All the people who have pets might be aware of the pet food shortage that is going on in the market. In the United States of America, all dog owners have been facing a problem of shortage of dog food since last year. Now the need has expanded to cat food where old cat owners cannot find cat food for their cats.
This has created a lot of problems among all pet owners as they need to be able to give food to their pets in the required quantity. Pet food is especially in the lamb beef flavors and is unavailable in the market. These two flavors are liked by both cats and dogs the most. Now due to the unavailability, yeah, pets or not eat the substitute food given to them. This is because, over time, cats and dogs have acquired the test for a particular food.
If not given that, they are not eating what is available. North Carolina is one of the major areas in the United States of America facing a cat food shortage problem. Los Angeles, where the number of pet owners is high, is facing a similar issue. This problem is not limited to just one particular area but has expanded all over the country.
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Why is there a shortage of cat food?
There has been a huge cat food shortage for the last two years. People are blaming the pandemic for the same reason. During the coronavirus, a lot of production units had to shut down. Due to shutting down, they could not bear the losses during that time. As a result, many cat food manufacturers shut down their production permanently. This means fewer suppliers would be in the market after the restrictions were lifted.
Due to the low number of suppliers, there was increased pressure on the existing suppliers. As a result, products from famous brands like Meow and Chewy became hard to find. The stocks went out as soon as they were released in the market.
Inflation
Also, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there has been a global inflation problem. Everything has become difficult to find, and almost every item is unavailable. As a result, the raw materials required to produce cat food are unavailable in the required quantity. This is preventing all these cat food manufacturers from making cat food. The manufacturing is taking place in an amount different than what is desired by the public.
This has led to the market’s uneven distribution of available stock. People panic shopping and are holding up things at their homes, fearing everything getting out of stock. As a result, many people cannot buy even one pack of cat food for their cats.
Shortage of meat
Meat is one of the most important ingredients which is used in the making of cat food. Currently, there is a massive shortage of beef in the market. It is only available in fast food chain stores. So the problem is even bigger in the cat food market. Between humans and animals, priority is always given to humans. As a result, all meat suppliers prioritize the human-based food industry before the animal-based food industry.
Similarly, all the plant bistro ingredients are used in making cat food or Lewin’s supply. Just like meat, plant-based suppliers’ priority is given to humans. Currently, there is an unequal distribution of raw ingredients between humans and animals, where most suppliers prioritize humans before animals.
Aluminum shortage
The world is already aware of the aluminum shortage. There has been a low supply of aluminum used to make cans for storing wet cat food. Now that aluminum is unavailable in the required quantity, it has become difficult to keep wet cat food. Wet cat food is a very delicate Food material as it has a shorter lifespan than dry cat food. It must be packaged very carefully to ensure its longevity and preserve its nutrients.
Suppliers cannot provide wet cat food because of the low availability of cans. They need to be supplied with more aluminum to store the wet cat food in demand in the market. As a result, suppliers are now shifting to plastic packaging, but it needs to be liked by the customers. It is very clumsy, and the possibility of leakage is also very high.
Why are they running out of cat food?
There are multiple reasons cat food is not available in the market in the required quantity. Some of the major reasons include the shortage of aluminum, preventing all manufacturers from selling dry cat food in cans. Due to the unavailability of cans, these manufacturers have to Sell liquid wet cat food in plastic bags, which customers would like to avoid.
Other than this, there is also a need for more raw ingredients, such as meat and plant-based products used in making cat food. All suppliers prefer human waste industries before animals, which is why there is an unequal distribution. Also, many cat food manufacturers have quit the industry due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
All these industries were not operating during the pandemic, due to which they had to incur huge losses. Other than this, there has also been a rise in demand for pet food. During the lockdown, people were stuck at their homes and alone, so they adopted pets. Now there are many more domesticated pets in the USA after the pandemic. As a result, there is a rise in cat food demand.
Is there a shortage of cat food in the USA?
Yes, there is a massive shortage of cat food in the USA. Many areas of the country are going through a shortage of cat food. The most affected regions include Northern Carolina, Los Angeles, and Texas. These are the areas where people have pets in huge numbers. As a result, the demand for cat food is also very high here. Suppliers must be able to keep up with the demands causing a shortage. People have now started looking for alternatives to the famous brands available.
Conclusion
Currently, there is a need for more cat food on a global level. Cat food manufacturers worldwide are going through a similar problem of shortage of raw ingredients, aluminum, increased operational costs, and high diesel and petrol costs, causing pain in transportation. Chances are high that this problem will also continue for the rest of the year. Let’s all hope for a positive future.
If this problem says themes were a very long time, then call. Cat owners will have to look for substitutes that they can easily find. Many people have started cooking cat food at home with the right recipes. You can consult your vet and decide what’s best for your pet.