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Old April 10th, 2012, 07:32 PM
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Feeding stray cats....how to keep the slugs at bay???

I'm feeding a number of strays (and some freeloaders, of course!)...and, with warmer weaather on the doorstep, it won't be long until the creepy-crawlers will be adding themselves to the "free-loaders list".

Is there anyone who has strategies/tricks to keep slugs and snails out of the food dishes?
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Old April 10th, 2012, 07:56 PM
TokyoParrot TokyoParrot is offline
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Buy some FOOD-GRADE diatomaceous earth. You can buy it easily online by running a search. Diatomaceous earth is basically a kind of "sand" with jagged edges. It pierces the outer skins of creepy-crawlies (slugs, snails, cockroaches, ants) but it harmless to humans and harmless to pets.

You just sprinkle a handful around on the ground around the feeding bowl. Just a very very light dusting works fine, and you can put it on concrete or straight on the ground. The slugs get about 0.5 cm into the diatomaceous earth and freak out and immediately turn back. You have to reapply it when it rains, as it gets washed away.

Many people with pets sprinkle this in their houses along the walls/in corners to keep bugs out of the house. It's one of the few safe ways to get cockroaches without also potentially poisoning your pets.

BTW some/many people add it to their pets' food to help their pets get rid of various intestinal bugs/worms they might have. You can of course add it to the food you put out for the strays if it's wet food, to help your strays clean out their guts.

here is a link explaining what diatomaceous earth is and how it is used, including amounts to feed to eliminate intestinal worms:
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

DO NOT buy the stuff made for swimming pools, it will kill your cats. It has to be "food grade".
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Old April 11th, 2012, 09:10 AM
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marko marko is offline
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Thanks for that fab tip TP.

I used a similar product (different brand) years ago in a house that had a bug issue and my cat was not interested in it.

I do recall that I quadruple checked that it was safe for pets... but because every brand may be different - double checking (to see that it is food grade and safe for pets) is recommended for sure.
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Old April 11th, 2012, 10:38 AM
amandaowen amandaowen is offline
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You can also put some beer in a small butter container and put some holes in the lid.
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Old April 11th, 2012, 02:13 PM
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If I am allowed to post an email address for WormGuard Plus you can email them and ask about their product. It is food grade Diatomaceous Earth that you can add to the cats' food to rid them of parasites. As TokyoParrot said, it can be put down around the bowls of food.

Email address is: SCDP@Videotron.ca

I have been using this product for quite some time now with no ill effect.
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Old April 11th, 2012, 06:15 PM
Etown_Chick Etown_Chick is offline
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TP thanks for the info. I had no idea there was food-grade diatomaceous earth. I've looked and looked for the stuff, but will now look online.
Problems with beer - it gets expensive and dogs love the stuff. Not sure about cats.
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Old April 11th, 2012, 07:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amandaowen View Post
You can also put some beer in a small butter container and put some holes in the lid.
I was also going to suggest beer- weird, I know, but I tried that once - it works.

Diane
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Old April 28th, 2012, 02:33 PM
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RUSTYcat RUSTYcat is offline
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Thanks for the replies....I'm waaaaay late in coming back here!

Special thanks to TokyoParrot - that was a thoughtful, complete and condensed suggestion.

amandaowen, I was aware that beer is both a great attraction/distraction and that it's lethal as well....the finality of the end result was my reason for passing on it...thanks, though.

14+kitties, do you know if there's a manufacturer's website for WormGuard Plus? I'm finding only distributers....there's also grape seed extract in there...I'm unsure on that score. If you have a package, would you look for the manufacturer's name & contact info (and post)?

I guess I was waiting, hoping for some harmless, non-lethal solution...maybe it's not to be. I had tried all kinds of other tricks like 2-sided adhesive tape around the containers' bases, even a moat (bowl inside a larger bowl of water...which the slugs bypassed by launching themselves across!!! Hillarious to see, but frustrating, too).

Meantime, maybe this "bump" to the top may shake loose some other inventful or proven techniques...??? Here's hoping, anyhow!
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