Older male cat attacking female cat around food, any advice?

[Lowlevels]

I have 2 cats, boy cat 13, and girl cat 16. Recently boy cat has been attacking girl cat a lot, hair flying. Today we’ve come home to fur everywhere, definitely the worst we’ve had.
we think it is related to food. Boy cat will chase girl cat when he’s hungry, stalk her until we intervene or feed him.
took him to the vet to rule out any illness. Got the all clear from the vet, who advised to just feed him and keep the old boy happy. However we are both at work during the day and concerned for our poor old girl. Every time we go in the kitchen he is there ready for food, and if he isn’t fed he will attack girl cat!

has anyone got any advice or anything we can do? They largely live separately, one upstairs one downstairs, not bonded. I’m trying to work out how I can give girl cat a safe place to escape him.

This sounds like a change of personality for your male cat. Be aware that aged cats can suffer from dementia which often brings changes of personality in humans. It would be best to keep your cats' food abd drink separate if possible.

Feed her in a room with a closed door. Poor old girl.

Have you taken your girl cat to the vet? It could be that your boy senses a change in her.

We can definitely take girl cat to the vet. For now I think we will have to shut boy cat in the kitchen if we go out (with access to his food water and litter tray + cat flap!). Our old girl rarely goes outside now, so she will be ok to sleep most of the day with food, water and her tray. They’ve never particularly got on but usually just ignore each other.

Has another cat arrived in the area outside? Your male cat might be feeling a lot of aggressive frustration at his territory being invaded, and he's taking it out on an easy victim.