Cat steals food despite raised station? Try this

A raised feeding station feels like the logical fix, but cats are athletes — if the thieving cat wants that food, a bit of extra height is barely a speed bump. The only real solution here is a feeder that physically locks out the wrong cat entirely, regardless of where you put it. Microchip feeders are genuinely one of the best innovations for multi-cat homes — the lid only opens for the cat whose microchip is registered, so the food thief simply cannot get in. Before I point you to the right one: how many cats do you have, are they all microchipped, and what's the main reason you need separate feeding — is one on a prescription diet, a different food type, or just eating everything in sight?

That's a really important one to sort — prescription renal food needs to stay with the right cat, not just for cost reasons but because it genuinely affects Bella's health if Milo is regularly getting into it. The product I'd go straight to is the SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder. It's the market leader for good reason: the lid closes the moment Bella walks away, and because it's keyed to her microchip, Milo's presence simply keeps it shut. No amount of jumping, nudging or waiting will get him in. You register Bella's chip in about 30 seconds, and that's it — it just works. Have you already got Bella's microchip number to hand, or will you need to get that from your vet?

Setup really is that straightforward — you put it into learning mode, Bella approaches, it reads her chip and saves it. Done in under a minute. On power: it runs on four AA batteries, no plug required, which means you can put it wherever suits Bella best without worrying about proximity to a socket. Battery life is solid too — typically several months before you need to swap them. The bowl is also removable and dishwasher-safe, which matters when you're dealing with wet prescription food every day. One thing worth knowing: Bella will need a moment to get used to the lid moving, so leave it open for a day or two at first while she adjusts, then switch it to the closed mode.

Each SureFeed feeder is set to one cat, so a third cat would need their own feeder — but that's actually by design and works in your favour. If the third cat has no dietary restrictions, they can just eat from a regular bowl. You only need a SureFeed for the cats who need protected feeding. For your situation right now, one feeder for Bella is all you need, and it will completely solve the problem you've been having with Milo.