Turkish Van food guarding: microchip feeder fix

Turkish Vans are brilliant cats, but food guarding is genuinely common in the breed — that territorial streak runs deep, and a second cat simply can't compete at the bowl. Microchip feeders are one of the most practically useful things you can buy for a multi-cat home, because they make it physically impossible for one cat to eat another's food. Before I point you to the right one, a couple of quick questions: is your second cat microchipped or collar-tag only, and is the concern purely about guarding — or is there also a diet or portion difference between the two?

That's a clear picture — and the weight loss makes this urgent. If it were just about separate diets you'd have a bit more flexibility, but with active physical guarding you need a feeder with a lid that physically closes on approach from the wrong cat. The one I'd go straight to is the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder. It reads your cat's microchip and the lid opens only for him — the moment your Van gets close, it stays shut. She can sniff around it all she likes and get nothing. It's not about speed or distraction; the lid is the barrier.

It does work even with her right there — the lid won't open unless the registered microchip is directly in front of the sensor. That said, some bold cats do hover close enough to spook the timid one away before he finishes. If your boy is already anxious around her, you might also want to think about placement: put his feeder in a slightly raised or partially enclosed spot so he can eat without her looming. The feeder solves the physical access problem; you may need to help with the confidence side separately.

The bowl holds around 400ml, which is fine for a full wet or dry meal — not a free-feeder, but enough for a proper sitting. The bowl and lid surround both come apart and are dishwasher safe, which most owners find much easier than the fiddly feeders with lots of crevices. It runs on four AA batteries that typically last six months or more. One thing worth noting: register only your second cat's chip, not the Van's — that way only he can open it, and she gets fed from a standard bowl or her own separate feeder on your schedule.

Good call. Search for the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder on Amazon UK — it's the white dome-lidded one made by Sure Petcare, and it's widely available. Set it up in a calm corner your Van doesn't dominate, register your second cat's chip using the simple button on the base, and give him a few supervised meals to build confidence with it. Most cats get it within a day or two. I'd expect to see him eating properly again very quickly once he knows the bowl is his alone.