Microchip feeders for cats needing different portions

Microchip feeders are one of the most genuinely useful innovations for multi-cat households — they make sure each cat eats only their own food, which matters enormously when cats have different dietary needs. Before I point you in the right direction: how many cats do you have, are they both microchipped, and what's the specific reason you need to separate their feeding — is it diet, a medical issue, or one cat being a bit of a food thief?

That's a really common situation with bonded cats of different sizes — same food makes things simple, but portion control is tricky when one cat is a faster, greedier eater. Are both Pip and Biscuit microchipped, or are they collar-tag cats? That'll tell me which type of feeder will actually work for them.

Perfect — that opens up the best option for your situation. I'd recommend two SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect units, one for each cat. Each feeder reads the cat's microchip and only opens for that specific animal, so Pip physically cannot get into Biscuit's feeder. The Connect version links to an app where you set individual portion targets and track how much each cat has actually eaten across the day — really useful when you're managing a size difference like this. You set Pip's feeder to his larger daily allowance and Biscuit's to her smaller one, and the app tells you if either of them isn't eating properly. Because they're bonded and relaxed around each other, having two feeders side by side tends to work fine — neither cat feels cornered. It's the most controlled, hands-off solution for exactly this scenario.

The basic SureFeed Microchip Feeder will absolutely stop Pip eating Biscuit's food — it does that job well and costs less. The reason I suggested the Connect version is the portion tracking in the app, which is genuinely useful when you have one small cat and one large cat and want to make sure she's actually hitting her daily intake. If Biscuit is otherwise healthy and you're confident she'll eat her full portion once it's protected, the standard version saves you money and works just as reliably. If you'd feel better having the data — especially as a rescue cat who may have had an inconsistent history with food — the Connect is worth the extra cost.

Yes, one per cat — that's how the system works, each feeder is paired to one microchip. You can manage both through the same app on one phone, so it's not complicated to run. They're often sold as twin packs which brings the per-unit cost down a bit, so it's worth checking whether the twin pack is available when you're buying. Once they're set up and each cat has figured out their own feeder opens for them, it tends to run itself.