Multi-pet feeding: separate bowls, diets and food guarding

Every pet in a shared household should eat from its own bowl, in a measured amount, somewhere the others cannot reach it. That sounds fussy until the reasons are laid out. Dogs and cats in one home rarely need the same number of calories, and a shared bowl hides one of the first signs that an animal is unwell: eating less. In a household where one animal is on a weight-loss or prescription diet, separate feeding is the only way the diet can work.

Why shared bowls cause problems

The VCA guidance on feeding multiple pets, written with the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition, gives two reasons for separate bowls. Each animal has its own calorie needs, so a single bowl leaves one overfed and another underfed. And when a pet feels unwell it eats less; with one shared bowl, days or weeks can pass before anyone notices.

Competition adds to it. The fastest eater takes more than its share, a more assertive animal can keep a timid one away from the bowl, and a dog that finishes first often moves straight on to the next dish. Over time that produces a heavy animal and a thin one in the same house.

Cats have a further issue. International Cat Care describes cats as solitary hunters and feeders that would naturally choose to eat alone. They will suppress that preference to get enough food, but being made to eat beside other cats can lead to stress and conflict.

Separate feeding spaces

Physical separation is the most reliable method. Each animal eats in a different room with the door closed, in a crate, or behind a gate. Older pets often do well in a quiet bedroom or bathroom, while a younger animal can be fed near the door to the garden or the litter box so it can eliminate soon after eating.

For cats, International Cat Care suggests avoiding bowls placed side by side, using a visual barrier such as a wall or feeding at different heights (one cat on the floor, one on a table), and placing bowls away from corners so each cat can see around it while eating. Water should be offered away from the food, in several places.

Supervised meals for dogs

When separate rooms are not practical, dogs can be fed at the same time with a person present. Place the bowls well apart, stay between them, and calmly block any dog that leaves its own bowl for another. Lift each bowl as soon as it is empty. This takes attention at every meal and works best with dogs that already respond well to basic cues.

Meal times and portions

Food that is available all day to several animals makes it impossible to know who ate what. For dogs, set meals solve this: put measured portions down, allow a set time, then pick up whatever is left.

Cats are different. The AAFP's Cat Friendly Homes advice notes that cats prefer several small meals a day, and that both large once- or twice-daily meals and constantly available food can lead to inactivity and obesity. In a multi-cat home, that points toward measured portions for each cat spread over the day, from separate stations. Puzzle feeders, which the cat has to work to get food out of, add activity.

Microchip feeders open only for the animal whose microchip or collar tag is registered. They are useful for keeping one cat out of another's prescription food, and they let a cat graze on its own measured portion. Watch for the first few weeks to be sure only the right animal is eating from each one.

Dogs and cats in the same home

Dog and cat foods are formulated for different requirements and are not interchangeable. Cats need taurine, arachidonic acid and preformed vitamin A in the diet, and more protein and niacin than dogs. Taurine deficiency can cause dilated cardiomyopathy and retinal degeneration in cats. A few mouthfuls of dog food will not harm a healthy cat, but dog food cannot be a cat's regular diet.

The reverse problem is dogs eating cat food. VCA notes that a healthy adult dog eating only cat food every day would likely gain weight, because protein beyond its needs is converted to fat. Practical fixes:

• Feed cats on a raised surface the dog cannot reach.
• Put the cat's bowl behind a gate or door with a gap only the cat fits through, or inside a box with a cat-sized entrance.
• Use a microchip feeder registered to the cat.
• If dry food is left out for a cat to graze, keep it somewhere the dog cannot reach at any hour.

Different diets within one species

Puppies and kittens should not share adult food, and adults should not eat growth food. Growth diets meet different nutrient requirements; an adult eating puppy or kitten food, or a food labeled for all life stages, is at risk of weight gain, and a puppy fed adult food risks deficiencies.

A prescription diet for kidney disease, urinary stones or food allergy only works if the animal eats that food and very little else. An elimination diet for suspected food allergy is the strictest case, since a few pieces of another pet's food can spoil weeks of trial. Separate rooms, color-coded bowls and a clear rule for everyone in the house prevent most mix-ups. Family members and visitors who top up bowls or share snacks are the usual weak point.

Treats

Treats, snacks and table food should make up no more than 10% of each pet's daily calories. With several animals, give treats at the same time and in the same place each day, with each dog asked to sit, so no dog learns to push in. A dog on a restricted diet can be given its own approved treat or moved to another room.

Scavenged food carries its own risk. In a study of dogs with pancreatitis, eating unusual food items, getting into the trash and eating table scraps were all associated with higher odds of pancreatitis. Bins, counters and unattended plates need the same attention as the other pets' bowls.

Food guarding

Growling, stiffening, snapping or body-blocking over food is resource guarding. The ASPCA describes it as normal dog behavior that ranges from mild to dangerous. Many owners manage it by feeding the dog alone, in a separate room, crate or behind a barrier, and by never trying to take stolen food away. The ASPCA advises against punishing or intimidating a dog that guards food, because the dog reacts to an approaching person as a threat to its meal.

A home with children, or a dog that has bitten or tried to bite, needs professional help rather than home training: a board-certified veterinary behaviorist or a certified applied animal behaviorist. Until then, feed the guarding dog completely apart from other animals and people.

Sources

1. Feeding multiple pets. VCA Animal Hospitals.
2. Multi-cat households. International Cat Care.
3. How to feed a cat. Cat Friendly Homes, American Association of Feline Practitioners.
4. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
5. Associations between dietary factors and pancreatitis in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2008.
6. Food guarding. ASPCA.