When Murphy the Cat began appearing in my yard, she would patiently wait until Lydia (who's been here since George W. Bush was president…ah, those were the days) finished eating. Only when Lydia had left the supper bowl would Murphy cautiously approach it and then eat every last bit of leftover Friskies.
Since Murphy has become a regular, I decided to start setting out two bowls, side by side, to see if they would dine side by side. That did not happen. Murphy still waited until Lydia had left the buffet, then quickly ate everything remaining. The other morning, I tried placing the dishes on opposite sides of the water dish and that made a difference. As you can see above, they feasted simultaneously…
…and then when Lydia left, Murphy went back and forth between the two bowls, dining alternately until they were both licked clean.
By the way, as you may have noticed, I've decided Murphy's a she. What's more, since her ear doesn't have the notch that indicates the cat has been spayed, she's a cat who may turn up preggo one of these days, as Lydia once did. I went through a lot to catch Lydia and take her in for a spaying and a feline abortion. Murphy seems impossible to ever catch and I sure don't want a yardful of kittens who take after their mother and meow constantly for no visible reason.
Hope it doesn't come to that. Heck, for all I know, she might already be eating for two. Or more.