Microchip feeders for travelling owners

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 hugely when cats have different dietary needs or one tends to hoover up everyone else's portion. Before I point you in the right direction: how many cats do you have, are they microchipped or collar-tagged, and what's the main reason you need separate feeding — prescription food, weight management, or just one cat who treats every bowl as their own? One paragraph and we'll have a clear picture.

That's exactly the situation microchip feeders were made for. When you're not there to supervise, you can't rely on anyone — however well-meaning — to keep a determined cat away from the wrong bowl. The good news is this is completely solvable with the right kit. Is Margo also a bit of a food thief, or is it mainly Biscuit who eats whatever's available? And does Biscuit graze through the day or eat set meals?

Perfect — that tells me exactly what you need. Because Margo grazes and leaves food out, you need a feeder that stays closed to Biscuit specifically, not just one that opens for the right cat. The SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder is the one to get here. It works by registering Margo's microchip — the lid opens when she approaches and closes the moment she steps away, so Biscuit physically cannot get into her bowl even when food is sitting in it all day. Your pet sitter just fills the bowls; the feeder does all the policing. No routines to remember, no willpower required on anyone's part. You'd want one feeder dedicated to Margo's bowl — Biscuit can eat from a standard bowl since it's his own food you're protecting against him, not restricting access to it. One SureFeed unit solves this completely.

Very easy. Setup is a one-time job you do yourself before you travel — you press a button and let Margo approach, and it learns her chip. After that your sitter doesn't touch any settings. She just lifts the lid to top up food as she normally would, and from then on the feeder runs itself. The only thing she needs to know is where the cat food is. It runs on batteries so there's no plug to worry about either. Honestly, it removes the human error entirely, which is exactly what you need when you're not home.

One SureFeed for Margo is really all you need to fix the immediate problem. If down the line you want to track how much Biscuit is actually eating of his renal diet — which your vet might appreciate — SureFeed also make a version called the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect that logs feeding data to an app. That's more of a nice-to-have than essential. For now, one standard SureFeed unit, Margo's microchip enrolled, and you can travel knowing the food situation is handled.