Microchip feeder for overweight cat

A 30 percent weight gain at nine years old is a real health concern — your vet is right to act on it, and a microchip feeder is genuinely one of the best tools for this situation. They're one of the most useful innovations for multi-cat homes precisely because they ensure each cat gets only their own food, which is everything when one cat needs strict portion control and others don't. To point you to the right feeder: how many cats do you have, are they all microchipped, and is it just the one cat who needs to eat differently — or are there other dietary differences in the mix?

That's a very common and very solvable problem — Biscuit is essentially eating two cats' worth of calories, which explains everything. The product I'd recommend is the SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder. It works by reading a cat's microchip when they approach: the lid opens for the registered cat and stays closed for everyone else. You'd set up one feeder programmed to Mochi's chip for her normal food, and either a second feeder or a standard bowl with a feeding schedule for Biscuit's prescription portions. The SureFeed is the one most vets specifically mention because it's reliable, easy to clean, and the seal is good enough to keep food fresh between meals. It's widely available on Amazon UK. Does Biscuit tend to try to push Mochi away from her bowl, or is it more that he finishes his own food and then moves to hers?

Then you really do need a feeder on Mochi's side — that's the key piece. A SureFeed programmed to Mochi's chip means Biscuit physically cannot access her food no matter how persistent he is. The lid won't open for him, full stop. For Biscuit's prescription portions, I'd actually also suggest putting his meals in a second SureFeed programmed to his chip. That way his food is only accessible to him, you can control exactly how much goes in each time, and you can close the lid between meals so the food stays fresh. Two feeders sounds like a lot, but for a cat with a medical weight issue it's genuinely the cleanest solution and removes all the stress of supervising mealtimes. The SureFeed Connect version also has an app if you want to track how much Biscuit is actually eating — useful data to share with your vet.

For most people in your situation the standard SureFeed is absolutely fine — it does everything you need. The Connect version adds Wi-Fi, an app, and feeding logs, which are genuinely useful if your vet wants to see portion data or if you want to monitor whether Biscuit is actually eating his prescription food and how quickly. Given that you're managing a medical weight issue, I'd lean toward the Connect for at least Biscuit's feeder — having a record of intake is helpful at follow-up vet appointments. But if budget is a factor, start with the standard for both and you'll still solve the core problem immediately.

That's a really sensible split — you get the tracking where it matters most and keep the overall cost reasonable. Search for 'SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect' and 'SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder' on Amazon UK and you'll find both easily. Make sure you register each cat's chip to their own feeder before the first use — it takes about 30 seconds and there are clear instructions in the box. Good luck with Biscuit's diet; with the food-stealing stopped, you should start seeing results pretty quickly.