Microchip feeder for two cats, one unchiipped

Microchip feeders are one of the most genuinely useful innovations for multi-cat households — they make sure each cat only accesses their own bowl, which matters enormously when cats have different dietary needs or one tends to hoover up everyone else's food. You're in a slightly interesting spot: one cat chipped, one not yet. The good news is there's a straightforward path here — but tell me a bit more first. What's prompting the separate feeding setup — is one on a prescription diet, is there a weight difference, or is one just a greedy gobbler? And do you have a timeline for getting the second cat microchipped?

That's a really important situation to sort — renal food isn't just expensive, it's genuinely critical for Marmalade's kidney health, so Biscuit stealing it is a real problem. The timing actually works nicely in your favour. Here's what I'd suggest: get the SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder for Marmalade now. It opens only for her chip, so Biscuit is locked out of her bowl immediately. Then when Biscuit gets chipped next week, you can get a second SureFeed and programme it to his chip — or if you want one unit that handles both, the SureFeed Connect has app control and works well in pairs. For now though, one feeder on Marmalade's bowl solves your urgent problem straight away.

Completely fine to keep Biscuit on a regular bowl for now — the SureFeed only controls who can access Marmalade's food, so Biscuit eats freely from his own dish while being locked out of hers. Once he's chipped next week, you have two options: leave him on a regular bowl if he's not on any special diet and doesn't steal from his own feeder, or add a second SureFeed for him if you want everything tidy and future-proof. Many people with one cat on prescription food just run one microchip feeder and leave the other cat on a standard bowl — it works perfectly well.

It's a fair concern, but the SureFeed is genuinely reliable with standard 15-digit ISO microchips — the reader range is designed so a cat just approaching the bowl triggers it, they don't need to hold still or position themselves carefully. For a nervous cat, the lid opens slowly and quietly which actually helps a lot. The one thing worth checking at your next vet visit is confirming Marmalade's chip is still reading clearly — occasionally older chips migrate or fade, and the vet can scan her to confirm it's registering properly before you invest in the feeder. If her chip scans fine at the vet, you'll have no issues.

Exactly that. One SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder programmed to Marmalade's chip, placed where she normally eats. That solves the immediate problem of Biscuit getting into her renal food. After next week's vet visit when Biscuit's chipped, reassess whether you need a second one for him — but honestly, if he's healthy and on a standard diet, a regular bowl will do him just fine. The priority is protecting Marmalade's food, and one SureFeed does that cleanly.