Feeding indoor and outdoor cats differently

Right, so you've got one cat burning calories outdoors all day and another who barely moves from the sofa — and you're trying to manage them both on the same feeding routine. That's a really common setup and it does cause problems if you treat them identically. Wet food is genuinely the better base for both cats: it keeps them hydrated, it's more filling per calorie, and it mirrors what cats actually evolved to eat. But the amounts and possibly the formula need to differ. How old are each of them, are either dealing with any health issues like weight gain or urinary problems, and are you currently feeding wet, dry, or a mix?

That free-feeding dry food setup is almost certainly why the indoor cat is gaining weight — dry food is calorie-dense and cats left to graze will overeat, especially if they're not moving much. The outdoor cat is fine because he's burning it off, but he's probably also eating more than he needs to. The fix here is moving to scheduled wet food meals twice a day, with portion control, and using different quantities for each cat. What's their living situation — do they eat in the same room, or can you separate them at mealtimes?

Understood — that's the core problem. You need a feeding solution that physically limits what each cat can eat. The most practical answer for your setup is a microchip-activated feeder for the indoor cat so she can only access her own portion, while the outdoor cat eats freely from a standard bowl. Pair that with Purina ONE Indoor Advantage wet pouches for the indoor cat — it's formulated specifically for lower-activity cats, higher protein, lower fat, and designed to help with healthy weight. For the outdoor cat, standard Purina ONE wet food in slightly larger portions covers his needs without overcomplicating things. Same brand, same palatability, just different variants and amounts.

The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder is the one I'd point you to — it's the most reliable on the market for exactly this. It reads your cat's microchip and the lid opens only for her. It won't close on her while she's eating, but it will close the moment she steps away, so the outdoor cat can't sneak in. It does require your indoor cat is microchipped, which she almost certainly is if she's been to a vet. It's not cheap — around £70 — but it solves the problem permanently and means you can leave food down without standing guard. Combined with the Purina ONE Indoor wet pouches on a twice-daily schedule, you'll see a real difference in her weight within a couple of months.

Good plan. Start the indoor cat on about one pouch twice a day and adjust based on how she goes over the first month — wet food is much easier to portion control than dry. The outdoor cat can have a pouch and a half or two per meal depending on his size. Once the indoor cat's weight stabilises you can reassess, but the combination of wet food and the microchip feeder does most of the work for you.