Championship & Tournament Summary
After three weeks of “meowdness”, we have our winner! Congratulations to #4 @abdulscats (176k) on his 948 votes (53%) to #10 @catnamedpizza (4.6k) 829 (47%). It was truly a valiant effort by Pizza and The Pizza Cat Army, but in the end, it was not enough to take down Abdul, Bambi, and his fosters.
Abdul and Pizza, along with #12 @count_salem (2.1k) and #5 @tunatheadventurecat (70.1k) will all be receiving prizes from our brand sponsors. More information about the brands and prizes can be found at the bottom of this page.
Thank you to everyone for their support in this year’s tournament. Whether you were a catfluencer/human in the bracket, voted and shared posts/stories, or sponsored a prize as a brand, it has not gone unnoticed, and I am eternally grateful. I’ll be taking a few weeks off from Catfluence after this to get caught up on some much-needed sleep and RNR.
-Harris
Final 4 Summary & Championship Preview
#4 @abdulscats (176k), who has dominated this years’ tournament thus far, continued in a similar fashion with a 362-99 vote victory over #5 @tunatheadventurecat (70.1k) to advance.
On the other side of the bracket, #10 @catnamedpizza (4.6k) and #12 @count_salem (2.1k) went back and forth all day sharing control of the lead, but in the end, Pizza was the victor, with 314 votes to Salem’s 290, which came out to 52% and 48%, respectively. What a hard-fought matchup, and congratulations to both!
The championship match and will begin on the morning of Monday 4/4, and will conclude the following morning on Tuesday 4/5. Tune into our IG stories so you can vote on the poll for the winner!
After completion of the tournament, we will contact the Final Four accounts and distribute prizes accordingly. Thank you all for the support.
Elite 8 Summary & Final 4 Preview
After two weeks of madness, we have our Final Four!
In Region 1, #5 @tunatheadventurecat (70.1k) took out the highest remaining seed and follower count, #3 @nathan_thebeachcat (536k), by a narrow margin of 9 votes. In Region 3, #4 @abdulscats (176k) defeated our lowest remaining see #15 @boyce_brotherz (385) in impressive fashion, with 566 votes to 59.
In Region 2, #4 @thejunocat (100k) fell to #10 @catnamedpizza (4.6k), powered by The Pizza Cat Army, while in Region 4, their close friend, #12 @count_salem (2.1k) defeated @chuckandsophia (4.7k) to advance.
The Final Four will begin on Saturday morning (4/2) on our IG stories with matchup polls. #5 @tunatheadventurecat (70.1k) will take on powerhouse #4 @abdulscats (176k), while close friends and supporters #10 @catnamedpizza (4.6k) and #12 @count_salem (2.1k) will fight for a spot in the championship.
Who will win? Follow along and vote to see! The championship will begin on Monday morning (4/4) and conclude at that same time on Tuesday.
Sweet 16 Summary & Elite 8 Preview
And then there were eight!
The last remaining #1 seed, @venustwofacecat (2m), fell to #5 @tunatheadventurecat (70.1k), while #3 @nathan_thebeachcat (536k) dominated #10 @pearly_the_kitty (3.3k) 478 votes to 240 to advance to the Region 1 final.
#16 Cinderella, @therealhandsomekai (345), finally met his maker against #4 @abdulscats (176k), getting outscored 730-212. Another Cinderella, #15 @boyce_brotherz (385), defeated #6 @zolder_the_cat (26.1k) by a narrow margin, 311-289, in Region 3.
Tournament veteran, #4 @thejunocat (100k), defeated #9 @princessjojoofgreenwich (5.5k), #10 @catnamedpizza (4.6k) advanced passed #14 @just_herb_and_phoebe (450) in Region 2.
In Region 4, a hard-fought match between big-time Catfluence supporters #12 @count_salem (2.1k) and #8@sirsimonofsays (8.3k), ended with Salem as the victor by 5 votes. #10 @chuckandsophia (4.7k) surpassed #14 @poshkittycity (480) by 63 votes.
The Elite 8 is set, and matchup polls will begin on our Instagram stories on Saturday March 26th and Sunday March 27th in the morning.
Round of 32 Summary & Sweet 16 Preview
After a busy week of four straight days of Madness (in both the human and cat worlds), the stage is set for the Sweet 16. While the field has leveled out a bit and some top seeds remain, their are still several underdogs(cats) looking for their shot at the throne in 2022.
In Region 1, @venustwofacecat (2m), who was been a #1 seed and made runs in both tournaments, including the Elite 8 last year, looks to make another run this year over #4 @tunatheadventurecat (70.1k). #10 @pearly_the_kitty (3.3k) will have her work cut out for her against #3 @nathan_thebeachcat (536k), coming off a stunning upset over #2 @theklauscat (578k), with 302 votes to 181.
Region 2 is going to be really interesting to see how it plays out. #9 @princessjojoofgreenwich (5.5k) took out #1 @smudge_lord (1.6m), and will look to do the same against fan-favorite #4 @thejunocat (100k). Another Cinderella, #14 @just_herb_and_phoebe (450) looks to continue their run against #10 @catnamedpizza (4.6k), who also looks to make a further run this year than past years.
In Region 3, #16 @therealhandsomekai (345) also looks to continue their most impurressive run after taking down #1 @waffles_the_cat (886k) in the first round and #8 @elliemcat (10.6k) next, but will have his work cut out for him against early tournament favorite and overall leading vote-getter, #4 @abdulscats (176k), who had 577 last round alone. #15@boyce_brotherz (385) will also look to advance vs. a formidable foe in #6 @zolder_the_cat (26.1k).
Last but not least, Region 4. Two returning competitors, #8 @sirsimonofsays (8.3k) and #12 @count_salem (2.1k), will duke it out next, along with #14 @poshkittycity (480) and #10 @chuckandsophia (4.7k), who took out March Meowdness stalwart, #2 @smushofficial (688k).
On our Instagram Stories, Region 1 and Region 3 poll matchups will begin on Thursday morning (3/24), followed by Regions 2 and 4 on Friday (3/25). The same timeline will follow on Saturday and Sunday, and then the Final Four will be set. The blog will be updated during the week in anticipation of matchups on the following Saturday (4/2) and the Finals on Monday (4/4). Until then, please reference the “Matchups” IG story highlights to see who won (the polls will show the winners)
Round of 64 Summary & Round of 32 Preview
And the first round is officially complete! As we see every March in both the human and cat tournaments, upsets are the story of the Round of 64. Some big time competitors who you read about in the preview as top returners from last year have already been taken down.
Those included #5 @khaleesithekitty116 (33.5k) over 2021 Elite Eight competitor, #12 @blublu.ragdoll (2.6k), and #10 @chuckandsophia (4.7k), who made it to the Sweet Sixteen last year, over #7 @louis_the_kitten_prince (11.1k), who was in the Final Four!
There seemed to be some friends with cats with food-related names successfully taking down greater opponents – #13 @the_catnamedcheeto (1.6k) took down #4 @dancinzeus (83k). More specifically in Region 3, #12 @omg_pepper (1.6k) took down #5 @mannyhalloweencat (49.2k), #11 @kingsporkofqueens (2.7k), who is owned by Kate of Barstool Sports, defeated #6@hermiajesty (16.4k), #14 @just_herb_and_phoebe (450) over #3 @smushball (490k), #10 @catnamedpizza (4.6k) over #7 @lincoln_and_kiwi (11.5k), and #15 @coupleofclassycats (400), who are owned by Chelsea Brea from Temptation Island, over #2 @pudgethecat (642k).
We also saw some other powerhouses go down, including #16 @therealhandsomekai (345) taking down #1 seeded @waffles_the_cat (886k) and #15 @boyce_brotherz (385) over #2 @strykerthecat (844k) in Region 3, which has all but made the path for @abdulscats (176k), the leading vote-getter in this round with 724, a much easier path to the Final Four. One big upset that almost happened, but didn’t, was between #4 @adventurecatleo (110k) and #13 @showbizkitties (820), who lost by only 6 votes.
Check out the bracket below for several other upsets that occurred, and state tuned for the beginning of the Round of 32 this morning (Sat 3/19) with Regions 1 and 3 tipping off again, followed by 2 and 4 on Sun 3/20.
About March Meowdneess: 2021 Summary & 2022 Updates
Hi there – Harris from Catfluence here. Before I get into the 2021 Summary and 2022 Updates, I’ll give a brief background about what “March Meowdness” is and how it came about.
In the early stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic, like many others, I was stuck working from home, couldn’t really go anywhere, and had a lottt more time on my hands. The NCAA College Basketball Tournament had been cancelled, but I still had the urge to fill out a bracket for something, and I came up with the idea for a bracket of the top cat accounts on IG.
The accounts are seeded 1-16 in four “regions” based on follower count. The way it works is for each round I’ll share the matchups as polls to the @Catfluence IG story. Followers and fans will vote on which account they want to win, and after 24 hours the account with more votes will advance to the next round.
There will not be a play-in game, but otherwise, everything will follow the real-life men’s college basketball tournament timeline. 2020 was all kind of thrown together last minute, and while a lot more planning went into 2021, there were still a lot of lessons learns and some changes coming to this year.
One major change will be that the competition will, unfortunately, be limited to USA-based accounts only. This is largely in part because of both supply chain shortages and the increase in shipping costs. It’s simply too expensive for myself and for brands to ship out the prizes to the winners internationally, which I bit the bullet on last year, but costs have gone up even more since then.
Last year’s champion, Moss, will sadly not be able to repeat as the winner, but Smush, who finished first in 2020 and runner up last year, will look to regain the throne. Brands will also be shipping out their prizes to winners individually, rather than me gathering all the prizes and shipping them together in one package. These changes are the only way for me to scale this, and I hope everyone understands – I am very sorry to anyone who is left out this year!
That being said, I would also like to express my gratitude to all the amazing brands who have agreed to sponsor prizes for the Final Four this year. More on each brand is below, and they’ll be featured on the bracket and in content Catfluence social channels throughout the tournament.
We’re still accepting submissions, so if you’d like to enter your cat Instagram account to compete, please fill out this short form. Once spaces are filled and the seeds are chosen, the bracket will be added here to be filled out and submitted. Prizes will also be given out to accounts who fill out a bracket and share it to their IG stories. Updates to this blog post will be made following each round.
Best of luck everyone!!!
2022 Preview
March Meowdness is back and better than ever! Even more brands are on board to sponsor prizes for the Final Four and Tournament Champion, and many of the top accounts from last year have returned. You can scroll down to read a summary of last year as well as to see all of this years’ brand sponsors.
Several accounts who made it as far as the Sweet 16 last year will be looking to get back to that point this year and get further now that 2022’s contest is USA-based accounts only and @mosstherat, the reigning champion, cannot participate.
Returning Sweet 16 accounts include @unatheadventurecat, @elliemcat, @sirsimonaofsays, @blu.bluragdoll, @bambiandfosters, @chuckandsophia, @louis_the_kitten_prince, @thejunocat, who is back for the third year in a row, and @venustwofacecat, who leads the pack with 2 million followers.
One account to watch is @abdulscats, who entered in 2021 with 1.5k followers, but has experienced tremendous growth since, with over 176k followers to date! Another large account to watch is @smushofficial, who took home the crown in 2020 and fell in the finals to Moss in 2021, so you never know what happens with upsets in March and the power of the internet.
After each round, there will be a new summary posted to the top of this blog with an updated bracket. Check out the timeline below and check out the bracket to take a look at the regional matchups.
Key Dates:
- Selection Sunday: March 13
- First round: March 17-18
- Second round: March 19-20
- Sweet 16: March 24-25
- Elite Eight: March 26-27
- Final Four: April 2
- Championship matchup: April 4
2022 Catfluence March Meowdness Sponsors
Bad Cat Coffee Company
Bad Cat was founded by Traci and inspired by her beloved cat, Peaches!
Bad Cat Coffee Co. serves locally roasted, coffee, espresso, cat-themed lattes and so much more at the Morgan Street Food Hall, 411 W. Morgan Street, Raleigh, NC 27603. They also have an online store.
They also ship anywhere in the USA and deliver in their local area in North Carolina. They will be giving a bag of ground coffee, a t-shirt, and a travel mug to the first-place winner!
Catfluence
Catfluence is a brand dedicated to cat influencers, influencers with cats, and more!
We’ll be putting up shirts, mugs, stickers, hats, and other merch from our store as prizes to the Final Four.
Fat Cat Foods
Orlando-based Fat Cat Gourmet Foods is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Eyal Goldshmid and Deborah Moskowitz, two long-time foodies who made their passion for exploring flavorful and fiery food their full-time profession.
Their award-winning sauces focus on that magical middle ground where flavor and fire meet. Their products feature exotic flavor combinations, all-natural ingredients, and heat levels ranging from mild to super-hot. They are purr-fect for grilling, marinating, dipping, and more.
Deborah and Eyal had a cat named Tiggy, who is no longer with us, but at one point got up to 23 pounds, hence the name “Fat Cat”. They will give a three-pack of their hot sauces to the winner!
FIWOTTTDA
FIWOTTTDA® is a home appliance brand with over 10 years of experience in air purification products. The product range includes air purifiers, commercial ozone generators, etc. It provides a full range of indoor air quality equipment-based solutions in technology, such as air purifiers, humidifiers, air disinfection spas, heating, and cooling.
They have conducted extensive research and development on internal filtration technology, which has also enhanced their capabilities and expertise. They are giving a $20 gift card to their website to the first-place winner.
Inspire Unity
Due to the seemingly negative world we live in, Inspire Unity was created by college students Jason and Noah to bring people together through the things we love!
They have created a series of online projects has created a way to unite people despite daily challenges and differences we all face. Each project will consist of thousands of pictures submitted by people all over the world. Each photo will be coupled with a donation and be uploaded to the collage of the designated project. The donations from each upload will be used to help fund a cause/organization connected to the project.
Their first project consists of their adored furry friends – cats – specifically, Fur Angels Rescue Shelter (FARS) a 501(c)(3) foster-based nonprofit in Toledo, Ohio. They will be giving away a beanie and a free upload to their cat collage.
Juvenia Pets
JUVENIA PETS is a nutritional supplement based on Resveratrol (powerful antioxidant of natural origin) unique on the market that delays the general aging of dogs.
In addition, it is the ideal accompaniment in the treatment of chronic diseases. They will be donating a bottle of Juvenia Cats Gel to the Final Four.
Litter Genie
Litter Genie® cat litter disposal system is the ultimate, hassle-free solution for controlling cat litter odors. Keeping you – and your cat – happy.
Each of the Final Four competitors will receive a Litter Genie XL Pail and the winner will receive a swag pack of branded products!
Living Art USA
Living Art USA was founded in 2010 by Jane Morocco. Jane is an industry leader as well as an accomplished author, environmentalist, philanthropist, and community activist.
Living Art features luscious, low maintenance plant varieties perfect for any urban growing environment that are pet and child-Safe.
The winner will receive a plant of choice – Money Tree (Pachira Trunk) or Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea).
Oskar & Klaus
Oskar was a blind cat who sadly passed away in 2018. His sidekick and best friend is known as “The Klaus.” Also part of the family are blind cats George and Juno, who made a run in our tournament last year!
Oskar & Klaus has their own online store with merch, stickers, books, and more! Their “Mission to Cataria” book was an official selection for “Story Time From Space”, and was read by astronaut Ricky Arnold from the International Space Station.
For this years’ prizes, they will be giving away a special prize pack with some pawesome goodies!
PETKIT
PETKIT Network Technology Co., Ltd., founded in 2013, is a high-tech company dedicated to designing and producing smart products for pets.
The company has rapidly developed into one of the world’s leading technology-engaged companies in the pet industry. Supported by their award-winning design and technology team, their goal is to provide elegant, sustainable, and cost-effective products and services, which they do to over 30 countries across the world.
The winner will receive several products from their online store, including Fresh Element Solo, Eversweet Solo, Breezy Dome, and Lifted Pet Bed all together.
Pizzacat
You’ve probably seen The Pizza Cat floating around the internet, well they are the original creators of this viral kitty!
They make hilarious original memes and videos with their two cats, Pizza and Cheeto, who both participated in the Meowdness the past two years. They also run the IG account @chonksdointhings.
Check out the Pizza Cat Party Website to learn more as well as the Uncle Grumpy Inc Esty store for merch. Stickers will be sent out to our finalists!
Purradise Ranch
Purradise Ranch is a sanctuary for desperate house cats and a non-profit 501(c)3 organization located in Phoenix, AZ, operated by Priscilla Dean – President, Felix G. Ray – Treasurer, and Roz Deason – Secretary.
The ranch is home to over 75 cats who roam freely in a one-acre, specially-fenced and loving environment for the rest of their lives. All of the cats are free to come and go as they please, except for a few kittens who live in the Hacienda – but they now have their own catio to enjoy the beautiful Arizona weather.
Each finalist will get a copy of VoCATbulary Words: What Part of “Meow” Do You Not Understand?!, written by Priscilla and available on Amazon. They made a pawesome promo video too!
Saveplace
saveplace is a manufacturer of Home, Pet, Kids, Adults goods… And it all started with the idea of a hammock in a dream!
The idea was born in the light of daylight in 2014. The first collection of hammocks was sewn by the founder herself. Now the sewing company in Lithuania sews the highest quality goods of the patented brand saveplace® for homes, pets, children and adults.
They will be providing a Chair/Table Hammock and Ninja Plush Cat Toy to the winner.
Shameless Pets
Shameless Pets is a fun and sustainable pet treat brand using upcycled fruits and veggies!
They have many pawesome treats for dogs and cats including flavors such as Catnip ‘n Chill, Yam Good Salmon, and More Lobster, Cheese.
The champion of March Mewodness will receive a year’s supply of treats ($140 value)!
Sweet Dream Pet Baskets
Based in Tokya, Japan, Sweet Dream Pet Baskets was founded by Deniz Aygün Benba, an nter-disciplinary artist from Istanbul, Turkey.
One she started crocheting a basket for herself, her cats Pusheen and Frost were sitting in them, and after that basket, she kept making more and more. They are the only brand worldwide using up-cycled t-shirt yarn to knit baskets for pets, and their techniques and patterns are all original, inspired by ancient tapestry patterns, as well as modern styles and symbols.
They also have an amazing ambassador program that we encourage you to check out if you’re looking to get involved with a brand and grow your cat account. They will be providing a cat collar to the first place winner.
Uproot Clean
Uproot Clean makes easy to use, effective, and affordable Patent Pending lint/pet hair cleaner that works on clothes, bedding, carpets, furniture, and more! All that you need to say goodbye to your lint and pet hair woes!
They will be providing a bundle set with 1x Uproot Cleaner Pro, 1x Uproot Cleaner Mini and 1x Uproot Cleaner Max to each of the Final Four accounts.
Vital Cat
A balanced diet of healthy, raw cat food can provide relief for your cat’s dry skin and coat while also improving oral health (helping promote strong teeth and fight bad breath).
Vital Cat® offers only limited ingredient products—raw cat food and treats—so your cat experiences all of the possible health benefits of a raw diet. They have Freeze-Dried Raw Cat Food, Frozen Raw Cat Food, along with snacks, treats, and supplements.
They will be providing some of their food and treats to the Final Four accounts!
1st – $125
- Freeze-Dried Beef & Chicken Dinner Patties – $18.49
- Freeze-Dried Chicken Mini Nibs – $24.89
- Freeze-Dried Pork Dinner Patties – $16.99
- Freeze-Dried Turkey Mini Nibs – $26.99
- Freeze-Dried Chicken Topper – $14.49
- Freeze-Dried Minnow Cat Treats – $6.49
- Freeze-Dried Ahi Tuna – $6.49
- Freeze-Dried Chicken Giblets – $6.49
- Freeze-Dried Chicken Hearts – $6.49
2nd – $75
- Turkey Mini Nib – $26.99
- Pork Dinner Patties – $16.99
- Chicken Topper – $14.49
- Minnow Cat Treats – $6.49
- Chicken Giblets Cat Treats – $6.49
- Rabbit Bites Cat Treats – $6.49
3rd – $50.00
- Beef & Chicken Dinner Patties – $18.49
- Turkey Mini Nibs – $17.99
- Minnow Cat Treats – $6.49
Wag Source
Wag Source is a woman-owned and operated business, founded by a dog-mom in search of a healthier way to treat her two dogs, and ultimately, for all humans who are searching for the best supplements for their dogs and cats!
They have a Calming Aid for Cats and a Kidney Support for cats, and each account in the Final Four will get a jar of their choice. First place will also receive a $50 Wag Source gift card.
When is your next event?
Hi there, it will be starting up again this year on March 16th. Be sure to follow us on IG @catfluence as well as the blog for info on how to get involved.