r/AskVet•
Yuniru

Is it okay if my cat eats in a weird position ?

I have one cat (Night) who has always been a big eater. I managed to get him to lose weight using an automatic feeder that dispenses food throughout the day. Everything was going fine.

Then I adopted a second cat (Goofy), who is more of a slow eater. He eats his food little by little. With Night around, I can’t just leave food in a bowl, so I bought another automatic feeder for Goofy. But he was eating too slowly—even with the feeder placed far away, Night had time to finish his own food and then go steal from his buddy.

So I bought a microchip feeder that only opens for Goofy. But Night still found a way to steal his food. He sneaks into the feeder when it’s open, and even the brand’s custom settings (like making the lid close faster when it detects an unauthorized cat) didn’t stop him.

I noticed Goofy was starting to seem stressed about food—he would run to me when I was near the cat food stash and acted more anxious in general. He used to be pretty chill, so I knew I had to find a solution.

I had the idea of buying a litter box enclosure—basically a wooden box with an opening on one side that allows only one cat at a time. I placed the microchip feeder inside it, and since then, Night hasn't been able to steal food anymore.

But now I’m a bit worried about Goofy’s position when eating. The microchip feeder is kind of big, so he isn’t completely inside the enclosure, and the entrance is a bit high. Do you think this setup is okay for him to use every day?

- Here is a drawing with measurements.

- Here is the exact peace of furniture I'm using.

Posted Apr 8, 2025, 9:18 PM UTC

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