Nationwide Cat Food Shortage Causes Problems for Michigan Rescue Center

A nationwide cat food shortage has hit a Michigan rescue center which is now struggling to find food for is 250 feline residents.

Supply chain issues stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic are continuing to cause significant disruption to the pet food industry, with a shortage of meat and aluminum packing materials predominately to blame.

Now Shawna Guiett, director of the Saginaw-based Amazing Grace Animal Rescue has reported that a lack of pet food is starting to cause the center mounting problems in feeding the animals in their care.

Speaking to her local TV station, WNEM, Guiett said that canned cat food was becoming increasingly difficult to find.

“It just adds stress to our day, which is already busy enough. And so, we don’t really need this stress, and we hope that the pet food crisis is solved soon,” Guiett told reporters.

Iowa State University Professor Jonathan Phares said that ongoing supply chain issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic were likely to blame for the shortfall. He also highlighted that many online retailers such as Chewy were no longer using aluminum in their packaging to help alleviate the cat food shortage.

Pet adoptions are reported to have increased during the pandemic, which has also impacted the shortage of available pet food. While there has since been a drop-off in some animal adoptions, it is believed that the level of cat adoptions has continued.

Meanwhile, Guiett said that her team continued to do what they could to ensure their cats had sufficient food to eat.

“We don’t want to short them on their canned food because that’s something they look forward to every day. But we sometimes have to give them a little less to make sure that we have enough to go around to everyone,” Guiett added.