cat chases other cat when hungry

I have a male cat that is 3 and a female that is 2, and they get along for the most part. They usually sleep near one another and sometimes he will even groom her. I have noticed that he gets really cranky about an hour or so before mealtime in the evening. He chases her and if i can't get the squirt bottle out fast enough, he pulls a little of her fur out. I've never seen her bleed from it though.

I tried feeding them a little earlier, which seemed to stop his aggression, but then they were both hungry at 3:00 AM (or earlier). I also tried feeding them more frequently, but with smaller portions. When I did this, he would become aggressive after his "snack", because he was still hungry. 

I feed them a mostly canned diet of Weruva and Tiki cat, which I know is lower calorie. The vet told me to stop using Blue Buffalo because it was too high in carbs and the male cat gained a pound in less than a month while on it.  I do give them a couple of tablespoons of dry food when I first get home from work. 

Any ideas on curbing his meal time aggression would be appreciated.

What I do is I feed them separately.  That way your other cat can eat in peace.  You might try that.  Try putting the cat getting chased away in a separate room with the door closed.  See if that helps. 

Also, how many times a day do you feed them?  I only saw once and a "snack."  Maybe you can try dividing it up to 2 or 3 meals a day?  Cats tend to eat a little bit and then go back later to eat again.  By having at least 2 meal times to look forward to, he may feel less need to chase the other cat away for her share.  But still separate her. 

I feed them before i got to work in the morning, but he never chases her then. I give them a little bit of dry food when I get home from work at 4:30. He only chases her in the hour leading up to his evening meal, which is usually between 6:30-7:00. They don't have any problems while eating, and then he leaves her alone the rest of the night. 

Also tried doing three smaller wet meals. He only likes to eat a couple of tablespoons at a time. This didn't seem to help either.

I guess I could try separating them for this period of time where he is likely to play these, as our family  calls  them, "hunger games". I'd have to let them out for meals though, I've discovered that they won't eat or use the litter box when the other isn't around. Sort of a can't live with them, can't live without them scenario.

I take it they have separate dishes? I'm not sure they necessarily have to be completely separated but you do need to make sure there's no perceived competition over resources. Hunger will make things worse as you've noticed. Since you feed partially dry, why not free-free dry while you're away? That way no one stays hungry for long enough to become upset. Opt for quality dry that's low-carb and see if that helps.