Feeding cats can be fraught. You finally find a food your cat loves and buy four cases. Halfway through the first case, she refuses another mouthful, and you head back to the pet store for new options. Or the food you have been feeding your cat since kittenhood becomes “new and improved” — except your cat disagrees.
Then there is the multi-cat household dilemma. Your veterinarian prescribes a kidney-friendly diet for your older cat after a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease, but your older cat wants to eat your middle-aged cat’s food, which is not kidney friendly. Feeding multiple cats different diets is one of the most challenging aspects of living with more than one cat.
Today’s blogpost will highlight my tips for successfully feeding cats in a multi-cat household.
Feed One Cat on a Countertop
This method works well if you have one cat that is more agile than the others. The agile cat can be fed higher than the others — on a counter, a washer or even a high perch on a cat tree visited by only one cat.
But if all your cats are vertical climbers, this method is not for you.
Try the Box Method
This is a low-tech solution, but it works only if you have one cat much smaller than the other(s). The idea is that a cardboard box serves as a safe place for the smaller cat’s food bowl.
Use a box cutter to make an opening in the box just big enough for the small cat to fit through, excluding the bigger cat(s). This keeps the big cat(s) from eating the small cat’s food and is a good solution if the big cat is on a weight loss plan — that is, until she loses enough weight to fit into the box!
Use Puzzle Feeders
This multi-cat feeding method assumes each cat loves the food you are feeding. There are a wide variety of puzzle feeders that can help slow down eating and keep cats occupied during mealtime.
If you feed canned food, silicone lick mats can be helpful. These mats have little depressions where the food gets caught. You smear the canned food on the mat, and your cat stays busy licking the food out of the grooves. Lick mats are especially useful if one cat is a slow eater and the other a fast one. The fast eater is kept busy while the slow eater has more time to graze.
A snuffle mat is a slow feeder for dry food. The mat is reminiscent of a 1970’s shag rug, with the kibble hidden in the mat for your pet to “snuffle” around and find. Snuffle mats are washable, which is a good thing because they will inevitably need a trip to the washer after several meals. They can be used in much the same way as a lick mat: to slow one cat down while another cat eats at her own pace.
Consider High-Tech Feeders
Two high-tech feeding options can help solve your multi-cat feeding dilemma: a microchip-activated feeder or a feeder with an integrated camera.
To use a microchip-activated feeder, you program the feeder to recognize the microchip of one cat. The bowl opens only when the correct cat approaches the feeder.
A feeder with an integrated camera works differently. You view the feeder cam to see which cat is present, then release food only when the cat you want to feed is visible. Feeding can be done remotely through an app on your phone.
Finding the Right Feeding Plan for Your Cats
The good news is that there are multiple options to feed cats different diets in the same household. The less good news? Cats being cats, they will inevitably get tired of one feeding plan, and you will need to switch to another!
When feeding multiple cats, flexibility is key. What works today may need adjusting tomorrow, but with a little creativity, you can help each cat get the food she needs.