Nothing compares to the joy of sharing your home with cats. But for those of us with two or more feline friends, feeding time can be tricky to navigate. Ensuring each furry family member gets their fair share feels a bit like a juggling act, especially if one cat is a slow eater or has special dietary needs.
If you can’t always be there to watch your cats while they eat, you might have considered solutions such as automatic cat feeders. Microchip-activated pet bowls can definitely make mealtimes easier – but how do they work? Read on to learn how to feed two cats with an automatic feeder.
The problem with feeding two cats
Food stealing is common in multi-cat households. You might have one dominant moggy who bullies his way to both bowls, leaving the more timid cat with an empty belly. Or maybe one of your cats prefers to ‘graze’, saving most of her food for later, only for her greedy brother to come along and polish off her leftovers.
Not only is food theft frustrating for you and your cats, but it can lead to potentially serious consequences, such as one cat becoming dangerously over- or underweight. And for cats with food allergies or medical conditions, sampling even a small amount of the wrong food could cause them to become severely ill.
Why use an automatic microchip cat feeder
There are a few potential ways to tackle the multi-cat mealtime problem, such as supervising your cats or feeding them in separate rooms. However, these methods rely on someone being present while the cats eat, which isn’t always possible or practical.
One solution that can help is to invest in an automatic feeder – specifically, a microchip cat feeder. This is essentially a smart food bowl with a lid that only opens when it detects your cat's unique microchip.
There are many benefits of microchip feeders for households with two cats:
Prevent food theft
Microchip cat feeders can be programmed to recognise only one specific cat's microchip or collar tag, allowing for personalised access control. Cats who like to pick at their food can safely walk away, knowing their meal will still be there when they return. When their food-obsessed sibling approaches the bowl, the lid simply won't budge.
Portion control
Not all cats have equal energy needs. Your 9kg Maine Coon, for example, might need substantially larger meals than your 3kg Tonkinese! By stopping cats from accessing each other’s bowls, microchip feeders allow you to make sure each cat receives the right amount of food (and track exactly how much they eat). This can be particularly helpful for overweight or underweight cats on strictly calorie-controlled diets.
Accommodating special dietary needs
Many households juggle cats with vastly different nutritional requirements. Kittens and seniors often benefit from higher-protein foods, while some cats have allergies or medical conditions that require very specific diets. Using an automatic microchip feeder stops healthy cats from gobbling up their siblings’ expensive prescription food; more importantly, though, it prevents cats with dietary restrictions from sneaking a bite of something that might make them unwell.
How to feed two cats with a microchip feeder
If only one of your cats has a tendency to steal food, you may only need one automatic microchip feeder. Alternatively, if you prefer to make sure each cat can only access their own meal, it may be worth getting two.
Some cats can take a while to get used to feeders with lids that open and close. To make the transition easier, start by feeding your cats using just the inner bowl. Move the bowl a little closer to the feeder each mealtime. After a day or so, place the bowl inside the feeder, but keep the lid open.
Once your cats are happily eating from their feeders with the lid open, you can progress to the microchip pairing stage. With the Closer Pets MiBowl Microchip Pet Feeder, this couldn’t be easier:
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Press and hold the 'Add Pet' button until the red light illuminates and the lid opens.
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Encourage your feline friend to approach the feeder.
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When their microchip (or electronic ID tag) is detected, the red light will flash to confirm that the feeder has successfully paired with your pet.
When your cat moves away, the lid will close, ready to open exclusively for them during future meals. You can repeat the process to pair multiple cats with the same feeder, if needed.
Explore automatic cat feeders from closer pets
At Closer Pets, we have a great range of innovative cat products to make life easier for you and your furry friends. From timed automatic wet and dry feeders to the microchip-activated MiBowl, our products are designed to be super easy to use, so you can look forward to stress-free mealtimes and happier, healthier pets.
Ready to transform your feeding routine? Explore our full range of automatic and microchip cat feeders online today, or check out our pet advice blog for more helpful tips and tricks. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!