As you can imagine, meal time with four cats can get pretty hectic. Add in the fact that Oliver always thinks he's starving and tries to gobble up everyone's food while Owen takes 15 minutes to finish his bowl. Orange backs away if someone gets too close to her while she is eating and she immediately retreats. Fiona is surprisingly the easiest, which I think is the first time I've ever said that about her.
Thankfully, all of my cats are on the same dry and wet food right now. But when one gets sick and needs a prescription diet, everyone else has ended up eating it, too. Luckily, no one has needed a prescription diet that was unsafe for everyone else, but some of these special diets are not meant to be fed to otherwise healthy cats and can cause harm. Always ask your veterinarian before feeding a prescription diet to your other cats to make sure it is safe.
Feeding time becomes more complicated when medications or supplements are needed. Right now, Oliver gets a daily joint supplement mixed with his food. Orange gets fish oil for her sensitive skin. Sometimes Owen gets medication in his food if his kitty herpes flares up (runny eyes, sneezing). The cats may also get probiotics if they have a stomach upset. So how the heck do you juggle all of this and make sure that A) everyone gets the right type AND AMOUNT of food and B) everyone gets the correct medication and full dose that they need?
Well, I used to put the food bowls in the shape of a square in the middle of my kitchen and sit between everyone so I could supervise them. I got Oliver, Orange, and Fiona various slow feeder bowls for their dry food, but you can't use them with wet food (way too messy). Look at Fiona when she was a super smart baby learning how to eat from her slow feeder!
It wouldn't be that big of a deal if I just sat with them for a few minutes at each meal, but I'd have to wait until Owen finished eating so that Oliver wouldn't try to steal anything. So for each meal, I'd have to sit on the floor for at least 15 minutes. That is almost an hour of my day (yes, the cats are fed 3 to 4 times a day). And as much as I love sitting and bonding with the cats, I didn't feel like this was valuable hang out time and I could tell that there was some competition, and therefore stress, amongst the herd. It was not ideal to say the least.
So is there one magic solution to increase efficiency of meal time and allow for control over feeding amount and medications? Well my friends, the answer to my question is the Surefeed Microchip Feeder. This futuristic-looking feeder has been one of my favorite cat purchases so far, and I've made a LOT of purchases for my cats over the years. It works with your cat's microchip. If your cat doesn't have a microchip, the feeder does come with RFID tags that you could place on collars (but I don't typically recommend collars for cats). If you do need to use a collar for your cat, make sure it is a "breakaway" collar, which will unclasp with any tension to avoid injury. Read my note below on the importance of microchips for cats!
The feeder requires four C batteries (no cords or outlets required) and that is all. There is a detailed step-by-step guidebook to "register" your cat's microchip to the specific feeder and to acclimate your cat to the feeder. It took me about 15 minutes to set up each feeder and I didn't actually need to follow the acclimation steps. The cats are so food motivated that the second I put food in, they went for it. The lid opens and closes once it detects the correct microchip. The movement is fairly slow with minimal noise, so no one was spooked. You can hear the lid closing after Fiona moves away from the feeder. in the following video. When she tries to check out Oliver's feeder, it won't open for her.
If you want to acclimate your cat correctly, it is a gradual process (I feel like a broken record every time I say this now). First, you get them used to using the feeder with the lid open. If they are a little wary of it, you can try to place a small towel over the mat to make it more inviting. Place high value treats within the feeder so they get used to using it. Feliway can also be your friend if needed. Once your cat is comfortable eating from the feeder, you can turn it on to allow for lid movement. If you have multiple cats, I'd recommend labeling the feeders so you don't get them mixed up and always keep them in the same location so the cats don't get confused either. I feed my cats in the same order each time so they know when their turn is and that makes things a little easier, too.
Sneaky cats that are too smart for their own good (or way too food motivated) may learn to reach around the back of the other cat's feeder to try to steal food when the lid is opened. The Surefeed company makes a clear plastic hood attachment that eliminates this issue. Owen has it on his feeder, but no one else needs it since the other cats eat at around the same speed. Another option is just backing the feeder up against the wall or furniture to block entrance to the back.
There is a new version of the feeder called the Feeder Connect. It has a scale to help accurately weigh out the proper portion as well as to determine how much your cat eats and how often. The information is sent to an app, which you download onto your phone. This version is more expensive, but provides really valuable information for cat owners that have elderly or ill cats. It helps track appetite and food intake, which can be very helpful for you and your veterinarian when managing chronic conditions. It can also be useful when your cat is trying to lose weight!
Feeder maintenance is quite simple. Replace the batteries when needed (I set up the feeders in February and haven't had to replace any batteries yet). Each feeder comes with a gray mat and two gray plastic bowls (one is partitioned down the middle). You can purchase additional plastic bowls (they have green, blue, and pink available) or stainless steel bowls on their website (https://www.surepetcare.com/en-us/accessories). I've seen them available online at Petco, Chewy, and Amazon as well, but they are not always in stock. I got a pink set because Fifi really wanted it. I think I'll get Oliver a blue set and pray that they come out with a purple set for Orange. I might get the green for Owen, but I don't love the shade of green so I'm undecided.
It is very important to clean the feeders regularly. After a meal, I remove the bowl and use gentle dish detergent to clean the inside of the feeders. Owen is extremely messy, so I end up cleaning pretty much the entire interior surface of his feeder after every meal. The bowls are quite sturdy, but they are not labeled as dishwasher safe, so I haven't risked putting them in the dishwasher. The cats have their own designated sponge, which goes into the dishwasher with each load to be cleaned. You do not want to submerge the feeder in water since it contains electronics. Just a friendly reminder.
I have not had any issues with the microchip feeders so far and they have really improved feeding time for all of us. I still sit down on the floor for a bit when the cats eat their wet food at dinner time, but it is more so out of habit than necessity. Oliver gets his joint supplement (he's going to be 10 next month!), Orange gets her fish oil, and Owen gets his supplement when needed. Everyone eats the correct amount of food so they can maintain their beautiful bikini bodies. And the sense of competition to finish food first and plate surf has pretty much been negated.
The only other feature I would love the feeder to have is a built in self-feeding option (combine the microchip feeder with an automated feeder) so that the cats could get meals when I'm not home. I feel so bad when I'm gone for long periods and they are just starvingggggg. I think I suffer more thinking about it than they do; they probably just sleep until they hear my car pull into the driveway.
So if you are interested in purchasing a feeder, check out the Surefeed website (https://www.surepetcare.com/en-us/pet-feeder) for more information. You can order directly online. Some veterinary offices can also order the feeders directly, so you can also check with your vet if interested. It's a great way to take control of meal time.
My parents have two cats at home. Jack is a grazer and eats small amounts at a time. He is also a very lean kitty and could gain a few ounces. Grady loves food and would try to eat Jack's when he walked away. As a result, he could lose a few ounces. So I recommended they try the microchip feeder and they've had good success. Grady isn't gaining weight from over-eating and Jack looks like he has put on a few ounces, which is what we wanted. So you can add another happy cat family to the list of satisfied customers.
Do you have the Surefeed Microchip Feeder or Feeder Connect? Let me know what you think! Feel free to share any opinions in the comment section!
I offered to do a testimonial for Surefeed and they wrote up a little blurb about my furry family! Check it out! The kitties are famous!
Microchipping Is Not Just For Dogs
Yes, your indoor cat needs a microchip. Yes, even if it never steps foot outside.
Did you know that 94% of lost cats are never reunited with their owners? That is a devastatingly high percentage. And for those of you have had cats accidentally get outside, it can be quite a traumatic experience trying to find them and bring them back to safety.
With a microchip, the chances of finding your kitty increases considerably. It is estimated that only 1.8% of cats without a microchip are reunited with their family. This increases to 38.5% when your cat is microchipped (that is 21.4 times higher). Animal control officers, shelters, and veterinary clinics are equipped with microchip scanners. The scanner provides a unique identifying number, which is linked to your contact information. So if your cat is found by a good Samaritan and brought to the vet or a shelter, you will be contacted right away.
Besides helping to bring your kitty home, a microchip has an array of other benefits. Each company is a little different, so make sure to request information when your cat has a microchip placed. I am most familiar with the HomeAgain microchip company. All services are included with your initial registration and remain active for one year. After that year, you have the option to continue paying annually for these added benefits. If you decide not to pay the annual fee, your information is still stored in the system and you will still be contacted if your cat is found. This feature is included lifelong and is not a separate charge.
The added features, which incur an annual charge, include additional active help when your cat is lost along with free access to the pet poison control service. If your cat gets out, you contact the company and they will help alert surrounding areas and will create posters that you can post in your area. If your cat is found a significant distance away (which somehow happens in some cases), the company will help pay for transport back home.
In my opinion, access to the pet poison control service is the key benefit for those of us that have mischievous cats. Normally, a call to poison control costs between $65 and $75. This covers the entire case and allows your veterinarian to speak with a toxicology specialist to determine which treatments and tests are needed for your cat. It is IMMENSELY helpful in situations where your cat chewed a toxic plant, got into a medication, or was exposed to any other type of toxin. The renewal cost for the yearly microchip membership is $20. So if you use this hotline benefit once in three years, you've made up the cost of membership during that time.
Want to know something super cool? The HomeAgain company has recently released a new microchip that also reads your cat's temperature. No more rectal thermometers for your cat! That is amazing for both your cat and their vet! Many veterinary clinics are transitioning to this new microchip, so your cat may get this new chip if it has one placed in the near future. It is also available for dogs, but they seem to be much less offended by rectal temperatures than cats. I'm pretty darn excited about this feature and your cat will be too!
So if you aren't sure if your cat has a microchip or you are interested in having a microchip placed, speak with your veterinarian!
Here is the HomeAgain website for more information on pet microchips: https://www.homeagain.com/membership-services.html
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