Any Other Iowa Pet Parents Super Tired of the Pet Food Shortage?

Pet moms and dads: have you also noticed that pet food (especially wet pet food) has been increasingly hard to find? Have you wondered why? I did some digging to answer just that.

I'm a cat mom and I (totally unintentionally) am apparently raising a slightly picky kitten. It's been sparse since I got him a few months ago, but over the last couple of months, he's had to figure out that he can't be so selective on food because the supply is running low (trust me, he's still bitter about that).

I tried to get his food last weekend and this was the scene at the supermarket. It's the worst I've seen.

So the overall answer to this is supply chain issues. The breakdown to this is essentially every step in the process. As Fox 11 Los Angeles explains, there are some popular dog and cat food brands that are facing shipping delays because they come from overseas. Canning facilities are facing a shortage of workers (that goes for human food too) and there's a shortage on proteins like chicken and beef.

My small fry likes chicken. Figures.

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So I turned to Chewy, who is also making the switch to packaging food in pouches instead of cans.

The other thing you may notice is the price of pet food. When you can get your hands on it, it may be more expensive. This is to keep up with the rising costs of protein, labor, and shipping.

So if you can't find your pet's favorite canned food somewhere, this is why. I'm not sure it's going away any time soon either.