Showbiz Analysis with Kitten Bowl II Host and Animal Advocate Beth Stern

Every week, model and author Beth Stern works and volunteers on behalf of shelter animals. In between caring for her own menagerie of pets, fostering kittens, and raising money and awareness for animal advocacy, Stern landed a television gig that was right up her alley. This Super Bowl Sunday, she returns to the Hallmark Channel to host Kitten Bowl II. The feline football championship pairs Stern with 92 adorable kittens, celebrity guests, and play-by-play announcers John Sterling and Mary Carillo. Beth Stern recently joined me for my podcast Whine At 9 to discuss Kitten Bowl II, animal adoption, and the inspiring story behind the recovery of her rescue cat Yoda.

Don’t miss Hallmark Channel’s Kitten Bowl II on Sunday Feb. 1, 12/11c.

Beth Stern was thrilled when she got a call from Hallmark Channel again this year. “Talk about a dream job, I mean when I was called upon by Hallmark Channel last year to host the first ever Kitten Bowl, I was elated. I couldn’t even believe there was such a thing,” says Stern. “What I love about the Kitten Bowl is all of the participants, all of our “players” are up for adoption. So last year there were 72. This year we upped our game and all 92 kittens– we taped it a couple months ago– have since been adopted. It’s such a wonderful thing for me just because I’m all about rescuing animals and adopting.”

While she regularly fosters kittens, one of Stern’s other pet projects is reminding prospective owners to consider adopting older pets. “So often animals come into shelters where their owners have passed away. And they’ve been perfect pets for most of their lives. So there’s an adult animal sitting in a cage that’s completely trained, sleeps through the night, is past that puppy stage,” emphasizes Stern. “I work and I volunteer at North Shore Animal League, so I’m at a shelter environment every single week. And I see these senior pets sitting there looking, craning their necks looking outside of their cages waiting for their person to come back. So I always say check out the adult animals that are there first. You’re bound to take home a pretty perfect pet that’s already housebroken, trained, and just wants to be loved.”

Stern knows a thing or two about rescuing animals who may not be in the best of health. “When kitten season’s over, my husband (television and radio personality Howard Stern) and I take in hard luck cases at the shelter– older cats or older animals and we bring them home. And my husband talks about them on his radio show and they become instant rock stars and the applications start pouring in. So we’ve figured out this magical formula that’s working for adoption.”

But when Stern fostered a white cat who was failing to thrive, she didn’t anticipate that the cat would teach her family an important lesson. Yoda was in heart failure when vets confirmed he had about three to six months to live. “We decided at that point we were going to adopt him just to love him ’til his last breath.” But Yoda surprised them when he wandered into the Stern’s foster kitten room. Says Stern, “Well kitten season rolls around a few weeks after we adopted him, and he made his way into the foster room. And something just magical happened. He came to life. He started nurturing the kittens, grooming them, just taking care of them– not leaving that room at all.” Eight months later, to the surprise of his vets and the Sterns, Yoda was a healthy cat with a strong heart. Beth Stern decided to share Yoda’s story in what would become the bestselling children’s book Yoda: The Story of a Cat and His Kittens. Says Stern, “I thought, ‘Love and purpose has cured him and given him life.’ So I thought that that was such a beautiful message for adults, but in a way, I thought, ‘What a great story for kids.’ So that’s why I translated that into a children’s book.”

One hundred percent of the proceeds from Yoda’s story go to the 14,000 square foot expansion of the North Shore Animal League America’s existing shelter. “So Yoda is helping me save more lives. He’s just a little magic fluff puff; I just adore him. Only good has come out of this magic in my home,” beams Stern.

Watch preview videos of Kitten Bowl II here.

Listen to Nancy’s interview with Beth Stern here, on iTunes, or Stitcher Radio.

Nancy Berk, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, author, comic and entertainment analyst. The host of the showbiz podcast Whine At 9, Nancy digs a little deeper as she chats with fascinating celebrities and industry insiders. Her book College Bound and Gagged: How to Help Your Kid Get into a Great College Without Losing Your Savings, Your Relationship, or Your Mind can be seen in the feature film Admission starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd.