Cat feeding question?

[Moab]

Ok. I know there are more than a few of us with cats.

I have two cats. Sonny, free feeds like every other cat I've ever had. But this new one, Olive. Who's one year old. Who free feeds along with, Sonny. Is starting to look like a bear just before hibernation! Like a black bowling ball.

Without by an expensive auto feeder and special collars. 

How can I easily restrict food from one cat and not the other?

[Anianna]

Check the recommended serving sizes on the package to ensure how much they should be getting every day.  Even with free feeding, you should only put out a max serving each day.  Also account for any treats or supplemental feeding you're doing, like wet food or people food. 

Have some vigorous wand or laser toy playtime daily.  Maybe get one of those cat exercise wheels if you have the room. 

Give kitty a good brushing to make sure it's not just an optical illusion due to shedding.  Have you weighed them to see if they are within a healthy range?

[Moab]

Check the recommended serving sizes on the package to ensure how much they should be getting every day.  Even with free feeding, you should only put out a max serving each day.  Also account for any treats or supplemental feeding you're doing, like wet food or people food. 

Have some vigorous wand or laser toy playtime daily.  Maybe get one of those cat exercise wheels if you have the room. 

Give kitty a good brushing to make sure it's not just an optical illusion due to shedding.  Have you weighed them to see if they are within a healthy range?

This isn't really the problem.

My free feeding cat gets the right amount of food. He is a good weight. If anything he could eat a little more. It's the other one that is gorging herself. And getting very overweight. But keeping her out of the food is problematic.

My problem is how to feed them separate amounts - separately. I would like to feed him (the inside/outside cat) wet more often. As he eats more of that. But I would like to start restricting her (the inside cat) less food to a more healthy level. As she is obviously just gorging herself throughout the day.

Both are inside feeders. I currently have a dry food dish and a wet food dish. And they eat together or whenever they want. Which is how I've always done it with our cats. This is the first cat I've ever had who overeats. She is new. One year old. And literally looking like a bowling ball. Lol. She's black too.

They make auto feeders that only allow one cat with a sensor collar to eat from the feeder at a time. And you can restrict how much food each one eats. Which would solve the problem. But was hoping for a cheaper simpler solution.

The living situation is a bit complicated too. The proper feeding cat is inside/outside. The overfeeding cat is inside only. I have two dogs who live in the backyard primarily. But come in at night. I feed them separately. One inside and one outside. Otherwise one eats the others food. And the inside eater eats the old cat food. As little is left over at the end of the day. And the cats are finicky about old food. I also add that amount into the inside feeding dogs daily limit. And both dogs keep a good weight. I monitor their intake or they will eat everything in sight. They get 2 cups of dry and 1/2 cup of wet.

With dogs in the backyard. I can't feed the outside/inside cat separately back there. And I can't leave his food on the front porch. As there are to many neighborhood animals that would eat it. Including other cats, coyotes, rats (in the neighborhood but not our house. The dogs and cats do a great job of keeping them out. But if I left food on the front porch it would attract them. As neither cats or dogs are out there thru the night.) and other wild animals.

So the only possibility is somehow separating what food each cat can get to inside the house.

But short of the expensive auto feeders. I'm drawing a blank. And the problem with auto feeders is they have to have a special sensor on their collar. And my both cats routinely lose collars. As we have to keep the ones on them that easily come apart. So they don't strangle themselves.

We lose about one collar every week or two. I would think losing a sensor collar that often would get expensive. Even the inside cat loses collars. To the point I don't even keep one on her anymore. They are both chipped. And the outside cat never strays far.

The neighbor has two cats and a 10x10 patch of fresh catnip growing in her backyard. So when my outside cat is outside he's usually getting stoned with his buddies in the catnip patch. Lol

Any ideas?

[EBuff75]

Check the recommended serving sizes on the package to ensure how much they should be getting every day.  Even with free feeding, you should only put out a max serving each day.  Also account for any treats or supplemental feeding you're doing, like wet food or people food. 

Have some vigorous wand or laser toy playtime daily.  Maybe get one of those cat exercise wheels if you have the room. 

Give kitty a good brushing to make sure it's not just an optical illusion due to shedding.  Have you weighed them to see if they are within a healthy range?

This isn't really the problem.

My free feeding cat gets the right amount of food. He is a good weight. If anything he could eat a little more. It's the other one that is gorging herself. And getting very overweight. But keeping her out of the food is problematic.

My problem is how to feed them separate amounts - separately. I would like to feed him (the inside/outside cat) wet more often. As he eats more of that. But I would like to start restricting her (the inside cat) less food to a more healthy level. As she is obviously just gorging herself throughout the day.

Both are inside feeders. I currently have a dry food dish and a wet food dish. And they eat together or whenever they want. Which is how I've always done it with our cats. This is the first cat I've ever had who overeats. She is new. One year old. And literally looking like a bowling ball. Lol. She's black too.

They make auto feeders that only allow one cat with a sensor collar to eat from the feeder at a time. And you can restrict how much food each one eats. Which would solve the problem. But was hoping for a cheaper simpler solution.

The living situation is a bit complicated too. The proper feeding cat is inside/outside. The overfeeding cat is inside only. I have two dogs who live in the backyard primarily. But come in at night. I feed them separately. One inside and one outside. Otherwise one eats the others food. And the inside eater eats the old cat food. As little is left over at the end of the day. And the cats are finicky about old food. I also add that amount into the inside feeding dogs daily limit. And both dogs keep a good weight. I monitor their intake or they will eat everything in sight. They get 2 cups of dry and 1/2 cup of wet.

With dogs in the backyard. I can't feed the outside/inside cat separately back there. And I can't leave his food on the front porch. As there are to many neighborhood animals that would eat it. Including other cats, coyotes, rats (in the neighborhood but not our house. The dogs and cats do a great job of keeping them out. But if I left food on the front porch it would attract them. As neither cats or dogs are out there thru the night.) and other wild animals.

So the only possibility is somehow separating what food each cat can get to inside the house.

But short of the expensive auto feeders. I'm drawing a blank. And the problem with auto feeders is they have to have a special sensor on their collar. And my both cats routinely lose collars. As we have to keep the ones on them that easily come apart. So they don't strangle themselves.

We lose about one collar every week or two. I would think losing a sensor collar that often would get expensive. Even the inside cat loses collars. To the point I don't even keep one on her anymore. They are both chipped. And the outside cat never strays far.

The neighbor has two cats and a 10x10 patch of fresh catnip growing in her backyard. So when my outside cat is outside he's usually getting stoned with his buddies in the catnip patch. Lol

Any ideas?

Certainly not cheap, but there are cat facial recognition feeders which would eliminate the need for a sensor on the collar.  Here's one:  https://www.catlinkus.com/products/catlink-multi-cat-recognition-automatic-feeder-facelink

[Anianna]

How much you feed is part of the problem.  She can't gorge herself if the food is not there to gorge on in excess.  Also, this is the recommendation I got from a couple different veterinarians the first time I encountered a kitty like Olive in a multicat household. 

We also had a complicated feeding problem when we had four cats and one had a medical problem and would get medically underweight.  She needed food available to her at all times for medical reasons, but that meant the other cats got fat.  It wasn't that the other cats were hoarding it all because there was always food available for her to eat, they just ate more than they needed because the food was there.  When that kitty moved out, I switched my two remaining fatties to metered feeding.  It took a couple of weeks for them to adapt to the new ways and now they leave food in their dish between feedings and still eat in much the same way as they did before, just not in the same quantities.   

If Sonny is good at not overeating, he'll probably adapt fine to a metered feeding.  Olive needs to learn limitation.  It's important to weigh the cats to ensure Sonny remains within a healthy range if Olive is food hoarding, but hoarding cats often adapt well to metered feeding once they realize they can't just free eat all the time. 

Additionally, if she isn't getting sufficient vigorous enrichment, she may be eating out of boredom, so new toys and added exercise may also help curb the issues. 

I recommend trying this for a couple of months before buying anything expensive or taking more drastic measures.  Weigh them before you start, give them the chance to adapt, and weigh them again at the end of the two months.  Then decide how you want to proceed. 

[Moab]

How much you feed is part of the problem.  She can't gorge herself if the food is not there to gorge on in excess.  Also, this is the recommendation I got from a couple different veterinarians the first time I encountered a kitty like Olive in a multicat household. 

We also had a complicated feeding problem when we had four cats and one had a medical problem and would get medically underweight.  She needed food available to her at all times for medical reasons, but that meant the other cats got fat.  It wasn't that the other cats were hoarding it all because there was always food available for her to eat, they just ate more than they needed because the food was there.  When that kitty moved out, I switched my two remaining fatties to metered feeding.  It took a couple of weeks for them to adapt to the new ways and now they leave food in their dish between feedings and still eat in much the same way as they did before, just not in the same quantities.   

If Sonny is good at not overeating, he'll probably adapt fine to a metered feeding.  Olive needs to learn limitation.  It's important to weigh the cats to ensure Sonny remains within a healthy range if Olive is food hoarding, but hoarding cats often adapt well to metered feeding once they realize they can't just free eat all the time. 

Additionally, if she isn't getting sufficient vigorous enrichment, she may be eating out of boredom, so new toys and added exercise may also help curb the issues. 

I recommend trying this for a couple of months before buying anything expensive or taking more drastic measures.  Weigh them before you start, give them the chance to adapt, and weigh them again at the end of the two months.  Then decide how you want to proceed. 

What is metered feeding?

My problem is the same. One cat who needs to eat more. Even with food left out all day. He barely eats enough. And one cat that I need to feed less. The question is how I do leave food out for cat 1 without cat 2 getting into it?

[Moab]

Check the recommended serving sizes on the package to ensure how much they should be getting every day.  Even with free feeding, you should only put out a max serving each day.  Also account for any treats or supplemental feeding you're doing, like wet food or people food. 

Have some vigorous wand or laser toy playtime daily.  Maybe get one of those cat exercise wheels if you have the room. 

Give kitty a good brushing to make sure it's not just an optical illusion due to shedding.  Have you weighed them to see if they are within a healthy range?

This isn't really the problem.

My free feeding cat gets the right amount of food. He is a good weight. If anything he could eat a little more. It's the other one that is gorging herself. And getting very overweight. But keeping her out of the food is problematic.

My problem is how to feed them separate amounts - separately. I would like to feed him (the inside/outside cat) wet more often. As he eats more of that. But I would like to start restricting her (the inside cat) less food to a more healthy level. As she is obviously just gorging herself throughout the day.

Both are inside feeders. I currently have a dry food dish and a wet food dish. And they eat together or whenever they want. Which is how I've always done it with our cats. This is the first cat I've ever had who overeats. She is new. One year old. And literally looking like a bowling ball. Lol. She's black too.

They make auto feeders that only allow one cat with a sensor collar to eat from the feeder at a time. And you can restrict how much food each one eats. Which would solve the problem. But was hoping for a cheaper simpler solution.

The living situation is a bit complicated too. The proper feeding cat is inside/outside. The overfeeding cat is inside only. I have two dogs who live in the backyard primarily. But come in at night. I feed them separately. One inside and one outside. Otherwise one eats the others food. And the inside eater eats the old cat food. As little is left over at the end of the day. And the cats are finicky about old food. I also add that amount into the inside feeding dogs daily limit. And both dogs keep a good weight. I monitor their intake or they will eat everything in sight. They get 2 cups of dry and 1/2 cup of wet.

With dogs in the backyard. I can't feed the outside/inside cat separately back there. And I can't leave his food on the front porch. As there are to many neighborhood animals that would eat it. Including other cats, coyotes, rats (in the neighborhood but not our house. The dogs and cats do a great job of keeping them out. But if I left food on the front porch it would attract them. As neither cats or dogs are out there thru the night.) and other wild animals.

So the only possibility is somehow separating what food each cat can get to inside the house.

But short of the expensive auto feeders. I'm drawing a blank. And the problem with auto feeders is they have to have a special sensor on their collar. And my both cats routinely lose collars. As we have to keep the ones on them that easily come apart. So they don't strangle themselves.

We lose about one collar every week or two. I would think losing a sensor collar that often would get expensive. Even the inside cat loses collars. To the point I don't even keep one on her anymore. They are both chipped. And the outside cat never strays far.

The neighbor has two cats and a 10x10 patch of fresh catnip growing in her backyard. So when my outside cat is outside he's usually getting stoned with his buddies in the catnip patch. Lol

Any ideas?

Certainly not cheap, but there are cat facial recognition feeders which would eliminate the need for a sensor on the collar.  Here's one:  https://www.catlinkus.com/products/catlink-multi-cat-recognition-automatic-feeder-facelink

If it comes to it. Maybe. But that is enough money I am willing to spend some time and research on a simpler solution. Good to know that exists.

[Anianna]

How much you feed is part of the problem.  She can't gorge herself if the food is not there to gorge on in excess.  Also, this is the recommendation I got from a couple different veterinarians the first time I encountered a kitty like Olive in a multicat household. 

We also had a complicated feeding problem when we had four cats and one had a medical problem and would get medically underweight.  She needed food available to her at all times for medical reasons, but that meant the other cats got fat.  It wasn't that the other cats were hoarding it all because there was always food available for her to eat, they just ate more than they needed because the food was there.  When that kitty moved out, I switched my two remaining fatties to metered feeding.  It took a couple of weeks for them to adapt to the new ways and now they leave food in their dish between feedings and still eat in much the same way as they did before, just not in the same quantities.   

If Sonny is good at not overeating, he'll probably adapt fine to a metered feeding.  Olive needs to learn limitation.  It's important to weigh the cats to ensure Sonny remains within a healthy range if Olive is food hoarding, but hoarding cats often adapt well to metered feeding once they realize they can't just free eat all the time. 

Additionally, if she isn't getting sufficient vigorous enrichment, she may be eating out of boredom, so new toys and added exercise may also help curb the issues. 

I recommend trying this for a couple of months before buying anything expensive or taking more drastic measures.  Weigh them before you start, give them the chance to adapt, and weigh them again at the end of the two months.  Then decide how you want to proceed. 

What is metered feeding?

My problem is the same. One cat who needs to eat more. Even with food left out all day. He barely eats enough. And one cat that I need to feed less. The question is how I do leave food out for cat 1 without cat 2 getting into it?

Metered feeding is measuring and making sure to only put out the amount they are supposed to eat.  In my experience, it works best to feed twice daily, so putting out a half serving per cat each time.  I know what you're asking, it's the same question I've had several occasions and vets told me to alter the cats' behavior with this method of feeding rather than trying to figure out how to feed them separately. 

Weighing the cats ensures Sonny is within a healthy weight.  As long as he is a healthy weight, this should work fine for him and should teach Olive to self-limit.

If Sonny isn't within a healthy weight, you need to visit a veterinarian to get that sorted before you change anything.

[Yogurt]

Why not use the same method they use for calfs/lambs and other young animals where they have an area with their food and the entrance is sized where their mother can't get into that area.  If the one is that much fatter/larger than the other make a box/cage where the one that controls their own diet can get in and the other can't using door sizing.

[NT2C]

We've run into this problem with our cats.  When we had 4 we had one that was underweight by 15 lbs.  (Maine Coon that weight 7), one that's overweight by 10, and two between those extremes.  Then we lost the Maine Coon and now we're down to Betty (25lbs on a petite frame, grossly overweight) who only eats dry food from our metered feeders; Kimmy, who is large framed and now almost Betty's weight but carrying it better (she's a miniature lioness) who gets wet food twice a day (1/3 can) and often gorges on it to the point of vomiting it back up, and who also eats dry food during the day, also sometimes to the point of throwing it up (she's a young orphaned feral who almost starved to death); and Rupert, who at age 14 has started dropping weight,. He'd been around 18lbs and is now down to 12.  His vet complimented us on getting his weight down.  We did nothing, he just doesn't like the senior dry food we're feeding so only gets his 1/3 can wet mornings and evenings.  The rest of the time he will scream at you for treats, will share whatever you're eating unless you lock him out of the room, and is making us nuts with demands for wet food at dawn.

We're using portion control, timed dry feeders.  Rupert will nibble on some of it but really doesn't like it.  We've tried every food we could get and he's not liking any very much.  It's a problem with no solution unless we feed each cat separately in a locked room every day, which is not happening.

[Moab]

How much you feed is part of the problem.  She can't gorge herself if the food is not there to gorge on in excess.  Also, this is the recommendation I got from a couple different veterinarians the first time I encountered a kitty like Olive in a multicat household. 

We also had a complicated feeding problem when we had four cats and one had a medical problem and would get medically underweight.  She needed food available to her at all times for medical reasons, but that meant the other cats got fat.  It wasn't that the other cats were hoarding it all because there was always food available for her to eat, they just ate more than they needed because the food was there.  When that kitty moved out, I switched my two remaining fatties to metered feeding.  It took a couple of weeks for them to adapt to the new ways and now they leave food in their dish between feedings and still eat in much the same way as they did before, just not in the same quantities.   

If Sonny is good at not overeating, he'll probably adapt fine to a metered feeding.  Olive needs to learn limitation.  It's important to weigh the cats to ensure Sonny remains within a healthy range if Olive is food hoarding, but hoarding cats often adapt well to metered feeding once they realize they can't just free eat all the time. 

Additionally, if she isn't getting sufficient vigorous enrichment, she may be eating out of boredom, so new toys and added exercise may also help curb the issues. 

I recommend trying this for a couple of months before buying anything expensive or taking more drastic measures.  Weigh them before you start, give them the chance to adapt, and weigh them again at the end of the two months.  Then decide how you want to proceed. 

What is metered feeding?

My problem is the same. One cat who needs to eat more. Even with food left out all day. He barely eats enough. And one cat that I need to feed less. The question is how I do leave food out for cat 1 without cat 2 getting into it?

Metered feeding is measuring and making sure to only put out the amount they are supposed to eat.  In my experience, it works best to feed twice daily, so putting out a half serving per cat each time.  I know what you're asking, it's the same question I've had several occasions and vets told me to alter the cats' behavior with this method of feeding rather than trying to figure out how to feed them separately. 

Weighing the cats ensures Sonny is within a healthy weight.  As long as he is a healthy weight, this should work fine for him and should teach Olive to self-limit.

If Sonny isn't within a healthy weight, you need to visit a veterinarian to get that sorted before you change anything.

So your theory is if fed twice a day - half their rations - cats will eat all the food you put out. And the fat cat won't eat the others food?

I'm not so sure Olive (the overeater) will not eat her food and then try to eat Sonny's too. But I'll give it a try!

For sure. 

I actually feed my dogs separate. As one will totally steal the others food. But they are well mannered about the eating apart. Both are well trained to not entire the house until invited. And to exit the house if told. So I can have either enter or exit the house at will. One eats outside. The other inside.

Olive and Sonny both eat off the same plate. Same time when I drop down anything fresh. But separate at later times throughout the day.

 

[Anianna]

How much you feed is part of the problem.  She can't gorge herself if the food is not there to gorge on in excess.  Also, this is the recommendation I got from a couple different veterinarians the first time I encountered a kitty like Olive in a multicat household. 

We also had a complicated feeding problem when we had four cats and one had a medical problem and would get medically underweight.  She needed food available to her at all times for medical reasons, but that meant the other cats got fat.  It wasn't that the other cats were hoarding it all because there was always food available for her to eat, they just ate more than they needed because the food was there.  When that kitty moved out, I switched my two remaining fatties to metered feeding.  It took a couple of weeks for them to adapt to the new ways and now they leave food in their dish between feedings and still eat in much the same way as they did before, just not in the same quantities.   

If Sonny is good at not overeating, he'll probably adapt fine to a metered feeding.  Olive needs to learn limitation.  It's important to weigh the cats to ensure Sonny remains within a healthy range if Olive is food hoarding, but hoarding cats often adapt well to metered feeding once they realize they can't just free eat all the time. 

Additionally, if she isn't getting sufficient vigorous enrichment, she may be eating out of boredom, so new toys and added exercise may also help curb the issues. 

I recommend trying this for a couple of months before buying anything expensive or taking more drastic measures.  Weigh them before you start, give them the chance to adapt, and weigh them again at the end of the two months.  Then decide how you want to proceed. 

What is metered feeding?

My problem is the same. One cat who needs to eat more. Even with food left out all day. He barely eats enough. And one cat that I need to feed less. The question is how I do leave food out for cat 1 without cat 2 getting into it?

Metered feeding is measuring and making sure to only put out the amount they are supposed to eat.  In my experience, it works best to feed twice daily, so putting out a half serving per cat each time.  I know what you're asking, it's the same question I've had several occasions and vets told me to alter the cats' behavior with this method of feeding rather than trying to figure out how to feed them separately. 

Weighing the cats ensures Sonny is within a healthy weight.  As long as he is a healthy weight, this should work fine for him and should teach Olive to self-limit.

If Sonny isn't within a healthy weight, you need to visit a veterinarian to get that sorted before you change anything.

So your theory is if fed twice a day - half their rations - cats will eat all the food you put out. And the fat cat won't eat the others food?

I'm not so sure Olive (the overeater) will not eat her food and then try to eat Sonny's too. But I'll give it a try!

For sure.

I actually feed my dogs separate. As one will totally steal the others food. But they are well mannered about the eating apart. Both are well trained to not entire the house until invited. And to exit the house if told. So I can have either enter or exit the house at will. One eats outside. The other inside.

Olive and Sonny both eat off the same plate. Same time when I drop down anything fresh. But separate at later times throughout the day.

 

I had the same response when it was recommended to me, but I tried it and it worked.  It fixed the behavior.  I'm not saying that it will definitely work in every case, but it was vet recommended and not something I just made up.  I approached it with skepticism, gave the cats time to acclimate, and the issue was solved.  I've since used this method with several groups of cats (I used to foster) and it hasn't failed me yet. 

The only time I was told not to use it was with Lyra, who was medically (as determined by a vet) underweight.  That's why I'm saying that tracking Sonny's weight is important.  Look up what a healthy weight for a cat is to make sure Sonny stays healthy using this method.  If Sonny is already underweight, consult a vet before making any changes.

[Moab]

How much you feed is part of the problem.  She can't gorge herself if the food is not there to gorge on in excess.  Also, this is the recommendation I got from a couple different veterinarians the first time I encountered a kitty like Olive in a multicat household. 

We also had a complicated feeding problem when we had four cats and one had a medical problem and would get medically underweight.  She needed food available to her at all times for medical reasons, but that meant the other cats got fat.  It wasn't that the other cats were hoarding it all because there was always food available for her to eat, they just ate more than they needed because the food was there.  When that kitty moved out, I switched my two remaining fatties to metered feeding.  It took a couple of weeks for them to adapt to the new ways and now they leave food in their dish between feedings and still eat in much the same way as they did before, just not in the same quantities.   

If Sonny is good at not overeating, he'll probably adapt fine to a metered feeding.  Olive needs to learn limitation.  It's important to weigh the cats to ensure Sonny remains within a healthy range if Olive is food hoarding, but hoarding cats often adapt well to metered feeding once they realize they can't just free eat all the time. 

Additionally, if she isn't getting sufficient vigorous enrichment, she may be eating out of boredom, so new toys and added exercise may also help curb the issues. 

I recommend trying this for a couple of months before buying anything expensive or taking more drastic measures.  Weigh them before you start, give them the chance to adapt, and weigh them again at the end of the two months.  Then decide how you want to proceed. 

What is metered feeding?

My problem is the same. One cat who needs to eat more. Even with food left out all day. He barely eats enough. And one cat that I need to feed less. The question is how I do leave food out for cat 1 without cat 2 getting into it?

Metered feeding is measuring and making sure to only put out the amount they are supposed to eat.  In my experience, it works best to feed twice daily, so putting out a half serving per cat each time.  I know what you're asking, it's the same question I've had several occasions and vets told me to alter the cats' behavior with this method of feeding rather than trying to figure out how to feed them separately. 

Weighing the cats ensures Sonny is within a healthy weight.  As long as he is a healthy weight, this should work fine for him and should teach Olive to self-limit.

If Sonny isn't within a healthy weight, you need to visit a veterinarian to get that sorted before you change anything.

So your theory is if fed twice a day - half their rations - cats will eat all the food you put out. And the fat cat won't eat the others food?

I'm not so sure Olive (the overeater) will not eat her food and then try to eat Sonny's too. But I'll give it a try!

For sure.

I actually feed my dogs separate. As one will totally steal the others food. But they are well mannered about the eating apart. Both are well trained to not entire the house until invited. And to exit the house if told. So I can have either enter or exit the house at will. One eats outside. The other inside.

Olive and Sonny both eat off the same plate. Same time when I drop down anything fresh. But separate at later times throughout the day.

 

I had the same response when it was recommended to me, but I tried it and it worked.  It fixed the behavior.  I'm not saying that it will definitely work in every case, but it was vet recommended and not something I just made up.  I approached it with skepticism, gave the cats time to acclimate, and the issue was solved.  I've since used this method with several groups of cats (I used to foster) and it hasn't failed me yet. 

The only time I was told not to use it was with Lyra, who was medically (as determined by a vet) underweight.  That's why I'm saying that tracking Sonny's weight is important.  Look up what a healthy weight for a cat is to make sure Sonny stays healthy using this method.  If Sonny is already underweight, consult a vet before making any changes.

Do you find the undereating cats eating any more when fed like this? That would be nice. He's not dangerously under weight or anything. But I would like to see him put a couple lbs back on.

Ever consider making your own cat food?

[Anianna]

How much you feed is part of the problem.  She can't gorge herself if the food is not there to gorge on in excess.  Also, this is the recommendation I got from a couple different veterinarians the first time I encountered a kitty like Olive in a multicat household. 

We also had a complicated feeding problem when we had four cats and one had a medical problem and would get medically underweight.  She needed food available to her at all times for medical reasons, but that meant the other cats got fat.  It wasn't that the other cats were hoarding it all because there was always food available for her to eat, they just ate more than they needed because the food was there.  When that kitty moved out, I switched my two remaining fatties to metered feeding.  It took a couple of weeks for them to adapt to the new ways and now they leave food in their dish between feedings and still eat in much the same way as they did before, just not in the same quantities.   

If Sonny is good at not overeating, he'll probably adapt fine to a metered feeding.  Olive needs to learn limitation.  It's important to weigh the cats to ensure Sonny remains within a healthy range if Olive is food hoarding, but hoarding cats often adapt well to metered feeding once they realize they can't just free eat all the time. 

Additionally, if she isn't getting sufficient vigorous enrichment, she may be eating out of boredom, so new toys and added exercise may also help curb the issues. 

I recommend trying this for a couple of months before buying anything expensive or taking more drastic measures.  Weigh them before you start, give them the chance to adapt, and weigh them again at the end of the two months.  Then decide how you want to proceed. 

What is metered feeding?

My problem is the same. One cat who needs to eat more. Even with food left out all day. He barely eats enough. And one cat that I need to feed less. The question is how I do leave food out for cat 1 without cat 2 getting into it?

Metered feeding is measuring and making sure to only put out the amount they are supposed to eat.  In my experience, it works best to feed twice daily, so putting out a half serving per cat each time.  I know what you're asking, it's the same question I've had several occasions and vets told me to alter the cats' behavior with this method of feeding rather than trying to figure out how to feed them separately. 

Weighing the cats ensures Sonny is within a healthy weight.  As long as he is a healthy weight, this should work fine for him and should teach Olive to self-limit.

If Sonny isn't within a healthy weight, you need to visit a veterinarian to get that sorted before you change anything.

So your theory is if fed twice a day - half their rations - cats will eat all the food you put out. And the fat cat won't eat the others food?

I'm not so sure Olive (the overeater) will not eat her food and then try to eat Sonny's too. But I'll give it a try!

For sure.

I actually feed my dogs separate. As one will totally steal the others food. But they are well mannered about the eating apart. Both are well trained to not entire the house until invited. And to exit the house if told. So I can have either enter or exit the house at will. One eats outside. The other inside.

Olive and Sonny both eat off the same plate. Same time when I drop down anything fresh. But separate at later times throughout the day.

 

I had the same response when it was recommended to me, but I tried it and it worked.  It fixed the behavior.  I'm not saying that it will definitely work in every case, but it was vet recommended and not something I just made up.  I approached it with skepticism, gave the cats time to acclimate, and the issue was solved.  I've since used this method with several groups of cats (I used to foster) and it hasn't failed me yet. 

The only time I was told not to use it was with Lyra, who was medically (as determined by a vet) underweight.  That's why I'm saying that tracking Sonny's weight is important.  Look up what a healthy weight for a cat is to make sure Sonny stays healthy using this method.  If Sonny is already underweight, consult a vet before making any changes.

Do you find the undereating cats eating any more when fed like this? That would be nice. He's not dangerously under weight or anything. But I would like to see him put a couple lbs back on.

Ever consider making your own cat food?

I found that all the cats benefited when I used that method. 

I have considered making my own food, but that's a lot of work and has the potential to lack key nutrients when retail diets have usually been tested to meet dietary requirements.  Most of the recipes you can find for making cat food are just stuff random people came up with that hasn't been tested for long term health.  Notably, there are a plethora of idiots online thinking cats can be vegetarians.  Without even the basic understanding that cats are obligate carnivores, they should not be feeding cats anything but a tested store-bought diet.

I currently feed Purina Live Clear because I have cat allergies and Live Clear reduces their allergy production and allows me to actually pet my kitties.  I do know in theory how to replicate that in other foods, but this is working for us.