Championship Summary
We have a winner!!! #8 @littlewafflesbigcity (8.4k) finished up with an impressive, but close, 804 – 752 victory over #12 @the_catnamedcheeto (3.7K). Both accounts had an exciting journey to the finals, but unfortunately, there can only be one champion. A big congratulations to Waffles on being the fourth annual March Meowdness champion, and thank you to all the voters who help make this improbable run possible!
A big thank you to all the brands who sponsored March Meowdness prizes this year! Each for the Final Four accounts will receive a special prize back, with Waffles receiving the most goodies. More information about the sponsors and the and prizes they provided can be found towards the bottom of the blog.
Thank you again to all of our followers and voters who made this the most exciting tournament yet. We could not do this each year without your support and engagement!
Final 4 Summary & Championship Preview
There are FINALly two accounts remaining in the 2023 March Meowdness Tournament! In the Final Four, #12 @the_catnamedcheeto (3.7K) defeated #10 @boyce_brotherz (5.3k) 263 to 116, and #8 @littlewafflesbigcity (8.4k) took down #9 @joeyinthenoniverse (5.7k) 370 to 366! After three long weeks, Cheeto and Waffles will face off for the championship crown!
The matchup will begin on Monday, April 3rd at 9:30 AM EST on our IG stories. The poll will run for 24 hours and on Tuesday, a winner be announced, and prizes from our amazing brand sponsors will be distributed. Be sure to follow @catfluence on IG so you can vote, and read the blog for more updates!
Elite 8 Summary & Final 4 Preview
It’s the final countdown… The Elite Eight has been completed, and the Final Four bracket is all set! #15 seeds @barcelonaboots (702) and @just_herb_and_phoebe (658) had their Cinderella stories cut short, and the highest overall remaining seed, #3 @coleandmarmalade (675k), also fell. Cheeto vs. was one of our highest voted-on matchups this year, with a score of 496-403.
Congratulations to #10 @boyce_brotherz (5.3k), #12 @the_catnamedcheeto (3.7K), #8 @littlewafflesbigcity (8.4k), and #9 @joeyinthenoniverse (5.7k) on their impressive runs to the finals. Boyce Brotherz will face Cheeto next, followed by Waffles and Joey & Co!
Each of these four accounts will receive prizes from our generous sponsors, which can be found at the bottom of this blog post. No matter what happens, it’s guaranteed that this year’s champion will be a #8 seed or higher, the highest since 2021 when #9 @mosstherat (3.8k) was champion.
The Final Four matchup polls will be posted to our IG stories at 9:30 AM EST on Saturday, April 1st. The Championship will begin on Monday, April 3rd at 9:30 AM EST, and a winner will be decided the following day.
Sweet 16 Summary & Elite 8 Preview
The Sweet 16 has completed and the Elite 8 has been set. Many of the top remaining accounts have been eliminated.
#8 @gigi_sagwa_cornish_rex (6.7k) took down #4 @thejunocat (98.1k), and will face off against #10 @boyce_brotherz (5.3k) for the Region 1 title. #12 @the_catnamedcheeto (3.6K) had a huge victory over #1 seed @white_coffee_cat (2.2m), but will have to stay strong against #15 @barcelonaboots (675) who is on an incredible Cinderella run in Region 3.
#8 @littlewafflesbigcity (7.7k) advances to battle the top-seeded remaining account, #3 @coleandmarmalade (675k), who defeated #2 @strykerthecat (872k), which will determine the winner of Region 3. Lastly, #8 @joeyinthenoniverse (5.6k) beat #4 @chloetheserval (402k) and will face our other remaining #15 seed on a magical run, @just_herb_and_phoebe (640).
With four double-digit seeds remaining, and only one 3 or higher seed left, the 2023 Catfluence March Meowdness championship is up for grabs. Follow along on our IG stories on Saturday/Sunday afternoon for the matchup polls. By Monday afternoon, the Final Four will be all set!
Round of 32 Summary & Sweet 16 Preview
After a long four (five) days, the stage is finally set for the Sweet 16!
In Region 1, we saw first-year competitor #8 @gigi_sagwa_cornish_rex (6.7k) take down #1 overall seed @nala_cat (4.5m), and will face off next against long-time March Meowdness competitor, #4 @thejunocat (98.1k). To round out the region is Catfluence blogger #11 @zenmasteroatie (5k), who took down a former champion, #3 @smushofficial (702k), and #10 @boyce_brotherz (5.3k).
The only remaining #1 seed is @white_coffee_cat (2.2m), set to face off #12 @the_catnamedcheeto (3.6K), who was the winner of our FIRST EVER tie with #13 @count_salem (2.2k), who each had exactly 350 votes. The tiebreaker was decided by posting another IG poll for 24 hours, and the final votes were 551-523 in favor of Cheeto! It was a valiant effort by Salem and one of our greatest matchups of all time. #3 @pudgethecat (633k) will face off against Cinderella #15 @barcelonaboots (675), a cat belonging to actor, model, and influencer, @jared_p_smith.
In Region 2, four-year competitor #1 @venustwofacecat (2.2m) was defeated by Catfluence Ambassador, #8 @littlewafflesbigcity (7.7k) and will match up against #13 @blublu.ragdoll (2.6k), who made it to the Elite 8 in 2021. The last matchup in Region two will feature two of the strongest remaining competitors going head to head in #2 @coleandmarmalade (675k) vs. #2 @strykerthecat (872k).
Last, but not least, in Region 4, #9@joeyinthenoniverse (5.6k) came out victorious over #1@cobythecat (1.8m), and will match up against #4 @chloetheserval (402k) in the Sweet 16. #6 @zolder_the_cat (27.7k) defeated fan-favorite @spongecake_thescottishfold (471k), and will face #15 @just_herb_and_phoebe (640), who look to continue their magical run after taking down #10 @princessjojoofgreenwich (5.4k) and #15 @smudge_lord (1.6m) in the first round.
The Sweet 16 will begin on Thursday, March 23rd at 9:30 AM EST with Region’s 1 and 3, following by Region’s 2 and 4 on Friday the 24th. The Elite 8 will be announced on Saturday morning and matchups will begin shortly after. Be sure to vote on our story polls and follow along in the blog and story highlights for more updates and info!
Round of 64 Summary & Round of 32 Preview
…And just like that the first round of March Meowdness is complete!
On Day 1, Region 1 was pretty standard, while Region 3 saw some big-time upsets. In Region 1, #1 overall seed @nala_cat (4.5m) advanced in a tough matchup vs #16 @loughtoncatlady (107), along with #2 @waffles_the_cat (859k), former champion #3 @smushofficial (702k), and four-time Meowdness competitor, #4 @thejunocat (98.1k).
In Region 3, #1 @white_coffee_cat (2.2m), advanced, but #9 @theblackbasil (6.1k), #12 @the_catnamedcheeto (3.6K), #13 @count_salem (2.2k), #10 @elliot.and.olivia (5.3k), all successfully completed upsets. The biggest of all came from #15, @barcelonaboots (675) defeating #2, @owl__kitty (1m). In there round of 32 a matchup we’re keeping a close eye on is between close friends, #12 @the_catnamedcheeto (3.6K) and #13 @count_salem (2.2k)!
On Day 2, Region 2, all of the top seeds surprisingly advanced. In Region 2 we’re keeping an eye on #8 @littlewafflesbigcity (7.7k) facing off against #1 @venustwofacecat (2.2m), and #2 @strykerthecat (872k) looking strong with over 250 Round 1 votes.
In Region 4, #4 @chloetheserval (402k) came out strong with 363 votes, more than any other account. She will face off next against #12 @chamberlain.casa.cats (3.7k), who also had a strong showing with 213 votes in an upset victory over #5 @peterbald_meowfia (45.8k)!
The Round of 32 with Regions 1 and 3 will begin on Saturday, March 18th at 1 PM EST and run for 24 hours, followed by Regions 2 and 4 on Sunday, March 19th at the same time. Updates about next week’s matchups will be posted on Monday, March 20th. The updated bracket is below. Follow along on our IG stories in the polls to vote and stay tuned for more!
2022 Summary
It’s that time of year again! March Meowdness is back! Before giving the details of the 2023 tournament, we will give a brief summary of 2022…
Congratulations again to #4 @abdulscats (176k) on his 948 votes (53%) in the finals against #10 @catnamedpizza (4.6k) 829 (47%). Abdul and Pizza, along with #12 @count_salem (2.1k) and #5 @tunatheadventurecat (70.1k) all received some amazing prizes from our brand sponsors.
The full blog from the 2022 competition can be found here, along with 2021, and 2020 summaries. Other past winners include @mosstherat (2021) and @smushofficial (2020)
2023 Preview
It’ssssssss timeeeeeeee (Bruce Buffer voice) for March Meowdness 2023!!! We have 45 returning accounts from last year, including two of the Final Four participants – #13 @count_salem (2.1k) and #5 @tunatheadventurecat (70.1k) – as well as two others from the Elite Eight. This means that 19 new accounts will have a shot at greatness and some amazing prizes…
Other returning participants from the last few years looking to make another run include #2 @strykerthecat (872k), #4 @thejunocat (98.1k), #7 @louis_the_kitten_prince (11.5k), #10 @princessjojoofgreenwich (5.4k), #10 @elliot.and.olivia (5.3k), #12 @the_catnamedcheeto (3.6K), and #13 @blublu.ragdoll (2.6k) to name a few.
Many of these cool cats belong to awesome influencers who we are looking forward to having involved this year such as #13 @kingsporkofqueens (2.6k), #15 @barcelonaboots (675), #13 @kittamoose (1.3K), @meistertravelcat (2.9k), and #14 @brooklynfrmtheblock (1.3k). Can #3 @smushofficial (702k) also make a run to the finals after winning the championship in 2020???
Be sure to check out all this year’s brand sponsors and follow along with the key dates so you can share/vote on our IG stories below!!
Key Dates:
- Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 12
- First round: March 16-17 (Region 1/3 on 16th, Region 2/4 on 17th)
- Second round: March 18-19 (Region 1/3 on 18th, Region 2/4 on 19th)
- Sweet 16: March 23-24 (Region 1/3 on 23rd, Region 2/4 on 24th)
- Elite Eight: March 25-26 (Region 1/3 on 25th, Region 2/4 on 26th)
- Final Four: April 1
- Championship matchup: April 3
View the full bracket and download a copy of your own to fill out online!
2023 Format & FAQ
Each year, as this tournament has evolved since quarantine in 2020, the rules and format have changed for the better. For those who are new, here is a breakdown of how “March Meowdness” works along with some frequently asked questions.
What is March Meowdness? This bracket competition between 64 cat accounts will follow the same timeline as the Men’s College Basketball March Madness. More on that specific timeline can be found in the preview below. It was developed in March 2020 when the real March Madness tournament was canceled and we were all stuck working from home (with our cats).
Who can be in it? The tournament will feature accounts that are USA-based, as this makes things easier for our generous brand sponsors (more on them below) to ship out prizes. All entrants are required to be cat-focused accounts, and we used our best judgment to be as fair as possible while allowing for the most excitement and engagement.
How can you enter your cat into this year’s competition? We’re glad you asked! The easiest way is to fill out this form on our website. We will also be accepting some entries via IG DM or emails to catfluence@yahoo.com. Many accounts from last year will receive an automatic bid into this year, so long as they have been active in posting throughout 2022. It is free for cat accounts and brands to enter.
How do we choose a winner? Also glad you asked! Once 64 teams have been selected, we will put together a bracket with accounts ranked in order based on follower account and broken into 4 groups seeded 1-16. Once the bracket is complete, for each round we will post the matchups for each round in story polls on our Instagram @catfluence for followers to vote for which account they would like to win.
What do the winners get? The Final Four accounts will all receive pawesome prizes from our generous sponsors (see below). First place will receive the most, followed by second, and the two who lose in the Final Four will always receive free items.
How can you follow along? As mentioned, the matchup polls for each round will be posted to our IG stories and follow the men’s basketball tournament timeline. We will post updates to this blog post after each day, and also make social posts on all our channels prior to each round (we encourage you to follow us and subscribe for post notifications).
2023 Sponsors
Abdul’s Cats
When Abdul & Shamiyan, got into fostering with their first kitten Bambi, they become so attached that they adopted her!
Seeing how transformative caring for Bambi was, they decided to continue fostering, which is such an important aspect of animal rescue systems. To date, they have fostered and helped find homes for over 50 cats!
With over 300k IG followers, Abdul’s Cats spreads an incredible message of love, positivity. and CATS! They will be giving a cat t-shirt and sticker package from their store to the winner of March Meowdness.
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 swag available in an online store.
They also ship anywhere in the USA and deliver in their local area in North Carolina. They will be giving an insulated tumbler, a bag of coffee, and a tote bag 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 cat accounts.
Cat Lady Academy
Founded by Nikki Hess, Philly native, marketer, and meowmy to @mannyhalloweencat, Cat Lady Academy provides personal coaching and online courses for cat IG accounts, along with tips for new & established accounts.
You can check out the courses she currently has available by visiting the CLA website. These guides will help you work with brands and promote their products on your cat’s Instagram!
Nikki and Cat Lady Academy will be giving a bundle of her/Manny’s ebooks! The ebook bundle ($35 value) would include:
- Manny’s ebook “Paws & Reflect”
- Manny Halloween Cat’s Guide to Holiday Catting
- Never Forget Another Cat Day
- Organizing Your Cat Photos and Videos
- Help Your Cat Have a Healthy New Year
Bob Eckstein
Bob Eckstein is an internationally-known, award-winning illustrator, New Yorker cartoonist and NY Times bestseller. He is also an adjunct professor and host of The Cartoon Pad. His new book is The Complete Book of Cat Names (That Your Cat Won’t Answer to, Anyway), which he will provide the March Meowdness winner with a copy of.
You can find more about Bob here on his website. For other books he has authored, check out this link. For more updates you can follow him on Twitter or Instagram or sign up for his newsletter.
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!
Katio
Katio has created many pawesome products, including the Kitty Kafé Floating Pet Bowl Set, which is a wall-mounted food & water bowl system. This product elevates your cat bowls off the door and helps aid with food digestion and prevents whisker stress/fatigue.
It’s a great space safe and easy to clean – it even allows for robot vacuums to clean underneath! Check it out here. The winner of March Meowdness will receive a free bowl kit.
Kitty Kubed
Kitty Kubed is an innovative, cozy, home-in-a-home solution to the international cat creed: If I fits, I sits. It’s a simple but effective toy that cats love! Get your kitty a kitty kubed! #kittykubed
Made in the USA with durable and 100% sustainable corrugated cardboard, our 13” x 13“ kubes are lightweight and inconspicuous – An attractive and long-lasting upgrade from your old shoebox! Kitty Kubed helps other kitty’s! $1 of each purchase will be donated to benefit an animal in a shelter.
Kitty Kubed will be giving away one of their products to the winner of March Meowdness.
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. Most plants are 12-24″ in height.
The winner will receive a pet-friendly plant of choice -including the Money Tree (Pachira Trunk), Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea), and many more! They are non-toxic so your pets and kids will not get sick if they take a nibble.
Make Sure Pet
Thanks to inspiration from MA SHU (similar pronunciation as “makesure”), an adorable cat raised by chief designer, ZHANG HAIZHOU, the leisure company and its fully IP-owned design brand makesure® (ms!) was born in 2018.
After thousands of drafts and sample testing, they released their most popular product: the makesure litter box, which won an iF Design Award 2020 and Golden Pin Design Award 2019.
The winner of March Meowdness will receive a green gift box (includes one green makesure cat litter box MAX, two green hola toy, and two green combs)!
Matrix Partners
Matrix Partners is an award-winning brand strategy, design, and marketing communications firm that specializes in creating custom programs to help pet product companies achieve their marketing and financial goals. They’re providing a generous amount of prizes to the Final Four accounts on behalf of their clients.
- 1st Place: (1) Van Ness Calm Carrier or Calm Carrier Max, (1) Omega Plus King Salmon Mini Bites, (1) HandsOn grooming gloves
- 2nd Place: (1) Pawse Mighty Mushrooms, (3) Hound & Gatos wet food cans of any flavor
- 3rd Place: (1) Omega Plus King Salmon Bites
- 4th Place: (2) Hound & Gatos wet food cans of any flavor
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 Pizza and Cheeto, who both participated in the Meowdness the past three 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 sick merch. Stickers will be sent out to our finalists!
Posh & Tizzy
Posh & Tizzy is a boutique for misunderstood cats & their humans! Founded by Amy of Northwest Arkansas, they are dedicated to providing high-quality products and services for both black cat and big cat lovers. Posh is her senior black cat, while Tizzy is her younger black cat.
This boutique has been generous enough to provide the following prizes for March Meowdness:
🏆 First Prize: choice of one kitchen towel + one coffee cup
🏆 Second Prize: choice of one coffee cup
Shameless Pets
Shameless Pets is a fun and sustainable pet treat brand using upcycled fruits and veggies! From hip and joint support to fresh breath, there’s a health benefit for every flavor, and they NEVER sacrifice taste.
They have many pawesome treats for dogs and cats including flavors such as Cluck’n Sweet Catnip, Shrimp, Purr-adise, You Tuna Me, and several others.
Just like last year, the champion of March Mewodness will receive a year’s supply of treats ($140 value)!
Uproot Clean
Uproot Clean makes an easy-to-use, effective, and affordable 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 their NEW Deshedders (coming soon) and Uproot Cleaner Pros to each of the Final Four accounts. Check out all their other products on their website.
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 each.
Wellnergy Pets
Dr. Zonram Liao is a Veterinarian and the Founder of Wellnergy Pets. There are a LOT of pet product and supplement companies out there, but how many are founded and ran by actively practicing veterinary staff? Only at Wellnergy Pets!
They see over 5000 patients a year, giving them a unique insight when it comes to feedback from our patients for challenges of managing pet issues at home, and developing products accordingly. Dr. Z believes that with a proactive approach at home with pet owners, they can help to improve the lives of people and their pets and hopefully keep potential veterinary visits to a minimum. His team works diligently to develop safe, effective products for your pet’s needs, in a form that they will enjoy. Please feel free to visit their website at www.wellnergypets.com, and let them know what they can do for you. They can’t wait to provide your pets the best preventive and supportive pet care. Thank you in advance for joining the Wellnergy Pets family!
For March Meowdness, Wellnergy will be providing a hairball control multivitamin to the winner and a probiotic travel pack (10ct) for the rest of the Final 4 🙂
Good luck 🙂
Thank you!