Grumpy Cat Stars in Celebrity Internet Cat “Supergroup” Music Video to Benefit Cat-Kind This Holiday Season

Friskies® Makes Holiday History with World Premiere of “Hard to Be a Cat at Christmas” Music Video Starring Grumpy Cat, Colonel Meow, Nala Cat, Hamilton the Hipster Cat and Oskar the Blind Cat

Friskies "spokescat" Grumpy Cat and Colonel Meow sit on Santa's lap at the world premiere event to debut the first-ever holiday music video "Hard to Be a Cat at Christmas" supporting the cause of wet cat food for all cats this holiday season, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, at Capitol Records in Los Angeles. The video is available at www.friskies.com/holiday. (Bret Hartman/AP Images for Friskies)

ST. LOUIS--()--For the first time ever, Friskies® gathered top Internet cat sensations Colonel Meow, Nala Cat, Hamilton the Hipster Cat, Oskar the Blind Cat, and Grumpy Cat, Friskies’ official “spokescat” to lend their voices and celebrity to an effort to make every cat’s holiday wish come true. What would every cat wish for? Wet cat food, of course. And we do mean every cat – wet cat food is something even Grumpy Cat doesn’t hate.

The cat supergroup debuted their first-ever holiday music video for the sake of all cat-kind. They’re calling attention to this cause that’s close to all of their hearts – and their bellies. The “Hard to Be a Cat at Christmas” music video is live at www.Friskies.com/holiday. And thanks to the celebrity cats, Friskies will support the cause by donating up to 500,000 total cans of wet cat food to five cat charity organizations.

Friskies will give one can for every view of the music video up to the first 500,000 views. It’s the largest one-time donation in the brand’s history to ensure cats nationwide, including shelter cats, may enjoy wet cat food this holiday season. The five charities were chosen by the five celebrity cats, and each charity will receive up to 100,000 cans of Friskies wet cat food.

The music video and donation amplify the cause these cats have been fighting for and backing with their celebrity for the past six weeks. Since November, the five cats posted photo memes and videos to show what they would do for wet cat food, and encouraged their online communities to join the cause and pledge together at www.IfYouFeedMe.com. To date, thousands of pledges have been uploaded as cats everywhere support the cause by proudly stating what they’ll do for a taste of wet cat food.

The celebrity cat supergroup’s music video dials up the volume on the cause to get the word out in a whole new way. Starring Grumpy Cat and four other celebrity cats, “Hard to Be a Cat at Christmas” illustrates the issue of cats being left out during the holidays while everyone else is enjoying holiday food and gifts.

To debut the music video, the supergroup made a first-ever appearance together at the iconic Capitol Records recording studio in Los Angeles. Well-known cat lover and actress Angela Kinsey hosted the monumental event. “Traditional pop bands better watch out! This Internet cat supergroup is about to take over the charts. I look forward to their World Tour," said Kinsey.

“We created an unexpected, original song and music video to bring the issue of wet cat food for all cats to the forefront of owner’s minds in a way that’s never been done before” said Shawn Brain, Friskies Brand Manager. “We’re fortunate to have the support of Grumpy Cat and the rest of the supergroup to drive awareness about how hard it is to be a cat during the holidays. We’re glad we can help these cats’ favorite charity organizations with an unprecedented donation, and together we look forward to helping inspire people everywhere to join the cause and make every cat’s holiday wish come true by watching the video to help reach the donation goals,” said Brain.

The cat owners chose their charity based on a number of reasons including where they volunteer or donate, or where the cat was adopted. The five charity organizations include:

  • Cat Welfare Association (Grumpy Cat)
  • Purrfect Pals (Oskar The Blind Cat)
  • Kitten Rescue (Nala Cat)
  • The Seattle Persian and Himalayan Rescue (Colonel Meow)
  • Humane Society Silicon Valley (Hamilton The Hipster Cat)

Fans are encouraged to help support the cause of wet food for all cats this holiday season by visiting www.Friskies.com/holiday to watch and share the music video. To make every holiday playlist complete, the “Hard to Be a Cat at Christmas” song is available for download from iTunes and Amazon.com.

ABOUT FRISKIES

The Friskies® brand offers a complete line of great-tasting cat foods, including more than 60 wet, dry and treat varieties. Friskies is manufactured by Nestlé Purina PetCare, a global leader in the pet care industry. Nestlé Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. The North American headquarters for Nestlé Purina PetCare is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis; Mo. Nestlé Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A. – the world’s largest food company.

Contacts

MEDIA:
For Friskies
Taylor
Jennifer Knoeppel, 212-714-5732
jknoeppel@taylorstrategy.com
or
Friskies
Julie Voss Catron, 314-982-3064
julie.vosscatron@purina.nestle.com

Release Summary

Friskies makes holiday history with the world premiere of “Hard to Be a Cat at Christmas” music video starring Grumpy Cat, Colonel Meow, Nala Cat, Hamilton the Hipster Cat and Oskar the Blind Cat.

Contacts

MEDIA:
For Friskies
Taylor
Jennifer Knoeppel, 212-714-5732
jknoeppel@taylorstrategy.com
or
Friskies
Julie Voss Catron, 314-982-3064
julie.vosscatron@purina.nestle.com