Microchip feeders for cats on different diets

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 crucial when one cat has a medical or dietary need that the other doesn't share. How many cats do you have, are they both microchipped, and what's driving the need for separate feeding — I'm guessing one has a skin or coat condition requiring a specialist diet?

That's a really common frustration and it genuinely matters here — omega-rich prescription or specialist diets aren't just expensive, they can cause loose stools or digestive upset in a cat who doesn't need the extra fat content. So keeping them separate isn't just about fairness, it's about keeping your healthy cat healthy too. Are both cats eating wet food, dry food, or a mix? And does the cat with the skin sensitivity tend to eat at set times or is she more of a grazer?

Perfect — that tells me exactly what you need. Go with the SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder. It opens only for the cat whose microchip is registered to it, and crucially it has a sealed lid that closes the moment the registered cat steps away. So when your fast eater finishes her bowl and wanders over, she literally cannot get the lid open. You'd get two units — one registered to each cat — and they sit side by side or in different rooms. It's reliable, easy to set up, and the sealed design also keeps wet food fresher between meals, which is a genuine bonus with fish-based omega foods that can smell strong and dry out quickly.

Setup is straightforward — you just hold the cat near the feeder once and it reads and stores her chip. It works with all standard 15-digit ISO microchips which is what UK vets use, so you'll have no compatibility issues. It also accepts RFID collar tags if you ever need to add a cat who isn't chipped, though you won't need that here. The app isn't required for basic use — it's genuinely plug-in and go. Two units will run you around £120–£140 total, which sounds like a lot but pays for itself quickly when you're not wasting specialist prescription food or dealing with vet bills from the wrong cat eating the wrong diet.

Brilliant — you're making the right call. Once your skin-sensitive cat knows the feeder is hers she'll settle into it quickly, and the sealed lid will also keep that omega-rich wet food from drying out between sittings. Good luck with her skin condition — those high-omega diets really do make a visible difference over a few weeks when the cat is actually eating them consistently.