Cat food shortage may become an issue in the coming months.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Cat owners may want to stock up on their cat food of choice. A cat food shortage may be on its way as supply chain issues continue to be a problem for many products around the United States as a remanence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Imported materials are also to blame for the delay and disruption, as the packaging for the cat food comes from China.
This somewhat of a snowball effect from Covid may finally be on our doorstep as the effects are beginning to hit home for many. Luna Cat Café, a business that serves as both a restaurant with a cat lounge in the back, is one of them. Owner and Chef at Luna Café, Josh Davis, says how his business has been hit.
“It can affect us, it affected us tremendously last year because it was really bad with the shortage, ” Davis said. “This year it’s starting to kind of rear its head back again.”
Davis said that the real issue that he has had to deal with is the added time it takes to purchase his cat food and supplies and the cost that goes into these added inconveniences.
“It does affect you a little bit when you’re starting to go to different stores.” Davis said. “Not a huge deal, just more gas money, but it is a little bit of like a fear in the back of your mind that, ‘what if this store runs out and that store runs out’ so.”
Davis explains that he tries to spread out where he purchases his cat food, so that he doesn’t clear out shelves for other cat owners looking to feed their companion. One of those other cat owners and customers is Kaitlin Parisi, who says she hasn’t felt the affects of the shortage just yet but has a little level of concern.
“Yeah, I was a little nervous when I first heard about it because, you know, we go through cat food pretty fast, so for there to be a shortage isn’t great especially with like the holidays coming up and people taking care of our cat and what not.” Parisi said. “Like it’s not great especially if we do run out of food during the holidays. If it does go through the rest of the holiday season and into next year, then I’ll probably start to get more concerned.”
As December approaches and the end of the year around the corner, only time will tell if the level of concern will rise and if this shortage will last. Until then, cat owners may want to stock up on their cat food of choice to keep their feline friend fed and happy.