A growing shortage of wood pellets has forced British households to burn cat litter to heat their homes.

A new report by the Daily Telegraph cites Jollyes, one of the largest pet food stores in Britain, saying that the firm’s cat litter suppliers were “working overtime to fulfil demand” for wood pellets after sales increased significantly in the last couple of months.

Phil Turner-Naylor from Jollyes said: “We started seeing a lot of chatter on social media about using wood pellet cat litter as household fuel in the last few weeks around the cost of living crisis, followed by a sharp increase in demand at our stores.”

It is believed that the war in Ukraine sparked a shortage of wood pellets as Russia remains a major exporter of pellet fuel.

Soaring energy prices are forcing homeowners to scramble to keep their homes warm, with many families looking for alternative ways to heat their homes.

Wood-burning stoves is just one of these alternatives.

John Hanmore, Head of Sales at Pellet Kings, told the Telegraph: “We don’t agree with the cheaper pellets, as they can be f a lower calorific value and also are higher in dust – which is bad for pets.”