Beth Stern Has Purr-fect Plans for Hallmark’s ‘Kitten Bowl VII’ (VIDEO)

Sorry for the headline but we sort of lose our minds over unstoppable cuteness. And hey, at least it wasn’t a sports pun, right?

While some folks are all hyped about the big game (ahem, Super Bowl LIV) in Florida this weekend, cat lovers are gearing up for the year’s most important event in feline athletics: The Kitten Bowl!

The seventh annual salute to shmush faces and furry butts kicks off on the Hallmark Channel this Sunday, February 2, and the aww-inspiring rescue pet adoption event has a deep roster of over 100 four-legged friends, all ready to take the field for some frisky play followed quite probably by a nap.

Tireless animal advocate Beth Stern is hosting the shindig from Hallmark Channel Stadium, where Brennan Elliott and Jill Wagner will be providing play-by-play. Former NFLer Rashad Jennings is on tap as field correspondent, while retired pigskin great Boomer Esiason has signed on as the Commissioner of the Football Feline League. The whole thing, as well as Saturday’s Cat Bowl featuring senior mousers, is designed to elevate awareness of pet adoption and help find fur-ever homes for kitties in shelters around the country.

Stern and her Kitten Bowl partners from the North Shore Animal League of America popped into our office recently with a couple small friends to talk about the importance of adoption, where fans can find Kitten Bowl parties in their area, and how adding a pet to one’s life improves pretty much everything.

Oh, and just so you know, both of the kittens on camera were adopted by one of the TV Insider staffers about four minutes after we wrapped. And they are, in fact, the sweetest lil’ guys in the world.

Kitten Bowl VII, Sunday, February 2, 2 pm/1c, Hallmark Channel