- Joined
- Dec 12, 2021
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Hello. This is a late response to your post, but I have noticed a cat food shortage in my area for a long time during Covid, and gradually getting worse. (I am responding to this post December 12, 2021). Where I live in Northern California, the Humane Society has provided me with a LOT of wet food- at least half a month's wet and dry cat food supply. They have a feral cat food program when someone participates in a feral cat TNR. I am caring for eight ferals (it was nine, but one died). This last time they brought me wet cat food there was hardly any wet food. They might also supplement people whose cats are already spayed/neutered. I don't know but it is worth giving your local Humane Society a call. You can look your County up on line and see if they have a cat food pantry. I would Google "cat food pantry [YOUR COUNTY, STATE]." I often supplement their diet with "human food" like mackerel, canned salmon, cooked whole chicken, and sometimes tuna. They do like these things occassionally, but if I do it two days in a row they would start wasting it and wanting regular cat food.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.
Anyhow, I am pretty sure the shortage has something to do with the shipping containers. There is a problem with them right not. I don't know the correct terminology but if you do a little digging you can find out about the shipping container problem. It is affecting many items besides cat food. Good luck to you, and thank you for caring for these cats.