I was wondering if someone knew a natural way to deter ants from coming into my and DH's kitchen. We have two cats and i really dislike the thought of poisons. At the same time, we really can not have colonies of ants rooting in our house!

Any suggestions are GREATLY appreciate

Blessed Be

A friend of mine had some luck with lavender oil sprayed onto her counters. (I'm assuming she mixed the oil with water as she said it was like how I wash my floors and I mix oil with water for that). I tried it and I'm sorry to say that I did not have the luck she did.
I don't have pets inside either, so I don't know if it would harm your cats if you just had that sprayed on the counters and floorboards.
I was always taught to use table salt but again apparently I have ants that have no respect for things that are supposed to work. lol

Living in the woods I get ants, little ones and giant black ones and other weird bugs and animals that think the inside is the same as the outside. I did have to break down last week and bomb the house. That seemed to have killed the ants that were in here and so far any others have decided they like the outside just fine. lol

I'm sorry that I may not have been much help. You can try the lavender water (a few drops added to water in a spray bottle) and try laying salt down on your entryways (doors and window sills). But, I would definitely wait until someone else with pets lets you know if those will hurt your animals first. I don't want to bring harm to your cats.
I know bombing the house and/or spraying chemicals will harm them. However, if you must..you might have to take them out with you for a few hours while you rid the house.
Good luck.

I know that this post is a bit old, but thought I would add a few ideas that might be worth thinking about.

- sprinkle sugar where ants will find it. Follow ant trail back to the nest. Pour kerosene, turpentine or paraffin intot he nest. The ants will not return, and paintwork will not be affected.

- crushed cloves sprinkled near nest or in areas ants frequent will repel them.

- or good old talcum powder sprinkled across their trail outside nest. Or sprinkle in door ways etc where they are coming in.

I have used the talcum powder one for the ants coming intot he house and it works. Also have used the kero down the nest, this was outside, but it did work as well. I have cats in the house so thats why I used the talcum powder, the only problem I found was when the cats ran through it and I had little white footprints everywhere.

Kath

The first line of defense is to remove the attractants: keep counters free of crumbs and sticky spots. Cover the sugar and put the honey jar in a plastic baggie. Cut off water sources such as drips or dishes left soaking overnight.
If the ant invaders persist, try these simple measures:
Keep a small spray bottle handy, and spray the ants with a bit of soapy water.
Set out cucumber peels or slices in the kitchen or at the ants' point of entry. Many ants have a natural aversion to cucumber. Bitter cucumbers work best.
Leave a few tea bags of mint tea near areas where the ants seem most active. Dry, crushed mint leaves or cloves also work as ant deterrents.
Trace the ant column back to their point of entry. Set any of the following items at the entry area in a small line, which ants will not cross: cayenne pepper, citrus oil (can be soaked into a piece of string), lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds.
Mix a half teaspoon each of honey, borox, and aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet, etc.), in small bottles. Place bottles on their sides, with lids off, in areas of most ant activity. Ants will carry the bait back to their colonies. Important: use indoors only; must be kept away from pets and children.
Leave a small, low wattage night light on for a few nights in the area of most ant activity. The change in light can disrupt and discourage their foraging patterns.
Ants on the deck? Slip a few cut up cloves of garlic between the cracks.