The Kitten Bowl airs on the Hallmark Channel on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET/PT.
Beth Stern, model, actress, author, and animal activist, has hosted since the first Kitten Bowl in 2013. Stern wrote the 2014 children’s book Yoda: The Story of a Cat and his Kittens and has appeared multiple times on Today, Rachael Ray, The Talk, and Ellen. A cat-lover herself, Stern revealed in an interview on The Hallmark Channel’s Bubbly Sesh podcast that she has fostered over 1,200 cats with her husband, radio personality Howard Stern.
In 2019, the Hallmark Channel began the Cat Bowl, which airs the day before the Kitten Bowl. The event features adult, senior and special-needs cats.
There will be two playoff games and a championship game, according to People. In addition to the games, there will also be the Tails and Sails cruise, where kittens can enjoy the time while they’re not playing in the big game.
Like Animal Planet’s contemporary, the Puppy Bowl, the Kitten Bowl encourages viewers to adopt cats and kittens from local shelters. “Over 20,000 cats and kittens have been adopted since we started Kitten Bowl and Cat Bowl, and the number’s only growing, because we’re continuing this every year,” Stern said in a behind the scenes video.
Stern will also do adoptions with some lucky families live during the Kitten Bowl in an “adoption ever after suite.”
Almost all of the kittens in this year’s game were rescued by North Shore Animal League America. The organization partners with local shelters across the country to host Kitten Bowl parties with adoption specials and family events. Those interested can find a Kitten Bowl party near them on the North Shore Animal League website.
The Hallmark Channel website has in-depth profiles on every “cat-lete” competing in the Kitten Bowl including their position, demeanor, nickname, a quote, their adoption status, and a hilarious cat pun. There’s also a section where cat-owners can upload photos of their own cats and create their own Kitten Bowl cards. There are also resources with cat care tips, ways to donate and adopt.
The teams competing this year are the North Shore Bengals, Little Longtails, Last Hope Lions, and Courageous Cougars.
“What I really love about Kitten and Cat Bowl is that we are able to focus on the rescues, the adoption stories, their journey of why they’re even here. It just makes it even better, and this year, the stories are just extraordinary,” Stern said in a behind the scenes clip.
