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Hot on the Tail of Grumpy Cat, Maru Catapults His Way to the Top
Current Friskies 50 Standings Released; Grumpy Cat and Maru Take the Top Two Spots in an Ever-Changing List of Cat Culture Influencers

ST. LOUIS (November 7, 2014) – Today, Friskies® released the latest Friskies 50 standings[1], the definitive guide to the 50 most influential cats on the Internet. With new feline phenoms popping up online every day, the Friskies 50 allows cat lovers to easily follow the status of their favorite furry friends. In the latest list, Grumpy Cat maintains her position at the top of the rankings, but Maru – who catapulted from #14 in the original standings – is closing in on Grumpy Cat and holding steady in the #2 position.  Will they be able to hold their reign in the coming months?

Beyond the top two rankings, there is a lot of movement in the rest of the list, including Waffles breaking into the top 10 and Colonel Meow moving up the rankings significantly. Plus, as a result of outside nominations, newcomers like Suzie The Bomb Cat achieve a coveted spot in the list.

“It’s captivating to see how the current standings have changed and we’re thrilled that a large part of that is due to how well the Friskies 50 has been received by cat lovers,” says Marine Dubois-Roussel, marketing associate for Friskies. “Since the launch of the Friskies 50 in July, a lot of cats are rising to the top while others are falling down and – in some cases – off the list completely.  It’s been a lot of fun to learn about the cats our fans have nominated and see how they stack up in the rankings.”

Waffles, an adorable Scottish Fold from California, surges up to #10 from his initial standing at #41, which is one of the most notable jumps in the list so far. His hobbies include playing with paper bags, cardboard and feathers, as well as people watching and licking. Without a doubt, Waffles will be a cat to watch.

Although Colonel Meow is no longer with us, his spirit and determination live on. This month, the strong-willed cat makes a ten-spot leap from #24 to #14. Will he climb to the top 10 next month?

Two new kitties break into the Friskies 50 thanks to the support of outside nominations.  Suzie The Bomb Cat makes her big debut at #34, and Daisy The Curly Cat closes out the list at #50.

Friskies 50 - Top 50 Influential Cats (as of November 7)

 

  1. Grumpy Cat

26. Hamilton The Hipster Cat

  1. Maru

27.  Joey The Garden Cat

  1. Lil Bub

28. Snoopybabe

  1. Shironeko

29. Pokey

  1. Sparta & Loki

30. Sam Has Eyebrows

  1. Nylah Kitty

31. Sockington

  1. N2 The Talking Cat

32. Justin Fire Survivor

  1. Nala

33. Hank

  1. Oskar & Klaus

34. Suzie The Bomb Cat

  1. Waffles

35. Choupette Lagerfeld

  1. Anakin The Two Legged Miracle Cat

36. Princess Monster Truck

  1. Venus The Two Faced Cat

37. Corky The Cradle Cat

  1. Henri Le Chat Noir

38. Smushball

  1. Colonel Meow

39. Richard Kitty

  1. Wasabi

40. Spangles The Cross Eyed Cat

  1. Luna The Fashion Kitty

41. Mercury The Cat

  1. Cole & Marmalade

42. Milla The Cat

  1. Hero Cat

43. Chase No Face

  1. Pudge

44. Lazarus The Vampire Cat

  1. City The Kitty

45. Blacky The Wheelchair Cat

  1. Homer The Blind Wonder Cat

46. Little Bear

  1. Street Cat Bob

47. Hello Oskar

  1. Winston

48. Pretzel (The Little Kitty That Could)

  1. Cooper The Photographer Cat

49. Dewey

  1. Nora The Piano Cat

50. Daisy The Curly Cat

 

Be sure to go to www.Friskies50.com for additional information about the current standings and follow the conversation online using the hashtag #Friskies50. Stay tuned to see how rankings may differ in future lists.

If there is a cat out there that you love and think the world should know about, visit www.Friskies50.com and fill out the nomination form. If the cat makes the cut, he/she will be featured on the list. Additionally, you can subscribe to receive updates on your favorite influential cats.

ABOUT FRISKIES 50

Utilizing a proprietary algorithm based on each cat’s social media reach and engagement levels across various social platforms, the Friskies 50 compiles the most influential Internet cats every month (out of a total of more than 250 cats) and ranks them in order from 1-50 at www.Friskies50.com. The index methodology also takes into account the cat’s presence in traditional news such as recent mentions in print and online articles. While each cat’s ranking is strongly influenced by the number of social channels the cat is engaged on and the level of media coverage they receive, a key factor is also the public's reception of the content and coverage.

With the Friskies 50, users are able to view how cats rank each month depending on their score from the previous month. Arrows displayed beside each cat's name indicate upward or downward movement. For example, upward indicators in green show an increase in score and downward indicators in red show a decrease. All data collected is publicly available.

ABOUT FRISKIES

The Friskies® brand offers a complete line of great-tasting cat foods, including more than 60 wet, dry and treat varieties. Friskies is manufactured by Nestlé Purina PetCare, a global leader in the pet care industry. Nestlé Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. A premiere global manufacturer of pet products, Nestlé Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., a global leader in nutrition, health and wellness.


[1] Disclaimer:  The Friskies 50 does not represent all cats whose owners have created social accounts on their behalf. As new accounts are created, those account holders must correspond with the Friskies 50 for inclusion in the Friskies 50 index. Any account holder must notify the Friskies 50 in writing via the website www.friskies50.com/remove if he/she does not wish to be included in the index.

 

For further information: Jennifer Knoeppel Taylor (212) 714-5732 jknoeppel@taylorstrategy.com or Niky Roberts Friskies (314) 982-3958 nicole.roberts@purina.nestle.com