Friskies, a cat food and treat brand from Nestlé Purina, announced it will donate 1,000 meals to a Tucson no-kill cat shelter for every point the University of Arizona Wildcats scored during their NCAA tournament run, along with a cash donation to the same organization.
The meals will go to the Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter & Sanctuary, which describes itself as Arizona's oldest no-kill, cage-free cat shelter. The facility houses more than 200 cats at any given time and rescues over 700 cats annually in its 9,000-square-foot space.
"Nothing embodies the spirit of Friskies like showing up in unexpected ways for cat people," said Jason Dolan, brand director at Friskies. "We've been cheering on Wilbur, Wilma and the Wildcats since day one, and we loved how fans are sharing in that big cat energy. We are excited to see what the Wildcats can do this weekend and just how many meals we can deliver to the cats of Tucson."
Founded in 1965, the Hermitage has operated as Arizona's only accredited cat sanctuary. The Friskies donation will support the shelter's care and feeding programs.
"Every meal and every dollar makes a huge difference for the cats in our care," said Natalie Meier, board president at Hermitage. "We're grateful for Friskies' support — for our shelter cats… and our college cats."
According to the company, the partnership grew out of Friskies' social media presence during the tournament, with cat owners and college basketball fans calling on the brand to formalize its support. The University of Arizona then joined the effort.
"The energy around this Wildcats team has been incredible, but knowing that every point we score is feeding shelter cats right here in Tucson makes it even more special," said Brian Rooney, general manager at Arizona Sports Enterprises. "Friskies has been hyping us up since the beginning, and this partnership gives our fans and our community one more reason to cheer — and our team one more reason to win."
