Don’t be surprised if the NFL’s New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks come out on Sunday and go after each other in the Super Bowl like and cats and dogs. If you’re curious what such a real cats-and-dogs pro football game would look like, The Lucy Pet Foundation has you covered.
Hoping to raise awareness of spaying and neutering cats and dogs to prevent overpopulation and inevitable euthanasia, the Lucy Pet Foundation is airing an imaginative ad during Sunday’s Kitten Bowl on the Hallmark Channel. The foundation on its website says its mission “is to reduce pet overpopulation by having mobile spay/neuter clinics across the country and to support causes that benefit animal welfare.”
In a visually brilliant piece of filmmaking, canines and felines take to the football field, complete with helmets and pads and a deep throw to the endzone, while a stadium full of cats and dogs, many wearing the gear of their favorite team, howl with delight.
But there is a message behind this football madness. As the dog wide receiver and kitty cornerback battle for the fateful pass at the goal line, the animals in the stands begin to disappear, and the voice-over warns of the terrible cost of animal overpopulation.
"Over 80,000 dogs and cats are euthanized every week," the narrator says. "You can help stop this."
Sam Nicholson, famous for the visual effects in series such as The Walking Dead and 24, donated his time ÔÇô- and a significant portion of the cost ÔÇô- to making the ad.
"I promised my best people because it was close to my heart," Nicholson told the Los Angeles Daily News. "I believe in the cause."
Read more cat news on Catster:
- Berkeley Wins a Visit From Famous Feline Grumpy Cat
- A Card Game Called Exploding Kittens Blows Kickstarter Away
- Heart-Warming News: A Cat in Russia Saves an Abanoned Baby
About the author: Jeff Goldberg is a freelance writer in Quincy, Mass. A former editor for MLB.com and sportswriter for the Hartford Courant who covered the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team (Huskies!) and the Boston Red Sox, Jeff has authored two books on the UConn women: Bird at the Buzzer (2011) and Unrivaled (2015). He lives with his wife, Susan, and their rescue pup, Rocky, an Italian Greyhuahua/Jack Russell mix from a foster home in Tennessee, hence the name Rocky (as in Rocky Top).
