Cat owners are having trouble finding the supplies they need to care for their pets.
Patricia Smith
Over the past few years, many U.S. pet owners, especially cat guardians, have noticed that dry cat food, wet cat food, and cat litter go in and out of stock unpredictably. This has affected both major retailers and smaller brands, leading to much frustration and difficulty in the mission of maintaining consistent diets for cats with sensitive stomachs or finicky eating habits.
This article explains why these shortages continue, what cat owners can do to stay ahead of disruptions, and provides a curated, reliable list of in-stock cat-food and litter products that regularly ship throughout the United States, including North Florida.
Why are cat food and litter still so hard to find? One would think once the Covid-19 pandemic had ended and time had passed that manufacturing and shipping would no longer be an issue, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Cat food and litter shortages have become a repeating pattern caused by several overlapping factors such as national supply chain constraints, higher post pandemic pet population, Manufacturers Prioritizing Certain Product Lines, regional distribution gaps, and litter material shortages.
National supply chain constraints consisting of ingredients like fish, chicken, and beef continue to face interruptions from fishing season, feed-cost inflation, processing plant labor shortages, delays in transportation, and packing material shortages (especially aluminum cans). Many of the cat food brands rely on “just in time” production, even a small shortage of one ingredient can halt an entire recipe.
The higher post-pandemic pet populations consist of the “pandemic pet boom” where there was a dramatic increase of the number of cats in U.S. households. The demand for cat food is now higher than it ever has been, but production has not fully scaled up to match. Premium and specialty recipes are especially affected because they rely on more specific ingredient sources.
The manufacturer’s prioritize certain product lines that consist of ingredient availability dips and brands often focus on their top-selling SKU’s. This prioritization tends to pause or reduce production on specialty flavors and temporarily discontinues niche grain-free or sensitive stomach formulas.
Regional Distribution – When regional distribution gaps occur, the products exist at the warehouse level. Distribution and trucking delays may cause entire regions, including parts of the Southeast, to show “Out of Stock.” States at the end of certain shipping routes, like Florida, sometimes feel these gaps the hardest.
Litter-Material Shortages – Cat-litter shortages can occur for a number of different reasons depending on the type such as clay litter, corn/wheat/pine litter, and eco/tofu litter, that rely on bentonite mining and multi-state distribution routes and are highly affected by agricultural cycles and weather. Smaller manufacturers with more fragile supply chains typically produce eco/tofu litter. This is why switching between clay and non-clay litter can help avoid shortages.
Tips for Staying Ahead of Shortages in 2025 – Sign up for auto-ship (Chewy, Petco, Walmart) This helps you lock in supply even when the product temporarily goes out of stock for normal buyers. Keep 2–3 acceptable foods your cat tolerates because this reduces stress when one brand disappears.
For litter try both clay and non-clay litter options because if one category experiences shortages, the other is usually available. Try to buy 1–2 months ahead especially in Florida, where shipping routes sometimes cause delays.
Avoid highly niche, unusual, or imported cat-food brands These are the most commonly disrupted.
Cat food and litter shortages aren’t going away any time soon — they are tied to global supply chains, national shipping issues, and increased demand from the growing pet population. But with a little planning and by relying on widely distributed, consistently stocked brands, cat owners in Florida can avoid the stress of last-minute shortages.
