Microchip feeders for two Tonkinese cats

Microchip feeders are one of the most genuinely useful innovations for multi-cat households — they make sure each cat only accesses their own food, which matters a lot when you're trying to manage portions or keep one cat out of the other's bowl. Moving away from free-feeding is a great call for Tonkinese, who can be enthusiastic eaters. To point you in the right direction: are both cats already microchipped, and is this purely about portion control, or is one cat more of a food thief than the other?

That's a very common Tonkinese situation — they're clever, food-motivated cats and free-feeding almost always leads to one of them running the show. With Miso actively stealing Dashi's food, you need a feeder that closes when the wrong cat approaches, not just one that opens for the right one. Are you thinking one feeder each, or were you hoping to start with just one to trial it?

You're right that one each is the only way this works properly — and yes, sticking to the same brand makes sense so you're not juggling two different apps or setup processes. My clear recommendation is the SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder. It reads your cats' existing microchips (no collar tags needed), the lid closes when an unregistered cat approaches, and it has a set of interlocking base mats so you can connect two feeders together — which is actually handy for keeping them stationed side by side without them drifting apart. It's the most reliable feeder in this category and the one vets most commonly suggest for exactly this kind of weight-management switch.

It's a fair concern, but Tonkinese are adaptable and food-motivated enough that they usually figure out the lid quickly — most cats crack it within a day or two. The bigger transition is the move from food always being available to scheduled meals. The SureFeed has a training mode that keeps the lid open initially and closes it gradually over several days, which really helps. Start with three or four small meals a day rather than jumping straight to two, so neither cat feels the change too sharply. Miso may pace a bit the first week, but if she's getting enough food she'll settle. Keep the feeders in the same room but not right next to each other so Dashi isn't eating under pressure.

The feeders come with everything you need to get started — they take four AA batteries each and the bowls are included. The one optional extra worth considering is the SureFeed Connect version, which adds an app and a built-in food scale so you can track exactly how much each cat is eating per meal. Given that your vet has flagged their weight, that data can be genuinely useful at check-ups. It costs a bit more but for a weight-management situation it earns its keep. If you'd rather keep it simple, the standard SureFeed is completely fine — just weigh portions manually before loading the bowl.