It’s second nature in our household to feed our two cats two different diets. I was asked again this week, “How do you do that? How do you keep them out of the other one’s food?”
Sure, it was a problem at first, especially when Lily wasn’t all that taken with the special kidney health diet we’d sprung on her. She wanted what Sophie was eating, and I’m not sure that was because of what it was as much as she just wanted whatever it was Sophie had. You know how little sisters can be.
It took us a while to make a believer out of Lily: “This is 
your breakfast and you’re not getting Sophie’s breakfast. So eat this or lose out.” Sophie didn’t really care one way or the other. If Lily managed to approach her meal, she’d walk away and let her have it.
Fast-forward nearly ten years. Each cat has her food station. They cannot see each other. But I can see Lily. I feed her where I am so I can watch her. Sometimes, still, she’ll glance in the direction where Sophie is eating, then look at me, and go back to eating her own food. Occasionally, she’ll try to sneak away—to visit Sophie, of course. And it isn’t that she doesn’t like her own food. If she does make her way to Sophie’s dish, she’ll eat it and come back to her meal and finish it off too. She’s a relentlessly self-centered cat. It’s all about “me—me—me!”
Sometimes, when I see her start to leave her dish, I’ll call her name. Know what I get? A tail swish. Does your cat ever swish her tail at you when you say her name in a scolding manner? Cracks me up!!!
If Lily leaves her dish too soon, I’ll sometimes get down on the floor near her dish and attempt to entice her back. Most of the time she will return and, for as long as I’m kneeling alongside her, she’ll eat. I don’t know if she thinks I’m going to eat her food—she thinks it’s a competition, if she likes the company, or if she’s actually shamed into leaving Sophie alone.
Anyway, Lily does make mealtime in our home interesting. And I’m pleased to have discovered a way to successfully (most of the time) feed two cats two different diets.
I think the key is that we put Lily’s food down first since she’s the hoggiest of the two, and that the cats can’t see one another as they eat.
I’m open to any additional ideas.
My two cats eat the same thing now, but different amounts. I found feeding one in a room I could close off and leave her there for a period of time worked. My other cat waits and will finish it off if there is some left. But, I have the option of picking it up and keeping her out of it if I need to. It works, but what a pain!