Smackwater Jack wrote:
Real small ants are in the cat's bowl. The food is dry food, not
something that is obviously attractive to pests. A pest control guy
comes four times a year. In fact, this latest infestation occurred an
hour after the technician left.

Here's the rub: I can't see where the ants are gaining access. They
just show-up at the bowl. There's no line of ants carrying food back
to the nest, either in small cracks or toward a door. Any
explanations? Thanks.

Probably under a baseboard, around electrical entries, under a door
sill...they love sweet and/or greasy food. They loved our dog chow, and
there were always crumbs scattered around pet's bowls. Ant bait with
boric acid, along with thorough cleaning, will probably get rid of them.
Keeping the food off the floor for a while, just putting it down
every few hours for feeding, would probably help. Lots of pests change
their living/eating habits during extreme weather conditions, looking
for food or water or a dryer nest.