Just in time for the Summer Olympics in Rio comes our favorite display of athleticism. While we can’t argue that human athletes are incredible in their own way, they still aren’t as cute as these little “cat-letes.” This year the Hallmark Channel is putting on the first Kitten Summer Games, made up of about 90 adorable kitties. Make sure you tune in tonight at 8/7c for the great event!
Their plaza is a kitten-scratching friendly gymnastics stadium and track-and-field strip. Full of toys and feathers to keep the baby cats entertained, the action just keeps on going. With the success of the Kitten Bowl that runs alongside the Super Bowl, Hallmark decided that hosting the Kitten Summer Games would be a hit – and they were right!
What’s best is that these kittens are all shelter cats looking for forever homes. They all came from North Shore Animal League America, one of the largest no-kill and rescue and adoption organizations in the world. Hosted by Beth Stern, wife to Howard Stern, the Kitten Summer Games are the perfect addition to the human sports. The Sterns have fostered over 200 cats in the last few years.
But Stern isn’t the only one interested in the kitten games. David Frei, former host of the Westminster Dog Show, admits to having a soft spot for felines even though his history is with the dogs. Olympics reporter Mary Carillo stars as a co-host even though she’s allergic to cats.
When asked how these little kitties are different than the actual human athletes, she said, “Unlike a lot of other professional athletes, they kind of take their sweet time […] All of a sudden in the middle of a big event there’s a cat nap. They don’t know the rules. They don’t care. They kind of just freestyle it at an awful lot of these events.”
We don’t want to ruin the show, so make sure you take the time to check out the Kitten Summer Games this evening! You can view them right at the Hallmark Channel. Let us know what your favorite kittens are!