Invasion of the Ants!

Does anybody besides me ever go 'braindead' when it comes to thinking of something to blog about? I can think a million things I want to say in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping. Then I sit down here at the computer and I can't think of a thing to say. Just wondering if I'm the only one.
But, to the title of my post. I have a HUGE problem here with ants. You know the kind, those annoying little black ones. Some say they're 'grease' ants; my mother always called them 'piss ants' when I was a kid growing up. I don't know what they are called, but they WILL NOT stay away from my cats' food and water dishes. I keep changing the spot where I put the dishes and the cats are so confused they never know where they will end up eating their meals. These ants cover the plate with the canned food, they devour the dry crunchie food, and now they're swimmin' in the water dish. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to get rid of the ants without using poison that would also hurt the cats? This is driving me crazy, which I know, is a short trip! But I really don't want to make my babies eat food covered with the little black critters, or make them go hungry because the ants won't leave their food alone. If anyone has the answer, please tell me.