Feeding indoor and outdoor cats separately

Two cats with completely different caloric needs sharing a home is a genuinely tricky feeding problem — your outdoor cat can burn two to three times the calories of an indoor cat, so if they're eating from the same bowl, one is getting too much and the other too little. Cats are obligate carnivores with specific nutritional requirements, and wet food is generally the better base diet for both since it supports kidney health through hydration — but the real issue here is portion control and access. Before I get into specifics: how old are your two cats, is either one showing any weight issues already, and what are you currently feeding them?

That's a very common setup and it's definitely working against you. The indoor cat is grazing on leftovers and likely eating well above her needs, while the outdoor cat may actually be underfed if your indoor cat gets there first. Free-feeding wet food also spoils quickly, which isn't ideal for either of them. What you need is a way for each cat to access only their own food — which means microchip-controlled feeders. Can I ask: are both cats microchipped?

They absolutely can, and it's the cleanest solution to exactly your problem. I'd recommend the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder — it reads your cat's microchip and only opens the lid for that specific animal. You get one for each cat, programme each feeder to one cat's chip, and put them in different spots. Your indoor cat gets her controlled, lower-calorie portion and can't access the outdoor cat's food, and vice versa. It works with wet food, which is what you want to keep both on. The feeders are robust, easy to set up, and the seal keeps wet food fresh between meals too — which solves the spoilage issue.

Portion control will make the biggest immediate difference, but it's worth tweaking the food slightly once you have the feeders in place. Felix is fine as a starting point but it's on the higher end for fillers and additives. For your indoor cat specifically, a wet food with higher protein and lower carbohydrate content will help her lose weight more naturally without leaving her hungry — something like Purina Pro Plan Sterilised or Royal Canin Indoor works well. Your outdoor cat can stay on a higher-calorie, protein-rich food given how much she's burning. The key win is the separate feeders — get those in first and you'll immediately stop the free-for-all.

A good starting point: indoor adult cats typically need around 40–45 calories per kilogram of body weight per day, outdoor active cats closer to 70–80. Weigh your cats if you can — most vets will do a quick weigh-in for free — and then check the calorie content on whichever wet food you choose. Split the daily amount into two or three meals rather than one big one, especially for the indoor cat, as it helps regulate hunger. Your vet can also give you a target weight for the indoor cat if she needs to slim down, and you can adjust portions accordingly over a few weeks.