I get the logic behind putting water/food outside so that the ants don’t come inside. However, I would caution against putting out past-due meat as it will likely draw coons, rats, and other vermin, and it will generally stink. One alternative is to use a composter such as the Earth Machine:
http://www.earthmachine.com/

I bring this up because I installed 2 Earth Machines on the south side of the home we are renting and ant activity in our home has actually decreased this year as opposed to last. I had no idea of this theory until I scooped out some of the compost from the composters earlier this morning. I was shoveling it into a wheelbarrow and there were so many ants I got a bit dizzy because it looked like the ground was moving.

Even though you might be renting, I still would recommend sealing off as many access points as you can. Our guest bathroom was a particular problem and after studying the ant’s movements I noticed that they tended to enter from behind the medicine cabinet. I got so fed up that one day I removed the medicine cabinet and completely caulked the wall behind it.

As for the pet food dishes you can try putting the food dish in a pan or slightly larger bowl of water.