Pets add a lot of fun and love to your life, but they also have the potential to attract bugs to your home through their food or by carrying bugs inside in their fur. However, there are things you can do to enjoy life with indoor pets without the worry of pest problems in your house. Here are some suggestions.

Use Food Bowls That Keep Ants Out

Pet food, especially the wet kind, can attract ants if you leave it out very long. Ants will also get in a bowl of dry food, and that is annoying and dangerous to your pet when they try to eat. Besides ruining and wasting food, the ants might bite your pet or cause your pet to stop eating. The solution is to use bowls designed to prevent ants from climbing up the side of the bowl. These can be effective indoors and outdoors as long as the bowl is flat and not placed on debris such as leaves or twigs that create bridges the ants can climb on. These bowls cut off the food supply for ants, and they allow your pet to eat without ants crawling on their nose.

Use Pads That Keep The Floor Dry

If your dog or cat seems to enjoy tipping the water bowl over, then water might roll behind a wall or into a place that can gradually cause water damage that attracts bugs. In addition to food, bugs are attracted to water and dampness. You can keep your pet's food and water area drier by placing the bowls on a pad or mat that soaks up water spills.

Have Your Pet Treated For Fleas

Talk to your pet's veterinarian about flea and tick treatments so there is less risk of your pet bringing these annoying pests into your home. If you take your pet for a walk in the woods, be sure to check their fur for ticks and other bugs before you bring your pet inside. Ticks and fleas are bothersome and dangerous for your pet, and you don't want them in your home biting you or your kids either.

Treat Your Home And Yard For Pests

Regular pest control treatments are useful for controlling fleas and ticks in your yard and for keeping bugs like ants and roaches under control so they don't invade your home. Your pest control service may spray insecticides inside and outside, use baits, and block entry points so you can keep bugs away. You'll also want to think about controlling other pests, such as rats and raccoons, when you have pets that roam your yard. By keeping your garbage sealed, reducing hiding and nesting areas, and not providing food in the form of pet food or birdseed, you'll reduce the risk of your pet and an animal pest having an unpleasant encounter.

Work with a local pest control company like Alliance Pest Management, Inc. for more advice on steps you can take to keep pests away.