A coast-to-coast cat food shortage is stressing pet owners and shelter managers in Connecticut.

Julie Ann Diorio of Berlin described her frustrations buying food for her four cats — Smokey, Hunter, Jerry and Monkey. Online prices are skyrocketing and while supermarkets stock up at the beginning of the week, Diorio said, “if you don’t get there right away, people hoard them, so you lose out and by the end of the week shelves are empty and all that are left are flavors and brands which suck.”

Diorio said she’s heard various explanations for the shortage, which is not affecting dog food as much as feline cuisine.

“Who knows?” she said. “But yes, very, very frustrating, and I hope and pray things get back to normal soon. Animals are our family, and to do this to cat owners is just a terrible, terrible thing.”

Coronavirus pandemic-related supply chain bottlenecks, along with worker and ingredient shortfalls, are driving shortages, according to the Pet Food Institute, a trade advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. U.S. pet food makers face “unprecedented transportation and infrastructure challenges,” institute President and CEO Dana Brooks said.

At the beginning of the pandemic, production of human food was widely disrupted, which affected the availability and costs of plant- and animal-based ingredients used in pet food, Brooks said in a prepared statement earlier this month.

Also affecting the pet food marketplace, he said, is increased competition for oils and fats caused by federal and state mandates and incentives promoting renewable fuels.

“PFI and its members support efforts to fight climate change,” Brooks said, “but current policies create a government-driven market advantage to the energy sector and a disadvantage to companies purchasing ingredients for pet food.”

Published reports on the cat food shortage also mention a shortfall in aluminum for cans.

Connecticut shelter managers say they, too, are struggling. Many shelters rely on donations.

“Our donations are down because people can’t find anything on the shelves,” Caroline Abate, director of Whiskers Pet Rescue in Southbury, said.

The Connecticut Humane Society typically has a surplus of cat food to share with municipal animal control facilities and shelters, but not in the past year, spokeswoman Susan Wollschlager said.

Shelter managers note that some cats are fussy, and owners who cannot find the brands their cats like are having a particularly hard time. Also, food for cats with special diets is pricier and harder to find, Wollschlager said.