Super Cat Sunday is fast approaching with the much-anticipated Kitten Bowl II set for Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1, culminating 6-weeks of fur-ocious, cat-letes from 8 kitten packed teams vying for a top spot is this absolutely pawsome event.

Feline football entered the big leagues when Kitten Bowl I premiered in 2014 on the Hallmark Channel. This year, the Hallmark Channel and Cat Central have taken the cat-a-tonic competition a step further, with the formation of the Feline Football League (FFL) which wraps their 6-game with the spect-cat-ulous cat-anallee at Kitten Bowl II.

The 3-hour shows starts at noon Eastern Time, with some of the best and fur-ocious cat-letes of the season. We find FFL Hall of Famers Ferrell Owens, TomCat Brady and Mr. Whiskers as part of the line-up.

The National Football League (NFL) and Super Bowl  XLIX just might want to step aside, but no worry, the felines will have wrapped up their fun competition before the America’s big game begins much later in the day at the Phoenix Convention Center . The kittens will be in full game post wrap up, snug as a cat can be, by the time even the pre-game shows begin.
 

 

On Nov. 20, FFL Commissioner Boomer Esiason, of NFL fame, has announced the opening of the first official Feline Football League season. Since then, it’s been quite the flurry of fur and activity in the FFL. The Hall of Fame induction on Nov. 24 pawed off the season, followed by the long-anticipated the draft of the best cat-letes on Dec. 1. Two-weeks of training camp followed. The first game was on Dec. 22, and it will be Game #4 on Monday, Jan. 12, with two more weeks of showdowns before the big Cat-analee at Kitten Bowl II, with all kinds of glitz, glitter, and some really cool commercials – including one by the The Lucy Pet Foundation designed to spark a country-wide conversation about the shelter system and population control all to benefit the felines. (Paws for Reflection will blog about The Lucy Pet Foundation this coming Thursday, Jan. 15.) The kittens have been showing off their talents as they have been clawing their way to the end zone in this second annual classic.

At the mid-way point, Jan. 5, we find last year’s champs, North Shore Bengals upset at the paws of the panthers. And the action is getting more kitty-tense as the big game draws closer.

Hallmark Channel’s Cat Central announces TV Personality and North Shore Animal League America spokesperson Beth Stern will be back to host the championship game, alongside legendary, iconic radio voice of the New York Yankees John Sterling as the game’s official play-by-play announcer. North Shore Animal League America and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation will provide over 90 adoptable cat-letes participating, and all kittens part of the Feline Football League will be adopted out immediately following the games.

Cat Central boasts the teams will consist of the cutest, agile and, most importantly, adoptable kittens. The kittens will be joined by celebrities and personalities from all facets of the entertainment world as the kittens compete on obstacle courses filled with lures such as yarn balls, lasers, and toys on string. And yes, there will be footballs and an end zone, though a bit smaller than those used in the NFL.

FFL teams that are vying for top the top billings include:

• Hallmark Channel Hearties
• Last Hope Lions
• Good Witch Wildcats
• Northpole Panthers
• Cedar Cove Cougars
• North Shore Bengals
• Countdown to Christmas Cheetahs
• Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Mountain Lions

Here’s what to expect. Hallmark Channel’s Cat Central describes the completion.

‘The competition will consist of a basic obstacle course of hurdles of varying heights, A-frame Alpine Scratchers, tunnels, hoop jumps, and weave poles. Lures like laser pointers and toys on a string will be used to get the kittens through the course, but food will not allowed. Cat agility competitions, which are modeled after the equestrian sport of show jumping, normally include rules which state that cats must complete a course in under 270 seconds, completing each obstacle in a prescribed manner. In a typical feline agility contest, a cat would complete between 6 and 14 obstacles, with winning cats completing the course in ten seconds or less. In “Kitten Bowl,” however, the competitors are kittens and any form of cuteness is the key to the game.’

While the games will be as cute as a kitten, the games have a serious message. Kitten Bowl II is part of Hallmark Channel’s corporate initiative “Pet Project,” a movement dedicated to celebrating pets and the incredible joy they bring to our lives.  Hallmark hopes the FFL and Kitten Bowl II will significantly raise awareness of the plight of shelter animals across the country. The TV Channel is once again partnering with North Shore Animal League America and Last Hope Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation, to provide the feline competitors with forever loving homes once the games conclude. And that’s the biggest win of all – finding loving, forever homes for these amazing cat-letes.

For those that don’t know, Feline Football League Commissioner Boomer Esiason, Esiason played a 14-year career in the NFL as quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. As one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL, he went on to become an announcer for NFL Monday Night Football, and has a host of charitable work underneath his belt For a chance to win an exclusive football autographed by him, follow @HallmarkChannel and be sure to retweet the tweet that gives you inside access on how to win your very own autographed football from Boomer. Paws has to admit, we couldn’t find the link, so if you find it, please pass it along.

To get the latest on THE ROAD TO KITTEN BOWL II, follow @HallmarkChannel & @KittenBowlTV or go to www.facebook.com/HallmarkChannel & www.facebook.com/KittenBowl

The road to Kitten Bowl II has begun!

Paws for Reflection is impressed by this unbelievable endeavor to link cat rescue to one of America’s sports – football, and at that, a day when many will be glued to their screens for one of the world’s biggest sporting event of the year. In 2014, 111.5 million people watched the Super Bowl. Do you plan to watch Kitten Bowl II. It sounds fun and dedicated to a great cause, Paws for one wouldn’t miss it for the world. What do you think about all this hoopla? Please weigh in and join the discussion.