What should I do about their diet

I have three cats 2 are in perfect weight so they have no need for a diet but one is getting rather tubby. I cant really feed them separately since the two are grazers and will come and go as they please throughout the day/night. I have tried lowering the amount of food I give them and putting them all on the diet but when the bowl goes empty and I'm not home (i work nights) they will riot while I am gone flipping food bowls, spilling the water, going down stairs and knocking things off the counter and tables just destroying anything that smells or looks like food. How do I put at least Oliver on a diet without the bowl going empty so I can avoid coming home to a destroyed house?  

You have a couple of options (although I can't promise they work, I have an underweight kitty and consequently a tubby kitty but I need food out for the underweight one!).

You can buy feeders that operate off microchips. They are expensive however at around $400 each I think. But it keeps each cat only eating their own food.

You could also try those timed feeding bowls where you put a measured amount of food in and they move around and let out only the desired amount at any time. There might be a few hiccups as they get used to it but they will learn that more food is coming in time if they finish what's in these. It probably won't keep your chubby boy out of the others food though.

Last but not least you could put out lower calorie food when you're not home (I assume you're using dry while out) then when they have their wet the others get full fat/calorie food and your boy gets lower cal wet food.

You can also make sure that he gets extra exercise/playtime to help him burn off more calories

Good luck! It's not easy in a multicat house!

The problem with extra play time is he is very lazy even at just turning a year. He has is nightly laps around the living room but that is about the extent of it. He is a little spoiled and so he wont climb up the giant cat tree so I place him up on it since I don't want the dog to bother him. I can try a different food but my female has a very picky stomach and every time I change it she gets really sick. 

Feed him separately wet food in another room and keep dry up high where he can't get to it for the other 2

Perhaps they'll have to get used to timed meals? My girl responds well to toy puzzles. Leave some dry out for them but maybe try it in treat balls or puzzle feeders so he has to actually work for the food and that should distract them from destroying the house at the same time. 

And I hear you on lazy. My little girl is the same. My boy leaps up and flys around trying to get "da bird" and my little girl just hides out and stalks it but doesn't do much in the way of trying to get it. She responds better to shorter playtimes more often.

Tobilei said:

 
Perhaps they'll have to get used to timed meals?

Click to expand...

I wondered the same thing! We have two cats and feed them five meals a day, most of which are fed in separate rooms so the fast-eating cat won't push the slow-eating cat away from her food. It took time (many months? a year? I'm not sure) to get Ireland, the slow eater, used to this -- she was resistant for a long time -- but she's now eating faster and better than ever. She still has a habit of eating a bite and then staring into space but at least she finishes her meals in one "sitting" now!

Laughing picturing this.

Paiger8 said:

 
Laughing picturing this.

Click to expand...

It is funny! I eat, therefore I am, something like that.

Paiger8 said:

 
Laughing picturing this.

Click to expand...

Me too! Funny little things! Perhaps she is savouring the flavour?

Tobilei said:

 
Me too! Funny little things! Perhaps she is savouring the flavour?

Click to expand...

I wish I knew! She's a very deliberate eater!