Abyssinian-proof microchip feeder advice

Microchip feeders are honestly one of the most genuinely useful innovations for multi-cat or special-needs feeding — they make sure each cat only accesses their own food, which is critical when you've got prescription diets or wildly different calorie needs in the same household. But I can see you've already been down the timed feeder road and got outwitted by your Abyssinian — which, honestly, is very on-brand for that breed. Before I point you toward the right solution, tell me: how many cats do you have, are they all microchipped, and is the main issue just this one clever escape artist stealing food, or is there also a dietary or medical reason you need strict separation?

Classic Abyssinian energy — they treat anything mechanical as a puzzle to solve within the week. The core problem with most timed feeders is that the lids are designed to keep food fresh, not to resist a determined cat with opposable-paw ambitions. A sliding or flip lid gives him a leverage point, and that's all he needs. What you want is a feeder where the lid only unlocks in response to a specific microchip, and closes again the moment that cat walks away — so there's no static 'open' state for Ptolemy to exploit while it's not his turn.

Yes — and there's really one standout product for exactly this situation: the SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder. It reads the microchip of whichever cat approaches, and the lid only opens for that registered chip. When the cat moves away, it closes. Ptolemy would approach the British Shorthair's feeder, it wouldn't open for his chip, end of story. The lid mechanism is a sealed dome that opens inward — there's no exposed edge for a paw to get under, which is why it defeats the lever trick. You'd set up one feeder registered to your British Shorthair so only she can open it, and put Ptolemy's diet food in the other registered to him. It's been around long enough to have a strong real-world track record, and SureFlap are the brand that basically invented this category. Available on Amazon UK for around £70–80 per unit.

Strictly speaking, if Ptolemy's only sin is eating her food rather than her eating his, one feeder registered to your British Shorthair would solve the immediate problem. But I'd recommend two. Ptolemy needs his diet portions controlled, and if her feeder is locked to him he'll just harass her while she's eating — Abyssinians are persistent. With two feeders, each cat has their own locked station, feeding happens in peace, and you can monitor portions properly for his weight loss. At £70–80 each it's not nothing, but it's the difference between a solution and a half-solution with a cat who's already proven he'll find the gap.

Very straightforward. You put the feeder into registration mode, let your cat approach, and it reads and stores their chip — takes about thirty seconds per cat. It works with all standard ISO microchips implanted by UK vets, so as long as both cats are chipped through a normal vet visit you won't have any compatibility issues. No app, no wifi required, which also means no connectivity headaches. The one thing to do is place the feeders in spots that are reasonably separated — not right next to each other — so Ptolemy can't hover over her feeder trying to stick his head in when she opens it. Give them a room apart if you can.