Is there still a shortage of cat litter in the UK?
The nation’s cat owners are being affected by a shortage of wood-based cat litter caused by rising energy costs and the Ukraine crisis.
At the end of 2019, there was a nationwide cat litter shortage at supermarkets as manufacturer Bob Martin, which supplied to the country’s biggest stores, fell into administration – back then, shoppers were forced into buying pricey premium brands instead.
Now the Ukraine crisis, Brexit and rising energy costs mean that wood pellet-based litters are scarce.
But why?
But why has the Ukraine crisis led to this?
One of the knock-on effects of the Ukraine crisis is that wood pellets are no longer being imported into the UK – that means no pellets from Russia or Belarus are arriving… that’s a shortfall of around 3.3 million tonnes throughout the EU and UK.
This sudden loss of volumes means that the cat litter market is having to source alternative supplies of wood-based cat litter.
No need to worry…
Kittilitt makes its own wood-based cat litter. We source all of our raw materials locally – within 60 miles of the factory, so our local supply chain is secure.
We carry the certification badge of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO biosphere – the only globally-recognised badge for sustainability, and we have the lowest CO2 emissions of any producer in the UK.
So while the wood-based cat litter shortage continues you can be reassured that Kittilitt will continue to supply to all of its customers across the UK.
What the supermarkets say:
Many people have taken to Twitter to register their frustration.
One Tesco shopper tweeted: ‘Is there a national shortage of wood-based cat litter? Are you having issues with the supplier? – Is any expected back in Gateshead? My cats are very fussy.’
Another fed-up cat owner asked: ‘Why are the supermarket shelves empty of wood-based cat litter – I can’t afford double-price alternatives.’
A Sainsbury’s shopper put: ‘What’s happening with cat litter? – I desperately need some and my store hasn’t had any since before Christmas.’
Morrisons has had problems too and one shopper demanded: ‘Not been able to get wood-based cat litter for weeks now. Any idea when this issue might be resolved?’
Asda commented: ‘We are aware of a supply issue with wood-based cat litter, we’re working to get resolved as soon as possible.’
Tesco say they are ‘working hard to resolve this’ while Sainsbury’s apologised for the inconvenience caused.
If you are keen to see Kittilitt in your supermarket or local country store – please let us know!