This is a specific conversation about Microchip feeders — feeding the right cat — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A big Maine Coon and a petite housemate sharing a bowl is a recipe for exactly the kind of tension you're describing — the Maine Coon eats everything, the small cat goes hungry, and resentment builds fast. Microchip feeders are genuinely one of the best solutions for this: each cat's bowl only opens for their chip, so portion sizes stay controlled and mealtimes stop being a battleground. Quick questions to make sure I point you in the right direction: are both cats microchipped, and is the issue purely about portion size, or is one of them also on a specific diet?
Both are microchipped, yes. It's mainly portion size — the Maine Coon is about 7kg and just needs a lot more food. The smaller one is a 3kg Singapura and she barely gets a look-in before he's finished his bowl and nudges her off hers. No special diets, just the fights are stressing them both out.
inparticular.ai
That size difference is huge — your Maine Coon is more than double her weight, so of course he's always going to win at an open bowl. The good news is this is exactly the problem microchip feeders solve cleanly. One thing worth knowing for a Maine Coon: bowl size matters. Some feeders have quite shallow, small bowls which won't suit a big lad like yours comfortably. Does he tend to eat from a flat plate or is he used to a deeper bowl?
He uses a fairly wide flat plate at the moment, actually. I didn't think about that with feeders.
inparticular.ai
Good call flagging that — it genuinely matters for Maine Coons because whisker fatigue is a real thing with deep narrow bowls, and a cat that size needs space to eat comfortably. My recommendation is the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder — it's the most reliable microchip feeder on the market by some distance, and it has a wide, shallow bowl that works well for flat-faced or large-muzzled cats like Maine Coons. You'd get one for each cat, programme each feeder to the corresponding microchip, and set the portions independently. The Singapura's feeder will close if your Maine Coon approaches, and vice versa. It's straightforward to set up and the build quality is excellent — these last for years. I'd get two of the standard SureFeed units rather than the Connect version unless you want app-based feeding logs, which is useful if one cat is unwell but not essential here.
That sounds ideal. Will he actually learn to stop trying to get into her feeder, or will he keep attempting it forever?
inparticular.ai
Most cats work it out within a week or two — they try a few times, the lid closes on them, and they quickly associate that feeder with 'not for me.' Maine Coons are actually quite smart and tend to figure it out faster than you'd expect. It won't eliminate all curiosity immediately, but the stress of the situation drops quickly once each cat reliably gets their full portion undisturbed. The Singapura will relax a lot once she stops having to guard her food.
Brilliant. I'll go with two SureFeed units then. Thanks.
inparticular.ai
Perfect choice for this situation. One small setup tip: place the feeders in different rooms or at least out of sightline of each other to start with — it removes the temptation and speeds up the learning process. Once they've both settled into the routine, you can move them closer if space is tight. Good luck with them both.