Is one of my cars bullying the other cats away from food? (eating, weight)

[Escapee2]

We have two boy cats and two girl cats. One of the girl cats ALWAYS swats the larger boy cat. He seems to take over both wet food plates, as I make two.

Is the larger cat bullying the smaller girl cat away from food?

[HappySpring]

I have 3 cats and they all get their own dish for wet food. Maybe the two dishes you use for 4 cats isn't enough and causes stress for them. Try setting up additional dishes for each cat. It should go much better.
Let us know how it works out.

[TerraDown]

Agreed. Must have a dish for each cat. I take care of a few strays, and they had to be taught how to eat from separate dishes. Now they know, and no stress. Don't be stingy, invest in more dishes.

[LoriNJ]

Agree with everyone: 1 cat = 1 dish. My indoor cats and my ferals all follow this rule. I do have one little boy who is a piggy and will gobble his food quickly and then try to eat the other cats' food. l wound up having to feed him separately from the rest of his group.

[catdad7x]

Oh my yes.... a separate bowl/plate for each cat. Anything else is asking for trouble, as most cats will tend to 'guard their resources' and not take kindly to sharing their food. It's like you and your brother/sister sitting at the dinner table, eating your supper from the same plate. Pretty much the same for the cats.
And depending on how your felines get along, might want to not put them too close together.

[Bungalove]

Even with separate dishes, you can still get bullying. My 19 pound female will hover around the Russian Blue female, who is a picky, sensitive eater to begin with, to the point that the Russian will just leave her food. Then the hefty one takes her bowl over - mission accomplished!

[TerraDown]

Bungalove, then you could do as Catdad said. Separate the dishes and/or another room if housecats.
In the case of the three outdoor ferals, one male, although not a 'bully,' will creep over slowly to my other males dish. He doesn't eat Twinkie's food, just lays down and shows his belly, (stares at Twinkie's dish) but definitely trying to intimidate Twinkie into giving up his food-even though the cat has his own dish!
So, every morning, I stand there and guard Twinkie. Everytime Mr. B. slinks over to Twinkie's dish, I pick him up, and place him squarely back in front of his own dish, which is about 3 feet away. He's learning, and now it is only me going back into the house and watching through the kitchen window. If I see him coming over, I just walk outside and move him back to his dish.
He's doing it less and less now, and Twinkie is getting to finish his breakfast.

[Bungalove]

TerraDown, I do separate them as best I can. The Russian Blue HAS to eat in the same spot every day; it's on top of a small box on the counter in front of the window. She won't eat anywhere else. The 19 pounder actually eats earlier at another spot further away on the counter, and has usually gotten down on the floor before the Russian deigns to get up and eat her brekkies. However, the big one will then circle back and "menace" the Russian, especially if I've had to coax her with Fancy Feast because she wouldn't eat the other canned food. Sometimes I get tired of policing the situation, and the hefty one takes advantage of my absence to jump up on the counter and snarf up the Fancy Feast, like she really needs it.

[LoriNJ]

When I said I feed my little piggy boy "separately", I meant in another room, with the door closed! He then has to wait until his brothers and sisters finish their food before he can rejoin them. He still goes over and licks their plates, just in case they left some crumbs behind. My vet said his weight is "perfect". Yeah, I thought. It wouldn't be so perfect if I let him eat the way he wants to. LOL