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Is there an easy way to feed multiple cats? How do I keep one cat from eating the others' food?

Is there an easy way to feed multiple cats? How do I keep one cat from eating the others' food?

Updated On January 25th, 2018

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

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This can be a challenging situation, especially if you have one cat that's more of an "eater" than the others. I would try to offer canned food for one meal, and dry for another. For the canned meal, you can put it out into separate bowls, ensure that everyone has their own bowl, and monitor the situation until they finish. Most cats will go ahead and finish a portion of canned food, unlike dry, which they will often "snack" on. You can also reinforce the "ownership" of each cat's bowl by calling them, and then feeding that cat only in that bowl (and consequentially, in that space) at all times. That way, you're teaching them that they will get fed at "their" bowl at all times. Interlopers onto other bowls should be discouraged and redirected back to their own bowl. Finally, if you're up for spending some money, there is an [automatic feeder](https://www.surepetcare.com/en-us/pet-feeder/microchip-pet-feeder) that opens only for a signal from your pet's microchip. This can become really important if one pet is on a special diet for health reasons - it only opens when the cat that has the specific microchip approaches. This is the best way to ensure that the right cat gets the right food.

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