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ALTOONA -- Pet owners are dealing with a cat food shortage. Many stores are having issues stocking canned cat food, and the problem appears to be connected to COVID-19.
According to Packaged Facts, a source for pet products and services market research, some 3.3 million new pets and counting have been welcomed into U.S. households since the start of the pandemic.
"The pet category has experienced increased consumer demand. Due to overall COVID-related disruption to the production of goods, it's possible pet parents may not find a specific item or flavor of wet food for cats on the shelf on a given day. However, Petco locations carry a vast nationwide assortment of wet food for cats and have plenty of options readily available," Petco spokesperson Ventura Olvera said.
Weis Markets spokesman Dennis Curtin said it is an industry-wide problem.
"It's a slight shortage compared to how it was last spring with paper goods and surface cleaners. For the moment, retailers across the country are receiving less pet food shipments due to production issues related to the pandemic. The problems are mostly in the wet/canned categories. Also, people are adopting or buying pets at a much higher rate during the pandemic which increases demand," Curtin said.
Giant Eagle spokesman Dick Roberts agrees with Curtin's assessment.
"At Giant Eagle, we have been working tirelessly to keep our shelves well-stocked with essential grocery and household items to meet the needs of our guests. Throughout the pandemic, people have been spending more time at home and have been feeding their pets more frequently. This, in addition to a significant increase in pet adoptions has created unique demand for pet food. While supply of wet cat food is limited at times, Giant Eagle guests can expect to find some wet cat food in stock that may be a different brand or variety than they're used to purchasing," Roberts said
Martin's Food Markets (which operates in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania under the Giant name) is also having a problem keeping the shelves filled with canned cat food.
"Over the past month, some pet food suppliers have advised us of challenges they are facing, which impacts what is available in our stores for purchase. We continue to remain in close contact with our suppliers and are working to bring in alternate products, but it is possible customers may find a particular brand or variety is unavailable due to these challenges," spokeswoman Ashley Flower said.
The situation appears to be improving, Curtin said.
"We are still getting a significant amount of wet/canned products just not enough in some cases," he said.
"The shortage bottomed out in January for some wet/canned products. Our suppliers expect it to improve significantly in March and April. Also in our case, the recent winter storms have impacted our suppliers who missed a couple of days production," Curtin said.