Devon Rex stealing food? Microchip feeder fix

A Devon Rex who's figured out how to pop open standard feeders — honestly, that's exactly the kind of problem these cats were born to create. They're extraordinarily dexterous and get bored enough to treat any latch as a puzzle worth solving. Microchip feeders are genuinely one of the best things ever designed for multi-cat households — they make sure each cat only accesses their own bowl, which is vital when you've got a food thief in the mix. Before I point you in the right direction: how many cats do you have, are they both microchipped, and is the main issue just portion control, or is one of them on a specific diet that makes the stealing more serious?

Right, that changes things from annoying to genuinely important — renal food is formulated to be very low in phosphorus and protein, and a healthy cat eating it isn't a disaster, but Marmite eating Fig's regular food could be harmful to his kidneys over time. The good news is you're in a solvable situation. The one thing I'd flag before recommending anything: standard microchip feeders work brilliantly for keeping the wrong cat out, but a Devon Rex who's already cracking basic lids may try to bully or hover around the feeder while the other cat eats. Is that something you've seen Fig do, or is she more of a solo opportunist when no one's looking?

Perfect — a sneaky thief rather than a bully is actually the easier problem to solve. My clear recommendation is the SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder. It reads your cat's existing microchip and the lid closes the moment the registered cat walks away, so Fig simply can't get in when Marmite isn't there. The lid mechanism is a smooth sealed dome — there's no latch, lever, or gap for clever paws to exploit, which is specifically what makes it Devon Rex-proof in a way that cheaper feeders aren't. You'd want one for Marmite to protect his prescription food; most people in your situation also get one for Fig so she has her own secure bowl, which removes the scarcity dynamic that drives the stealing in the first place. They're widely available on Amazon UK and hold up well long-term — SureFlap has been making these for years and the build quality shows.

One feeder can only be assigned to one cat — it opens for that cat's chip and stays closed for everyone else. So for your setup you'd need two: one locked to Marmite's chip for his renal food, and one locked to Fig's chip for her regular food. It's a bit of an outlay upfront, but given Marmite's medical situation it's well worth it, and Fig having her own feeder genuinely does reduce the motivation to steal. The SureFeed Connect version also links to an app so you can monitor how much each cat is eating, which is actually really useful when you've got a cat on a prescription diet — you can see if Marmite's appetite changes, which is often an early sign with renal conditions.

It's roughly £20-30 more per unit than the standard SureFeed, so around £50-60 more total for two feeders — for a cat on a renal diet I'd say that's worth it. Being able to see daily intake trends means you'd catch a dip in Marmite's appetite early rather than waiting until his next vet check. The app setup is straightforward and the hub that connects them is inexpensive. For your situation — prescription diet, a notoriously crafty housemate, and the peace of mind of remote monitoring — I'd go Connect for both.