How can I stop my larger, hungrier cat from eating the smaller one's food?

Question

I just got a new cat to go along with my old one. Both are adults and they are pretty friendly and get along, but the new, younger, larger cat always goes to eat the older one's food after she finishes her own! And the older one doesn't seem to mind. She just kind of stares at her as she eats it. How can I stop this from happening? I want them to eat the same amount.

So far, I have been locking up the older one's food and giving it to her when she asks so I can watch that only she eats it. But I can't keep doing this forever. Thanks!

Answer 1

Would it be possible to keep your cats entirely separated, while they are eating? If you must be gone from home, could you 'confine' the younger, larger one, so that she cannot get into the older cat's food? I know how very difficult this is, as I've been there and done that with two different sets of cats now. It seems more fair for the 'newest' cat to be the one confined, if such needs to be done.

You just need to find ways, to either keep them separated as they eat, OR, to give the older, 'less hungry' kitty smaller meals, and more often, even if it means sometimes getting up in the wee hours to allow her an 'extra' meal. But don't forget your older baby, either. Perhaps, she needs to be given smaller meals herself, but more often?

Answer 2

My three eat well together most of the time, but my older cat wants extra sometimes. I lock my younger, larger pig of a cat up when my older one wants extras. He has started getting the idea that he can't eat every time the oldest eats and has started staying out of the kitchen then.

Answer 3

Feed them in different rooms, with the door shut of course. Let the new cat eat in the New room. After all the older cat was there first, and she deserves to continue with the same routine.

Answer 4

Feed them in seperate rooms or at different times of the day! Your older cat is showing his dominance by taking the yiounger ones food and the younger one lets him cuz he sees the older cat as the leader. So the only way to get them to eat their own is to either feed them at different times or in seperate rooms! Good luck

Answer 5

If there's enough difference in size between the two cats, you could try this:
"A handy trick for dealing with multicat households where a fat cat and skinny cat need to be fed separately...a box is fitted with a tiny door that only the thin cat can get through. The thin cat is fed inside the box, and the fat cat can't get inside to swipe anything."

Answer 6

Seprate them when they eat like put a gate up because the bigger cat probaly thinks she is better and can do this so while eating you should seprate them that's what my older sister does to her dogs because the older dog always ate the younger ones food

Answer 7

Feed them in two different rooms at the same time! Or like I did watch them and when either cat runs up to the others bowl either pick up the cat or pick up the bowl.

Answer 8

I have a dog that eats the cats food. Only way is to keep them seperate

Answer 9

u should put their food in different rooms or buy extra food for the older cat

Answer 10

you should feed them at different times that way the older one eats by itself and the younger one eats by itself