Hallmark Channel hopes to lap up viewers with its new ‘Kitten Bowl’ next February

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The rivalry on Super Bowl Sunday is already shaping up as a battle between puppies and kittens.

Hallmark Channel says it’s introducing an annual “Kitten Bowl” on Feb. 2. It’s a three-hour showcase of feline agility, but the network says any form of cuteness is key to the game.

Cat contenders will be recruited from animal shelters. The prize will be a loving home for these orphans.

“Kitten Bowl,” produced in partnership with the American Humane Association, will be vying for viewers with Animal Planet’s 10th annual “Puppy Bowl,” which features its own “Kitty Half-Time Show.”

Hallmark’s “Kitten Bowl” will air at 12 noon Eastern time, then encore twice immediately after.

Of course, viewers who don’t care about puppies or kitties won’t be forgotten. There’ll be football on another channel.