Is Anyone Else Struggling to Get Enough Catfood with the Current Supply Shortages we are Encountering?

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Whenallhellbreakslose

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Last week, I visited the Pet Store I normally buy cat food from. In normal times, it was a very well stocked National chain Pet Store. However, last week it looked like this.
20211111_125058.jpg

I also went to BJ's Wholesale (which is very much like a Costco's). The pet food aisle was completely empty of nearly all the canned wet food, I had to buy Meow Mix that comes in cups which goes way too quick.

I feed a lot of outdoor cats, so I rely on the cheaper cat food like Friskies and Nine Lives. All the supermarkets by me are barely stocked with this food anymore. I am getting worried. I am on a tight budget and I have had another cat feeder dump her cats on me.😕 I have confronted her in the past and we had a major falling out. Now I have to worry that at any time she will dump the rest of her cats on me.😱 This is a stressful situation to begin with. The food shortages is the latest challenge to deal with.

I like to ask the members her on TCS, especially those who have a lot of cats to feed whether they are your cats or you take care of community cats. How has the shortages been in your area? Is it mostly the cheaper cat food that is in short supply or have you noticed other brands? I haven't notice a problem with the dry food yet, but is their a shortage of dry cat food in your area?

What have you been doing to deal with these shortage problems? Have you been buying more online? Have you been buying tuna or sardines, or are using something else as a subitute for cat food? How has the kitties you feed been handling the changes?


I also like to discuss winter feeding of outdoor cats. I am very worried over this and need to figure out how to stretch things out. I am feeding a lot more cats than last year and to say it is a challenge is putting it mildly.

I would like to hear from you. Thank you in advance for taking the time to reply to this thread. 🙂
 

tarasgirl06

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Last week, I visited the Pet Store I normally buy cat food from. In normal times, it was a very well stocked National chain Pet Store. However, last week it looked like this.
View attachment 401704
I also went to BJ's Wholesale (which is very much like a Costco's). The pet food aisle was completely empty of nearly all the canned wet food, I had to buy Meow Mix that comes in cups which goes way too quick.

I feed a lot of outdoor cats, so I rely on the cheaper cat food like Friskies and Nine Lives. All the supermarkets by me are barely stocked with this food anymore. I am getting worried. I am on a tight budget and I have had another cat feeder dump her cats on me.😕 I have confronted her in the past and we had a major falling out. Now I have to worry that at any time she will dump the rest of her cats on me.😱 This is a stressful situation to begin with. The food shortages is the latest challenge to deal with.

I like to ask the members her on TCS, especially those who have a lot of cats to feed whether they are your cats or you take care of community cats. How has the shortages been in your area? Is it mostly the cheaper cat food that is in short supply or have you noticed other brands? I haven't notice a problem with the dry food yet, but is their a shortage of dry cat food in your area?

What have you been doing to deal with these shortage problems? Have you been buying more online? Have you been buying tuna or sardines, or are using something else as a subitute for cat food? How has the kitties you feed been handling the changes?


I also like to discuss winter feeding of outdoor cats. I am very worried over this and need to figure out how to stretch things out. I am feeding a lot more cats than last year and to say it is a challenge is putting it mildly.

I would like to hear from you. Thank you in advance for taking the time to reply to this thread. 🙂
A lot of people reportedly have this situation. If you're in the US and accessible, you might want to consider online shopping/auto delivery. Petco.com has all of the major brands as far as I know and if you do repeat delivery you get a discount; plus, if you put the app on your phone, you get a free bag of dry after (I don't recall how many -- you'll have to look this up on the site if interested). Of course, chewy.com and amazon.com are other sources.
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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A lot of people reportedly have this situation. If you're in the US and accessible, you might want to consider online shopping/auto delivery. Petco.com has all of the major brands as far as I know and if you do repeat delivery you get a discount; plus, if you put the app on your phone, you get a free bag of dry after (I don't recall how many -- you'll have to look this up on the site if interested). Of course, chewy.com and amazon.com are other sources.
Thanks. I have ordered online in the past and had some problems. One delivery had to be canceled and I had to run to the pet store because it was 3 days past the delivery date. 😬 I have relied more on stores because it was more convenient. I could order online, but I can't deal with late deliveries. Also, I had some no deliveries from Amazon where the order was lost. If I had not run into these problems, I would be a little more optimistic with online orders, but I just can't chance things.
 

qtpidani

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I actually went to my local Walmart today to get food for my strays. They actually had a decent supply of product. The only thing they were low on is the 40pk box of Friskies. They only had a couple pate left and none of the shreds.

For my indoor cats, I have been trying to keep at least extra 2 bags of kibble (one of mine will only eat Farmina Boar), and I try to keep at least a week flow canned on hand.
 

DreamerRose

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Yes, I've noticed the shortages. Our grocery stores have been completely out of Sheba for months, and I really need this as it's the only food they won't throw up in the morning. About four months ago, I started ordering from Chewy, which always seems to have Sheba. One delivery was about a week late, but I attributed that to a holiday weekend. My other deliveries have been here within 2 days. The last time I ordered, Chewy was out of FF Grilled, so I got the pate and Gravy Lovers instead, which is fine.

I don't feed a clowder, so I really feel for those of you who do. I'm sure these shortages are due to the supply chain problem.
 

Maria Bayote

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From where I am I also experience the same issues. My cats only like to eat Felix cat food with jelly but recently it has been soooo difficult to get them from both physical and online stores. Even Friskies (the only second type of food they prefer) has limited variations in flavor. It is so stressful as my cats, even when hungry, would not touch any other brand, especially my Graham.
 

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I've posted in other threads about Ruby's veterinary prescription food being out of stock for months. I was able to find a pet store food that works, which so far is been in stock. But I only feed one cat a day. I can't imagine trying to buy food to feed several.

Do you have Dollar Tree near you? I see on their website they have 9 Lives for $1.00 per can. Other dollar stores might have similar priced cat food. Course, they might also have supply issues.

I've never ordered cat food, but other things I've ordered from Walmart have been shipped quickly, so that might be an option.

Another idea ... is your vet aware that you feed ferals? If so, maybe mention to them you're struggling to feed your ferals. They might be open to having a donation jar, or even bin, for monetary or cat food donations.

Good luck. And thanks for all you're doing for the ferals.
 

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I'm noticing it here and there. I usually get the Fancy Feast tender chicken and liver since it's fish free due to my tabby (profile picture) having a fish allergy. WINCO Foods was all out. I went about 5 days later and they had a lot. I got 30 cans. Didn't want to do a wipe out for other customers. Also WINCO's price went up two dollars a bag for the Purina One which I feed the feral cats at my work place mixed with a little better dry. Walmart still had it at the same price and I got the last bag. I don't know if it's a shortage or panic buying.

Today I think I'll just go to Safeway and get some more dry food. If a pay a bit more there, I'm OK with that.
 

mizzely

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I can't find 9lives, Friskies, or Sheba in my town anymore pretty much. Fancy Feast is hit or miss. I have to buy online, and I am feeding some dry (used to do all canned) to help extend the cans I do have.

Same issue with cheaper canned dog food. I can find Ol' Roy sometimes but Pedigree is basically absent.

I have had better luck with Tractor Supply than grocery stores, though.

I'm in Northern Lower Michigan.
 

tarasgirl06

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Thanks. I have ordered online in the past and had some problems. One delivery had to be canceled and I had to run to the pet store because it was 3 days past the delivery date. 😬 I have relied more on stores because it was more convenient. I could order online, but I can't deal with late deliveries. Also, I had some no deliveries from Amazon where the order was lost. If I had not run into these problems, I would be a little more optimistic with online orders, but I just can't chance things.
I understand but may I suggest you try a different vendor. Petco.com has been mine since they closed down Drs. Foster & Smith, and apart from dumping my order on my front verandah and not behind my back gate as the shipping labels request, I'd say they're pretty good. There have been a couple out of stock items in the past but recently all has been well. Their customer service sucks, but it's so worth it to me to not have to go to a store and lug 30# litter buckets and multiple cases of food. I tweak my auto-delivery a lot and keep back stock so I never run out.

Most, if not all, of these problems are due to supply chain. We have so much backup of container ships in L.A. Harbor that when the containers finally do arrive, some of them are being jacked. Everything is so messed up it's impossible to know if, or when, this will ever be back to normal. So my strong advice to everyone experiencing shortages is to try different online delivery vendors and see what works for you. We have to be adaptable in these times, right?
 

TardisDance

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I’ve been ordering Fancy Feast pates by the case whenever I see them in stock on chewy.com or amazon.com.

I’ve had some bad experiences with Petco not honoring their satisfaction guarantee and took it to their corporate office (even the brand I bought, Weruva, had their own separate guarantee at the store). Then they also expire their rewards if there’s inactivity for a while. I had rewards given by corporate (they wouldn’t refund me like they should) that should have went until 2022. Never again with Petco.
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences/advice. I have been to other stores like Walmart and they never have the 40 can boxes any more, instead they have the 12 can boxes. I am on a tight budget, so where I have to go to shop online needs to be have discount shopping. I normally pay 70 cents per can of Friskies and I get the 4pk Nine Lives packs for a little over $2. I live in the North East (U.S). Sorry to hear it is affecting people outside the US. Thanks tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 for giving us insight on how things are going with the Cargo Ships in the Port of Los Angeles. Totally annoyed to hear that there are robberies going on. This may make things even worse.

*I am concerned about the online sites because if the Supply problem continues to get worse--they may be affected. Also, more and more people may be ordering online and it may be harder and harder to get cat food because of the high demand. Amazon might be the best for ordering online because it has Fulfillment Centers all across the U.S., but if everyone is running to them for cat food, I worry that they too might not be able to keep up with the demand.

I think we all need to have a back up plan in case the worse happens. If the shortages effect online shopping sites, What do you do then?

I have noticed that the dry cat food is not effected as much, so maybe I can buy more of that, however my outdoor kitties like wet and would drive me nuts. Other suggestions are buying cheap tuna and sardines. Maybe buying some chicken or ground meat on sale, cook it and serve to the cats. I have some vitamin powder that I could mix in, so they wouldn't miss vital vitamins. I also have some high calorie paste, that maybe I can mix into the food--so it keeps there calories up. I usually give them Kitten Chow for the high calorie content. Outdoor kitties do burn up more calories in the cold, so that's why I give them K.C.

Anyway, I hope this gets us all thinking about our back up plan. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worse as the saying goes. Thanks rubysmama rubysmama for the suggestion regarding a donation jar at my vet. I hope it doesn't come down to that, but I sure could use the help in the dead of winter TardisDance TardisDance I am so sorry to hear that of Petco. I use to shop there and had returned a case with damaged cans (that were cracked (opened) and had no problem with getting a refund. It is a shame they won't do that for you. Amazon, I know is pretty decent with refunds. I recently ordered vitamins that the seal was not on the bottle, but stuck in the cap. I told them that the vitamins were not properly sealed. They refunded me right away and I got my replacement sent out to me in no time. I hope you have better luck with them and Chewy.

Well, I have to run. If anyone has any other suggestions. Please don't hesitate to post it in this thread. Thank you all once again. 🙂
 

Willowy

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I have autoship on Chewy and Amazon, for 9 Lives 12.5oz cans and Purina ONE dry food. Occasionally I'll buy from Tractor Supply or Dollar Tree (buy online, pick up in store), but honestly their customer service is a bit spotty around here so I don't do that very often. They tend to cancel my orders at the last minute, or the clerk "can't find" my order, or something like that.

So far there haven't been any supply disruptions this year. Last year for a little while I had to scramble to find enough, and had to play mix and match with different brands.

Now I keep a reserve supply of several cases of canned food and a couple bags of dry, so that if/when there is a disruption, I can ride it out for a little while at least.
 

tarasgirl06

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Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences/advice. I have been to other stores like Walmart and they never have the 40 can boxes any more, instead they have the 12 can boxes. I am on a tight budget, so where I have to go to shop online needs to be have discount shopping. I normally pay 70 cents per can of Friskies and I get the 4pk Nine Lives packs for a little over $2. I live in the North East (U.S). Sorry to hear it is affecting people outside the US. Thanks tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 for giving us insight on how things are going with the Cargo Ships in the Port of Los Angeles. Totally annoyed to hear that there are robberies going on. This may make things even worse.

*I am concerned about the online sites because if the Supply problem continues to get worse--they may be affected. Also, more and more people may be ordering online and it may be harder and harder to get cat food because of the high demand. Amazon might be the best for ordering online because it has Fulfillment Centers all across the U.S., but if everyone is running to them for cat food, I worry that they too might not be able to keep up with the demand.

I think we all need to have a back up plan in case the worse happens. If the shortages effect online shopping sites, What do you do then?

I have noticed that the dry cat food is not effected as much, so maybe I can buy more of that, however my outdoor kitties like wet and would drive me nuts. Other suggestions are buying cheap tuna and sardines. Maybe buying some chicken or ground meat on sale, cook it and serve to the cats. I have some vitamin powder that I could mix in, so they wouldn't miss vital vitamins. I also have some high calorie paste, that maybe I can mix into the food--so it keeps there calories up. I usually give them Kitten Chow for the high calorie content. Outdoor kitties do burn up more calories in the cold, so that's why I give them K.C.

Anyway, I hope this gets us all thinking about our back up plan. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worse as the saying goes. Thanks rubysmama rubysmama for the suggestion regarding a donation jar at my vet. I hope it doesn't come down to that, but I sure could use the help in the dead of winter TardisDance TardisDance I am so sorry to hear that of Petco. I use to shop there and had returned a case with damaged cans (that were cracked (opened) and had no problem with getting a refund. It is a shame they won't do that for you. Amazon, I know is pretty decent with refunds. I recently ordered vitamins that the seal was not on the bottle, but stuck in the cap. I told them that the vitamins were not properly sealed. They refunded me right away and I got my replacement sent out to me in no time. I hope you have better luck with them and Chewy.

Well, I have to run. If anyone has any other suggestions. Please don't hesitate to post it in this thread. Thank you all once again. 🙂
RE: Damaged product, of course it's not nice to threaten but vendors know that "lawsuit!" is a possibility so they behoove themselves to refund or exchange! *Just sayin'...*
And yes, we all need to be adaptable. First priority for me is INVENTORY. Not so much as to deprive others, but definitely enough so that you have supply for awhile. I have mine tweaked so that I have enough for a couple of months and I would strongly advise that, especially for everyone who has space to store it. This house has a lot of closets so I have storage in the utility closet, plus two small IKEA sideboards in the dining room. It's out of sight, dark and cool, and ready to hand. If you can't get it now, order when you can and store it, even just stacked up against the wall in the kitchen or wherever if you need to. And yes, if stock isn't available, cats ARE obligate carnivores and meat is what they eat. Some cat food companies do donate their dented cans which are still safe but just not
attractive. Most, if not all, of that goes to sanctuaries, rescues, humane societies, ACCs etc. but it doesn't hurt to ask. And something I've learned since divorce/relocation is how to speak up for myself and ask if companies will make deals. Again, it doesn't hurt to ask.
 

fionasmom

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In stores near me, which include Petsmart and some smaller chains and a couple of private stores, it is the less expensive cat food like Friskies and Fancy Feast. If you want the more expensive items, you would probably be fine, within reason. You may not get a favorite flavor, but you could find something. Yesterday at Petsmart I could have loaded up my cart with all the higher end brands and shopped up a storm, but the shelves are bare when it comes to the others. In fact, a couple of local markets are doing better than Petsmart. I do order from Chewy despite my love/hate relationship with them. For whatever reason, they have more stock in those items despite being out in other areas.

I did find out that Chewy has no control of anything that FedEx does. A few weeks ago I received a large order of dog food, sunflower seeds, and some miscellaneous items....not my order. FedEx had created a new label and delivered it to me instead of to the woman who lived about 100 miles south of me in the San Diego area. I called Chewy and told them to arrange a pick up so that this woman could get her delivery. They asked me if I could deliver it.....they are out of state, so they did not know but one might think that they would check before asking that. Once I explained that I felt that was above and beyond, the Chewy rep told me to donate everything to a shelter or give it away and snickered something about FedEx should to pick it up but that ain't gonna happen.

Because this is earthquake country, I have always kept emergency pet food and have been able to maintain that going forward.

The Port of Los Angeles is a nightmare, probably worse than we imagine, in terms of the chaos and double parked container ships.

If tuna is dirt cheap in the market I will buy a few cans for toppers for the outdoor ferals. They eat 100% cat food, so it will not deprive them of any nutrients.
 

candie

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Yes, I am experiencing this. My cats favorite flavor was gone. So I had to get friskies. Even chewy doesn't have it. I hate friskies but she actually emptied the bowl. She was sick of fancy feast chicken so I mixed it up so no waste. Friskies smell is too strong that she didn't notice lol
 

tarasgirl06

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In stores near me, which include Petsmart and some smaller chains and a couple of private stores, it is the less expensive cat food like Friskies and Fancy Feast. If you want the more expensive items, you would probably be fine, within reason. You may not get a favorite flavor, but you could find something. Yesterday at Petsmart I could have loaded up my cart with all the higher end brands and shopped up a storm, but the shelves are bare when it comes to the others. In fact, a couple of local markets are doing better than Petsmart. I do order from Chewy despite my love/hate relationship with them. For whatever reason, they have more stock in those items despite being out in other areas.

I did find out that Chewy has no control of anything that FedEx does. A few weeks ago I received a large order of dog food, sunflower seeds, and some miscellaneous items....not my order. FedEx had created a new label and delivered it to me instead of to the woman who lived about 100 miles south of me in the San Diego area. I called Chewy and told them to arrange a pick up so that this woman could get her delivery. They asked me if I could deliver it.....they are out of state, so they did not know but one might think that they would check before asking that. Once I explained that I felt that was above and beyond, the Chewy rep told me to donate everything to a shelter or give it away and snickered something about FedEx should to pick it up but that ain't gonna happen.

Because this is earthquake country, I have always kept emergency pet food and have been able to maintain that going forward.

The Port of Los Angeles is a nightmare, probably worse than we imagine, in terms of the chaos and double parked container ships.

If tuna is dirt cheap in the market I will buy a few cans for toppers for the outdoor ferals. They eat 100% cat food, so it will not deprive them of any nutrients.
I'm in Glendale, near L.A. and online shop at petco.com. I've been battling with them and UPS for ages over their failure to deliver my very heavy orders behind my back gate. *Fortunately I work out and have gotten strong enough to lift the 30# litter tubs to stack them, and also to walk them all the way around or through the house to put them in the stacks in the laundry room.* Petco also has nothing to do with UPS, and vice versa. These days, with the pandemic and the supply chain problems, I always say a Prayer for it to arrive okay and one of relief and gratitude when it does. Friends across the country have gone without their deliveries or had them end up in very difficult places. It's awful, and IMHO it's unjustifiable, especially since the shortage of truck drivers is reportedly NOT a shortage at all and trucking companies are training and hiring. It's like so many other things in this society that have been SNAFU for a long time and getting worse. I joke with international friends that they should just put a fence around the nation and put the guards OUTSIDE, because it's like one big insane asylum. *sigh*😖
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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Thank you W Willowy , fionasmom fionasmom , candie candie , and tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 for your input. It is definitely very wise to stock up as much as possible, so we have food for awhile. I am on a tight budget and am stuck buying only what I can afford for the time being, so I have a hard time stocking up. Plus I am feeding 6 or 7 more cats then I was last year. It is very shaky and food goes like water no matter how I conserve.

I will check out the Dollar store. I don't have one near me, so that's why I haven't checked them out before. The Tractor Supply Store is over 50 miles away from me. I heard a lot of good things about them. I may check them out, too. Sorry to hear the Dollar Store and the Tractor Supply Store has spotty customer service for online orders. Also, sorry to hear about online orders getting lost/going to the wrong person. I received a package meant for someone 5 towns away. I had to give it back to Fed Ex. I know they deliver a lot, but those mix ups can really mess things up for someone. That would certainly be the case for me and cat food, but could you imagine if it was someone's prescriptions that was delivered to the wrong person? I know mistakes happen, but I wish delivery people were a little more careful. TG there is no shortages with delivery people. We would be in really bad shape if that was the case. I really hope this shortage of supplies situation clears up soon. I don't like the stories I am hearing about the Cargo ships in the Port of L.A.

Well, hang in there everyone. We will make it through this rough patch. Have a good night. 🙂
 

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Whenallhellbreakslose Whenallhellbreakslose I know you said you like to feed wet food but perhaps you could consider dry. I had a friend who was feeding a large colony of ferals with wet food. She fell on hard times financially and had to switch to dry which was more affordable. She said she hated to do it but found that the cats adapted. It was also a lot easier for her to distribute dry food than deal with all the cans of wet.

It's something to think about if budget and supply chain issues keep being a problem.

So good of you to take care of these kitties. :hugs:
 
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