How to switch free-fed cats to scheduled meals for different foods?

Start feeding them separately and measure their food. Divide the total amount your cat should have per day and split it into two, three or more meals, depending on your schedule so she doesn't have to go too many hours between meals. Check the label on your cat food for feeding recommendations for your cat's weight or, if you haven't yet done this, make an appointment with your vet for an evaluation and a prescription diet and weight loss plan. Feed one cat in one room, shut them in and feed the other cat at the other end of the house, or upstairs if you have a two-story home. Depending on how food motivated your cat is, you can get her to follow you around the house a few laps before putting her food down for her. If she likes to play, take some time to play with her every day, using a wand toy or a ball she can chase and swat around. Drag a toy on a string for her to chase as you walk around the house, anything to get her moving and active.

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.

Unfortunately the best option would be to either separate the cats so that the food can be somewhere where one cat can get to it but the other can't, or to utilize a timed feeder so that small amounts of food can be given out at a time, allowing both cats to eat without overindulging. Once your new cat is a little more calm and comfortable, he may gradually start to limit his intake as well.

I suggest you go to meal feeding and separate the cats when they eat. One cat in one room. One in another with the door closed. ( https://www.pet-happy.com/how-to-start-scheduling-your-cats-meals/? )

I have a couple of suggestions for you. First, one of my friends used a latch to create an opening in their laundry room door that only the skinny cat could fit through. They left food in there for the skinnier cat to free feed throughout the day and meal fed the heavier cat. Second, if your skinnier cat will eat from food balls or no-bowl feeders, I would feed all meals in that way. Third, I would only feed twice the amount of food that the heavier cats needs twice daily. That way the skinnier cat has enough to eat, but there isn't enough extra for Luna to eat. The skinnier cats tend to get this concept after a couple of days and eat more at a meal instead of grazing as much. Finally, you could consider changing to or adding a canned food meal. That may help the skinnier cat eat a "meal" instead of grazing. Canned food is less "addicting" and less fattening than dry food, so it might be beneficial for both cats. I use a timed feeder (CatMate C20) with canned food to keep my cats from waking me up too early in the morning. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

There are only two ways you can control this. The first is to separate them during feeding times, offer multiple feeding times in a day and not to leave food down to free feed. The second option is to purchase one of the specialized automatic feeders with the individual collars. Each cat will wear it’s own special collar and when it approaches the feeder, the feeder will read the collar and dispense food or not. Best of luck.

Congratulations on your new addition! In general, I prefer feeding cats separately for their entire lives so that you can be sure that every cat is eating an appropriate amount and type of food. I find that the best way to feed all animals (both cats and dogs) separately is to feed them in different rooms with a door as a barrier between them. Simply close them in their feeding area for 10 minutes twice a day, then pick up all of the bowls when they are let out. When every pet is fed in a separate area, there is no need to elevate the cats' bowls to keep the dogs out. Your new kitten should be fed more frequently than your adult cat. I typically feed kittens 4 times per day until they are 4 months old, then 3 times per day from 4-8 months, then twice a day. There's definitely a bit of training involved to get all pets accustomed to their new routine, so it might take a few days to get all pets adjusted to their new normal. Good luck!