Kitten Bowl III kicks off Sunday, February 7, at 12 p.m. EST on the Hallmark Channel — and we're so ready for the feline footballing. Well before the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos take the field for Super Bowl 50, kitten players will take to a miniature stadium to chase around tiny footballs, paw at each other, and, of course, catnap. According to Hallmark, it'll be "the nation's most athletic, adorable, and adoptable kittens in a claws-out, paws-out showdown."
The best part about the annual fur fest? Everyone wins in the end.
"Not only are these cats some of the best players in the Feline Football League (FFL), but also they are looking for their forever homes,” Boomer Esiason, FFL commissioner, said in a press release. “These champions will make loving and playful additions to any family looking to adopt an animal in need.”
The Hallmark Channel partnered with the North Shore Animal League America and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation to make sure all the kittens featured are adopted and placed in loving homes after the telecast.
We wish we could start watching right meow! But until then, here's a cat's-eye view of what to expect at the cutest sporting event of the season.
Fun fact: The Kitten Bowl started in 2014 in partnership with North Shore Animal League America and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation to raise pet adoption awareness.
Claws are a major catching asset for a kitten.
In the Kitten Bowl, gnawing on the ball isn't only allowed, it's celebrated.
Stars of Kitten Bowl III include Howie Longhair, Mr. Slippers, and Jerry Mice.
Don't even think about trying to paw the football away from this tiny cathlete.
Get ready for some smack meowing on the Kitten Bowl field.
Kitten Bowl players often take extra precautions to ensure the football doesn't run away from them. Because you never know, right?
This tabby obviously did some pregame stretching to prep.
Fur-mble!
Here, a kittyback prepares to toss the football. Or, just hold onto it for as long as possible — it's anyone's call.
Staying focused is probably the most difficult part of competing in the Kitten Bowl.
A touchdown is about to happen, fur sure.
Nervously poking the football has been found to be a winning strategy at the Kitten Bowl.
And that's exactly how we feel after Super Bowl Sunday, too.
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