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climb. To accomplish this, the platform must be raised high enough that an animal like araccoon can’t stand up on his hind legs, grab hold of the edge of the platform and pullhimself up. Next, the poles or legs supporting the platform must be covered with asmooth, hard surface which animals with claws, like raccoons, opossum and skunks,can’t climb. Metal flashing will do the job. Attaching flashing around the edges of theraised platform will serve as a further deterrent.To make it possible for the cats to jump up onto the platform, create a small “jumpoff”structure close to the feeding station. It could be a couple of cinder blocks, one ontop of the other. Put the jump-off structure close enough to the feeding station so the catscan easily climb it and leap up onto the platform, but not so close that wildlife couldclimb it, lean over and grab onto the platform.For a description and photos of one wildlife-proof feeding station, see “Raccoonscan’t jump” at www.thewildones.net/raccoons.htm. Feeding tricks• AntsAnts can be kept out of food by building a small moat. Take a pan, tray or plasticcontainer – anything flat, wide and with raised edges – and fill it with a quarter inch or soof water. Then place the cats’ food in a bowl and place the bowl in the middle of the pan.The water will keep ants from reaching the food while the cats can easily lean over andeat, provided the moat isn’t too wide.If you want something fancier than a bowl in an aluminum tray, there are the BuglessBowls at www.buglessbowls.com. They have a circular moat at the base which can befilled with water. There’s also “The Mote” at www.antproofbowl.com, a waterless bowlwhose shape – including a curved lip – prevents ants from climbing up and getting in thefood. An online search for “ant free pet bowl” will locate any number of other inventiveproducts.Another trick for keeping ants out of the food is to draw a circle of “chalk powder”around the food bowls or feeding area. Chalk powder is composed of diatoms (fossilizedmarine microorganisms) and to an ant the edges of the diatoms are painfully sharp, sothey won’t attempt to cross the line. The product is used by gymnasts and in other sportsand is available online. Before purchasing, check that it’s real chalk and containsdiatoms. You can also crush soft Crayola sidewalk chalk and use that.• SlugsSimilar to ants, slugs will not cross a chalk powder line because the chalk is sharp forthem as well. A circle with a thick line can be drawn around the food bowls or feedingstation. Find chalk powder (made up of diatoms) or crush soft Crayola sidewalk chalk.You can also create a barrier to slugs by placing the food bowl on a large sheet of roughsandpaper.Another way to keep slugs out of the food is to feed them separately. Sprinkle bits ofdry food on the ground several inches away from the cats’ bowls and dishes. The slugs32