Cat food brand Friskies recently hosted "The Friskies" award show honoring the best cat videos and the importance of cats in society.
Friskies received more than 1,400 submissions to the awards and four judges narrowed down the list to 12 finalists, three videos in each of four categories. The public then voted for the winners over a three-week period.
“Oskar’s First Toys,” a video of a blind cat playing with balls with bells inside, directed by Mick Szydlowski, won the “Catuette,” a gold-plated cat statue, for “Best Video” and the US$15,000 grand prize. Other winners included:
- “Black Cat Stick ‘em Up,” a video of Cole, a black kitten getting tickled, won in the “Catness” category, which honored “the essence of cat behavior”
- “Cardboard Dreams,” a video of cats Milo, Otis, Barrett and Bates playing in elaborately arranged cardboard boxes, won the “Catventure” category, a tribute to felines frolicking indoors
- “Cat Alarm Clock,” a video of Boo, a cat who wakes up his owner by playing with the springy doorstop, won the category “Catcom” (funny cats)
- “Kitty Plays Fetch,” a video of Nylah, a cat that plays fetch with a crumpled up piece of paper, won the “Catch All” category
Hosted in Los Angeles, California, USA, guests wore cat ears to the venue, which was decorated to look like a cat's real home, complete with a living room with an oriental rug, lounge chairs and end tables with cat sculptures. Guests were also provided cat-topped cupcakes to eat, and entertainment by a cat-a-pella group, meowing an opera medley.