Microchip feeders for two senior 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 is especially important when you've got cats with different dietary needs or medical requirements. With two senior cats at 13 and 15, I'd expect their needs to be quite different by now — older cats often need fewer calories, but the oldest can also start losing weight and actually need more. How many meals a day are you aiming for each of them, are both cats microchipped, and what's the main issue you're trying to solve — is one eating the other's food, or are they on genuinely different diets?

That's a really clear picture — and honestly a textbook case for a microchip feeder. Mabel's low-iodine prescription diet is not optional; even occasional access to the wrong food by Poppy could undermine her treatment. The timed feeding element is just as important given her hyperthyroid condition and smaller appetite. The product I'd point you to is the SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect. It reads each cat's existing microchip, so the lid only opens for the registered pet — Poppy gets a closed lid every time. The Connect version links to an app, which lets you set a feeding schedule for Mabel so her portion is only accessible at specific times. You'd set up one feeder locked to Mabel's chip with a timed schedule, and either a second one for Poppy or just a standard bowl since Poppy doesn't need restrictions. It's not cheap, but for a prescription diet situation it pays for itself quickly in wasted food and vet bills avoided.

It lets you set multiple meal windows throughout the day — so you could programme Mabel's feeder to open four or five times across the day with specific portions available at each window. The app also logs feeding activity, so you can see whether Mabel actually ate at each scheduled time, which is genuinely useful for monitoring a hyperthyroid cat whose appetite can fluctuate. If she's off her food one day, you'll have a clear record rather than just guessing.

Good question, and worth thinking about. The SureFeed lid slides open rather than requiring any physical effort from the cat — Mabel just needs to approach and her chip triggers it. The bowl itself sits low and wide, which works well for arthritic cats who don't want to push their face into a deep container. The one thing to be aware of is that the feeder has a collar sensor mode too, but since Mabel is microchipped you won't need that — she can just walk up and it opens. A lot of senior cat owners report their arthritic cats take to it well precisely because they don't have to do anything except eat.

That's exactly the right setup. One SureFeed Connect locked to Mabel's chip with timed meal windows, and a standard SureFeed for Poppy. You'll get the prescription diet protection you need, the feeding schedule for Mabel's hyperthyroid management, and the appetite log your vet will thank you for. Both feeders run on batteries so placement is flexible — useful if you want them in different rooms to reduce any mealtime tension between the two. Hope Mabel's treatment continues to go well.