Feeding Individual Diets in Multi-Cat Households
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Today we had an interesting (and very difficult to answer) question from a reader who asked us how they can keep their “special diet” cat away from their other cats food. If you have more than one cat, or if you have cats and dogs, this is likely a problem you have faced more than once.
No two cats are the same, and often their dietary needs are as individual as they are. It can be very challenging (and often impossible) to keep each feline on a specific feeding schedule and if separate diets are introduced, it can be nearly impossible. Obesity, diabetes, and urinary diets present specialized challenges. So what’s a pet parent to do?
Once again, technology steps in to fix this problem for us! Thanks to some forward-thinking entrepreneurs, and some creative search engine activity from the Pack Leader, we proudly present several solutions to our feline friends (be sure to check out the newly updated article Feeding Individual Diets in Multi-pet Homes)
[note style=”5″ icon=”yes” class=”template-style”]We may have received product samples from one or more of the companies mentioned above, however our opinions are our own and we are under no obligation to create a positive review or article. We do our best to use affiliate links when possible.[/note]Option One: Meow Space
Finally, a solution to feeding multiple cats – an enclosed feeding station that works on the signal from your cat’s magnetic collar tag or microchip now allows you to create individual feeding areas for each animal. Why are we so excited about this? Because it’s one of the first we’ve seen on the market that we don’t have to build ourselves.
You can easily purchase one feeder for each cat, train the reader to recognize each animal’s microchip, and when the cat comes into contact with the correct feeder, a door will open allowing them access to their personal food supply. We’ll have a full-fledged review of this product on PetsWeekly very soon!
Option Two: SureFlap
Another creative RFID invention for your litter of kitties is the SureFlap Cat Door. The theory is that you can install this cat flap on any interior door, which will then only allow the cat with the appropriate microchip into that room. The door can be programmed to detect a unique RFID signal from your cat’s microchip, allowing you to have full control over who has access to the feeding station.
The down side to this particular solution is that you must have an extra room with it’s own door – that way, you can install the pet flap in the door and allow access to the feeding solution.
Another way of using the device is to help your cat with his or her diet. By allowing an underweight cat full access to the feeding station throughout the day, you can help facilitate weight gain without the added stress of stringent feeding times.
Option Three: Build Your Own Automatic Cat Feeder
Since this is far too complicated a project to detail in this article, we’re linking you out to the mastermind of the design. While this appears to be promising, we personally think you may be better off just purchasing your own MeowSpace. But if you’re feeling particularly crafty today, here are detailed instructions on building your own automatic feeder! Please be sure to send video clips to us so we can see how it worked out!
