Some cats are gobblers, some are grazers. Currently we have two gobblers, and one obligate grazer who throws up if she eats more than a tablespoon or so of food at a time. The logistics involved in making sure she gets enough without the other two stealing her food are . . . tedious.
The gobbler tendency may show up more often in rescue cats, who are likely to have been through rough patches here and there—we've never taken in a cat who was less than eight months old, so their habits are set before they get to us. Or it may just be a genetic quirk.