How to Watch the Puppy Bowl and Kitten Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday 2021
Sunday, Feb. 7 marks an important day for football. Oh, no, I’m not talking about Super Bowl LV. I’m talking about Puppy Bowl XVII and Kitten Bowl VIII, respectively. Yes, Sunday is a big day for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it’s also a big day for shelter pups and kittens. While it’s delightful in itself to watch pets partake in competitions and spend time with other animals in miniature model stadiums, the overall purpose of Puppy and Kitten Bowl is to help the animals find their forever homes.
It’s been a success in past years, too. According to Animal Planet, 100% of the puppies that have participated in past Puppy Bowls have been adopted by loving families. As for the Kitten Bowl, more than 50,000 shelter pets have been adopted since Kitten Bowl premiered in 2014, according to Hallmark. More info on how to adopt the pets will be made available during the games, but animal lovers could also visit AnimalPlanet.com and AnimalLeague.org for details.
For more information about channels, times, hosts, and more, read on below.
Puppy Bowl
Channel: Animal Planet and Discovery+
Time: 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST
Team Ruff and Team Fluff will square off in Puppy Bowl XVII this year. Co-hosts Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg will provide canine analysis and keep track of the pup touchdowns and pup penalties as the puppies go big or go home (foster homes, that is.) Some of the pupletes this year include Apollo (Team Ruff), a treeing walker coonhound beagle, Chip (Team Fluff), an American staffordshire terrier and German shepherd, and Bananaberry (Team Fluff), an Australian cattle dog and golden retriever. Meet all of the pupletes here.
Kitten Bowl
Channel: Hallmark and streaming services that carry Hallmark (Philo, Sling TV, Vidgo, FuboTV, AT&T TV, and TVision)
Time: 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST
Four teams of cats will compete for the trophy on Kitten Bowl VIII. Actor and animal activist Beth Stern is back to host, and commentators Tamera Mowry-Housley and Cameron Mathison will provide additional play-by-play updates of the action. While Hallmark generally breaks down the competing teams and cat names ahead of the big game, there isn’t too much info this year—just some pawsitively cute photo slides of the contestants. Meet the feline athletes here.
It’s a great Sunday for sports—pet sports, that is.