed are commonly found around the house and can help to keep the cat’s food safe by deterring slugs and snails away from cat food.
Methods for raising your cat’s food dish and feeding habits can also help to keep cats safe from a range of pests.
Try a few different approaches and test the results until you find the best solution for keeping pests away from your cat’s food.
