RFID Cat Bowl ACcess system

purpose

I have two cats: Chili and Muffin. Muffin eats absolutely everything that is available to her. Since I have automatic feeders, it is hard to make sure that she does not steal Chili's food since he likes to come and go throughout the day. 

So, I need to create a cost-effective RFID cat bowl system that will prevent her from stealing his food. Alternative solutions already exist in the market, but they are incredibly expensive. 

Method of performance

The cat was given a new collar with an RFID tag hanging off of it. The unique identifier of the tag was recorded when placed over the RFID readers and used as the access control system. 

She would see that there is still food in Chili's bowl and try to go eat it. Due to the sidewalls she had to go in straight, allowing the tag to dangle over the RFID readers giving me a good reading. Once the UID was read, it checked to see if it was the proper tag, and if it was then the servo would cause the arm to slowly sweep across the bowl preventing her from getting into the food. 

results

The RFID bowl was a success. For the first few days Muffin would try to eat Chili's food, but the arm would prevent her from getting into it. Now she knows that if she tries to eat from that bowl she will be prevented from doing so, and she doesnt even try. Although once in a while I still hear the servo activate and I know that its still working.