Fresh Step, Kat Dennings Step Up to Help Shelter Cats Ahead of The Garfield Movie Release
In celebration of the upcoming Columbia Pictures/Alcon Entertainment’s The Garfield Movie, Fresh Step has teamed up with actress and animal advocate Kat Dennings to help shelter cats. The famous adopted feline is the face of a limited-edition Fresh Step box benefiting Best Friends Animal Society, a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters in 2025.
Available only at Walmart, every custom box purchased between May 1 and June 9 triggers a litter donation to Best Friends of up to 1 million pounds of litter, which will be distributed through their lifesaving centers across the country to provide a more nurturing environment for cats awaiting their forever homes.
As an adoptee himself, Garfield has a particularly tender place in the hearts of Fresh Step and Dennings, two longtime supporters of Best Friends. Garfield’s adoption story, which is revealed in The Garfield Movie, captures the mission work and belief held at the core of Fresh Step: every cat deserves to find a loving home. As the official litter partner of the organization since 2019, Fresh Step has helped hundreds of cats get adopted through both monetary and litter donations.
“Like Jon and Garfield’s relationship, the connection I share with my cats is one of the most healing relationships I’ve ever known,” said Dennings. “The pure, unconditional love we share with the pets who choose us is truly unmatched, and I’m happy to support Fresh Step as it champions that special connection.”
With litter box rejection being one of the top reasons why cats are returned to shelters, Fresh Step is proud to provide a variety of litter products and educational tools to help parents and cats thrive. For example, the limited-edition Garfield pack of Fresh Step Extreme Mountain Spring litter offers powerful 10-day odor control.
“Fresh Step knows that adoption is just the beginning of a new journey, and that cats and their families need the right products and resources to have a happy, healthy life together,” said Eric Jamison, marketing director, Fresh Step. “Just like Garfield, every cat deserves to find a loving home. That’s why we’re committed to supporting the important work of Best Friends, creating a wide variety of products to meet cats at every stage, and intersecting cultural moments like The Garfield Movie when relevant.”
“Thankfully, audiences know that Garfield’s adoption story is a happy one, and we hope that through this meaningful collaboration with Fresh Step, people will support Best Friends Animal Society and their mission to help shelter cats,” said Jeffrey Godsick, EVP of global partnerships and brand management and head of location-based entertainment at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
In the movie, Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, has an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father — scruffy street cat Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson). Garfield and his canine friend Odie then are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist. The Garfield Movie debuts exclusively in theaters nationwide beginning Friday, May 24.
