Kitten Bowl Host Beth Stern Talks ‘Top Secret’ Halftime Show Before Hallmark Channel’s Feb. 7 Game

The claws are coming out!

On Sunday, Feb. 7, America’s cutest kittens will go paw-to-paw during Hallmark Channel’s third annual Kitten Bowl. And according to Beth Stern, who will be hosting the adorable event for the third consecutive time, audiences should prepare themselves for an overload of cuteness when the cat-letes take the field!

But the avid animal lover revealed that kittens won’t be the only four-legged creatures stealing the show — and our hearts — this year. A few puppies are set to intercept our attention during the Kitten Bowl III halftime show.

“I cannot believe they released that information!” Stern said to International Business Times, surprised to learn we knew about Hallmark Channel’s “top secret” halftime show. “I was not allowed to say a word about it but now that the cat is out of the bag I will reveal that yes, during the half time special of the Kitten Bowl, the kittens will go head-to-head with puppies and it is probably the cutest thing you’ll ever see … ever."

Stern, who is the national spokesperson for The North Shore Animal League America — an organization that has helped the Kitten Bowl cat-letes get adopted year-after-year, divulged to IBT that at first they were worried to release the kittens and puppies together.

“We were all there ready to pull them away if there was any chaos,” she said. But when the furry friends did finally come nose-to-nose, hearts melted. “They just played and rolled around — it’s really cute,” she gushed, stating that viewers can expect “double the cuteness” come Sunday.

To prepare audiences for what is sure to be a fuzzy frenzy of sweetness, Stern shared a few tips with IBT about how to throw the puuur-fect Kitten Bowl III party.

“Have all the kids and pets in one room, put on the show, eat popcorn and have fun!” Stern said, adding that viewers should take that time to consider if they can add another pet into their home. “These beautiful animals are right there at your local shelter — right there you can get an orange kitten that looks just like the one that just scored a touch down. [Adopting is] really the greatest experience in the world.”

And Stern would know! She and her husband, radio personality Howard Stern, have fostered over 200 cats over the past few years — five which were from the Kitten Bowl III lineup!

“After taping the Kitten Bowl, five of the kittens were too young to be adopted right away, so I brought the babies including the coach — coach Bella cat — home and they were fosters of ours for a few weeks,” she said. “And then we found them homes directly. So, yeah over 100 cats and kittens from the taping (which were provided by North Shore and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation) have since been adopted.”

Audiences can tune into Hallmark Channel’s Kitten Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 12 p.m. EST, to catch the kittens and Stern in action.