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Even as efforts to eliminate the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal cases continue, one rapper (who was criticized not that long ago for the inscrutability of his rhymes) is facing a federal case in which much of the evidence against him comes from his lyrics. Huffington Post editor Philip Lewis acquired and shared the full 88-page indictment against Young Thug, who is being accused of racketeering by federal authorities who call his label, YSL Records, a criminal organization. The indictment includes several of Young Thug’s lyrics, which Lewis posted to Twitter.

Among them are bars from songs such as “Anybody,” from Thug’s 2018 EP Hear No Evil, his 2014 single “Eww,” Slime Language 2 hit single “Ski,” and “Slatty,” from that same compilation. All are described as “overt act(s) in furtherance of the conspiracy.”

Along with Young Thug, 27 other people including his rap protege Gunna, were charged with 56 counts of murder, armed robbery, and participation in criminal street gang activity. Gunna faces one count of conspiracy, while Thug, YSL’s founder, is accused of renting a car used in a 2015 murder and greenlighting an attempt on fellow rapper YFN Lucci in Fulton County Jail (also on racketeering charges).

Unfortunately, Young Thug isn’t the only rapper to have his rhymes used against him. Bobby Shmurda only recently completed a six-year sentence on similar charges when his lyrics were used against him, and before being released from jail, Drakeo The Ruler had his raps held over his head as the former Los Angeles County District Attorney tried to argue his Stinc Team crew was a criminal organization.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Tuesday morning brought a bombshell in the world of NBA media, as Fox Sports and Tom Brady announced the future Hall of Famer will step into Fox’s lead broadcast booth whenever he retires from the NFL (for real this time).

Brady will spend at least one more season under center for the Buccaneers after his initial retirement plans were scuttled this offseason — depending on who you ask, it was simply a change of heart to want to play again or the result of plans to become a player-owner of the Dolphins being nuked by the league’s investigation into Brian Flores’ lawsuit. In any case, Brady now has his post-playing career set up in full, giving Fox the big name they were desperate to find after Joe Buck and Troy Aikman bolted for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, but the price to bring in Brady is very steep.

Initial reports indicated Brady would get $20-25 million annually, but Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that was underestimating the contract by a considerable amount. Per Marchand, Brady’s new deal is for 10 years and a whopping $375 million, making his annual salary double that of Aikman and Tony Romo.

It’s not a surprise that Brady would immediately become the highest paid man in NFL television, but that is a rather preposterous figure, as Brady will now make more in the booth than he did in all but one season (2021, when he made $39 million) as arguably the best quarterback ever — and more over 10 years than he did in his 23 seasons in the NFL. Fox is banking on Brady drawing eyeballs not only to their lead broadcast but to other shows where he’ll serve as Fox Sports’ ambassador, but at $375 million, it’s hard to know just how much return on investment they will get.

This year’s Austin City Limits line-up is stacked with several exciting acts. Upon returning to Austin’s Zilker Park for its annual celebration of live music, ACL has a promising group of headliners.

Taking place over the course of three days for two consecutive weekends, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Chicks, Pink, SZA, Kacey Musgraves, Flume, Paramore, and Lil Nas X will headline both the weekends of October 7 to 9 and October 14 to 16. Texas fans of Lil Nas X will be elated to see the “Industry Baby” rapper live after the initial announcement of his Montero tour didn’t include any Texas dates, due to the fact that his “ex lives out there.”

Also on the line-up are Diplo, Japanese Breakfast, Jazmine Sullivan, Omar Apollo, Bia and more.

While many of the acts will perform both weekends, some acts will only perform one of the weekends. Carly Rae Jepsen, Gayle, Lil Durk, and James Blake will all play weekend one only. Wet Leg, Lucky Daye, Princess Nokia, and Teezo Touchdown will play weekend two.

General on-sale begins today at noon CT. Check out the full line-up below.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has firmly established himself as one of the best players in the NBA — and, for many the best — with his performance over the last few years, winning back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020, a DPOY to go along with that 2020 MVP, and his first championship and Finals MVP a year ago.

As the Bucks continue their title defense in a tightly contested second round series with the Boston Celtics, Giannis continues to put up sensational stat lines and give Milwaukee a chance despite the absence of their second best player, Khris Middleton, from the series. Giannis’ greatness is just an accepted part of NBA fandom at this point, but his journey to this point and his backstory is nothing short of incredible. That journey for Giannis and his family, from the streets of Greece to the NBA, will be the subject of a new Disney+ original movie this summer, titled RISE.

On Tuesday, Disney released the first full trailer for RISE, showing a young Giannis and his brothers getting introduced to basketball, dealing with racism and xenophobia as immigrants from Nigeria in Greece, and how they as a family worked to create the opportunity to go to the NBA.

RISE will release on Disney+ on June 24.

Jean Smart rules. I realize that this is not exactly a newsflash. She’s ruled for decades, all the way back to Designing Women, and she really started to hit TV streak with a mix of prestige and pulpy entries like Fargo and Legion and Dirty John. With HBO’s Watchmen, Jean reveled in her flair for sardonic wit, somehow maintaining the utmost seriousness while lovingly fondling a Doctor Manhattan body-part replica that she kept in a briefcase, and then we really received a 2021 treat with the (as our own Brian Grubb described it) the Summer Of Jean Smart. This meant a glorious double-header of Smart-fueled curmudgeonry with Mare of Easttown and Hacks. That latter show has returned, and it’s as sharp as ever with a quick second-season turnaround.

Ain’t no one got time to wait three years in between Hacks seasons. I can respect that game and its expediency. And the show still aims to stay lean and mean with most of the focus on the central pair. The show pairs Smart (as comedian-clinging-to-clout Deborah Vance) with Hannah Einbinder (as canceled-young-writer-who-needs-this-break Ava), and the pair must navigate increasingly treacherous comedy waters. As Jason Tabrys previously pointed out, this is essentially a show about a pair of occasional a-holes who make each other better, both professionally and personally. Together, they prove that a generation gap can be closed, which is a rarified feat, one that Cobra Kai does exceptionally well, too, but with Hacks, that feat is significant. Because comedy’s always been tough, but these days, it’s a minefield.

And I’m not even talking about the promise of Jean Smart with a chainsaw as revealed in a trailer. Are the Emmys calling yet?

Back to the business at hand: most of us are well aware that comedy has met some recent hurdles for which it was not prepared. A lot of jokes simply cannot fly these days, and plenty of comedians have groused over how they’re no longer relevant or can no longer freely offend without backlash. The times are truly changin,’ and I still think that Seth Rogen said it best while declaring that these ex-headliners should own up to their poorly aging jokes and realize that what they’re doing is not so useful to be above being rendered obsolete if they’re f*cking up or telling outdated jokes. And that’s often why Ava’s set of second eyes is so useful to Deborah, even though there’s still plenty of push-and-pull, and Ava does arguably go overboard at times with her own PC ways.

However, I appreciate that Hacks remains committed to that question — when must jokes be changed for the times, and when should the world just, you know, lighten up and laugh? — without making us think too hard about it. The show also resisted doing the “bigger and better” thing with Season 2. Plenty of shows fare well with that tactic, but Hacks knows that it’s best when it focuses on momentum. It picks up where it left off (it’s time to get the hell out of Vegas and onto tour time), and despite all of the glitz involved with Deborah’s lifestyle, the show remains stripped down like a comedy set, and it’s such an economical, breezy watch that — and this hardly ever happens — I wouldn’t even mind a slightly longer runtime. And that’s a secret to this show’s success. It goes just far enough in duration that one believes they’d want more, but restraint is key here. The show doesn’t fall into a self-indulgent trap, although Deborah and Ava sure do feel sorry for themselves at various turns.

So, side stories are minimal and (as with Carl Clemons-Hopkins’ Marcus) ultimately aim to bring characters into the main fold. The action is key with Deborah in close quarters with Ava sh*tting bricks over sending that email filled with potentially defamatory dirt against Deborah. Rest assured, the truth does come out, and boy, is the ensuing awkwardness as good as you’d expect. Tour bus life isn’t fun for anyone, let alone with someone that you f*cked over, so good luck with that, Ava. Tension runs high, but these moments are always treated with humor.

Beyond that central conflict, the show has a blast putting Deborah into wildly different touring scenarios than she grew accustomed to while carrying out her cushy Las Vegas residency. A cruise ship episode hits particularly well (not for Deborah but for the viewing audience at home), and both Ava and Deborah enter into a vacation mindset of sorts. That’s something that Deborah (who’s been hitting the workflow hard for her entire career) obviously isn’t accustomed to, especially since her workplace has long been a vacation spot for many. It’s fun to watch her let loose a little bit, but she always recaptures control, and even when she’s showing a little vulnerability, the lady knows how to make people laugh.

God, this show is a pleasure to watch. I still cackled with glee to continue watching these two characters antagonize each other while begrudgingly also showing respect. They’re both cranky and captivating and slightly insane while both being outcasts in their own realms. They need each other, and they hate it, but there’s still a little bit of love there. And it’s really a testament to the capabilities of Einbinder (not exactly a newcomer to comedy but not yet a household name) that she can roll alongside as magnificent a presence as Smart. (By the way, if you haven’t had the pleasure of catching Einbinder’s episode of the Conan Needs A Friend podcast, put it on your list already.)

In other words, the Broad City team (Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky, and Paul Downs) did it again, and they accomplished a second round of comedy venom and glory, timed to land one day shy of a year since the first season arrived. Not too shabby.

HBO Max’s ‘Hacks’ returns on May 12.

Madison Cawthorn is trying to get ahead of yet another scandal as the North Carolina congressman continues to see his dirty laundry routinely aired in public. This time around, Cawthorn says Politico is planning to roll out a “hit piece” about him, and he wants everyone to know he’s totally not bothered by it, bro. Should be fun!

Here’s what Cawthorn wrote on Twitter because he’s definitely not at all worried about this:

A Politico reporter is writing a hit piece on me. (boring) Here’s some of the tweets he’s liked about me over the last few days:

1. I’m “Living (my) life with hate and intolerance”
2. I’m “a terrible member of Congress”

Can’t wait for this totally unbiased article to drop!

Given the highly embarrassing nature of the last two leaks, which featured videos of Cawthorn having his crotch grabbed by his male cousin and humping another man, people aren’t exactly buying Cawthorn’s claim that he’s not worried about the pending Politico piece. They are, however, getting the popcorn ready because, unlike Cawthorn, the new revelations are sure to be entertaining for them.

You can see some of the reactions below:

Just to put a point on how damaging the Cawthorn leaks have been, Donald Trump has reportedly backed away from the North Carolina congressman even though he’s one of his biggest MAGA acolytes. The former president is reportedly “weirded out” by the latest video, and apparently, has been asking people if Cawthorn is “f*cking his cousin.” Always a good sign.

(Via Madison Cawthorn on Twitter)

The Better Call Saul Lie Detector Test is a weekly recap of the major events of the final season, separated out by their apparent truthfulness at the time. This is not one of those recaps that gets into granular detail about things. It will miss the occasional callback or foreshadowing. But it will be fun. Sometimes, that’s what’s important.

Season 6, Episode 5: “Black and Blue”

Gus is doing great

Gus Fring is a meticulous man, in all facets of his life. He’s meticulous in his day job as the head of Los Pollos, which we saw last week when he told Mike to find new security guys who could work a griddle up to his standards. He’s meticulous as a criminal mastermind, as we’ve seen any number of times when his smile turns to ice and all emotion drains from his face. And he’s meticulous in his personal life, with a closet full of neatly pressed shirts to drive it home.

I think this is one of the reasons the Lalo thing is getting to him. Lalo is… I don’t know if “not meticulous” is the right phrase, because it’s not like he’s sloppy. He just gets by more on charm and a smile and some sly little tricks. If Gus is doing math, Lalo is playing music, just whomping away on a piano to see what, if anything, works. He might be in Mexico one week and then, to pick an example completely at random, show up at a martini bar in Germany the next. Gus has trouble with that because he’s a man of order and logic and Lalo plays by feel. It’s still two cobras circling each other, it’s just that one of the cobras wears glasses and the other has a terrific mustache. I kind of want to see this now.

And so, the paranoia. The seeing threats around every corner. The stares off into the distance at his chicken restaurant when he mentions the “spice curls” he pitched to the higher-ups and how that ties into the superlab. The thing at the end where he plants a gun in the wheel well of a piece of heavy machinery down in the same superlab, a piece of foreshadowing that Chekhov himself could appreciate. We know Gus wins because, well, this is a prequel and he seems to be in the cartel’s good graces once Breaking Bad starts, but the journey of it all is still a blast.

Two titans faced off in the ring

Howard sniffed out Jimmy’s involvement in the various drug and/or prostitution flimflams that have been plaguing his life recently, which, I mean… yeah. This one did not exactly require high-end detective work. If you know Jimmy McGill and he doesn’t like you and you start noticing strange drug/prostitute things in your life, there’s a pretty straight line you can draw there. Jimmy has a style. He barely even made an attempt to hide anything, beyond maybe the thing where Kim is actually the mastermind and not just an accomplice. But still.

The point here is the boxing match. Two middle-aged dudes flailing fists into each other’s livers, both gassed moments into the fight, all of it culminating in Howard clocking Jimmy on the chin and laying him out on the mat. It was a sad display all around, both as an athletic endeavor and for what it all meant for Howard, which I’ll come back to later. Mostly I just wanted to post a GIF of some sad punches. What a delightful show this is, just giving us a weird sad boxing match in the middle of a tense prequel that is zooming toward a conclusion with multiple characters’ fates in the air.

I knew exactly what was happening in that opening scene

Better Call Saul does this, the short little art film cold opens that seem to mean nothing at first and then means a lot by the end of the episode. This time it was the creation of a little slide rule thing encased in glass that Werner had in his house, because of course Werner, another meticulous man and builder of things that are sometimes drug superlabs, would have a glass-encased slide rule in his home.

The thing here is that, because we’ve seen a few meth-cooking montages like this over the years and because it was announced that Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul will pop up at some point, the part of my brain that is entirely the DiCaprio Pointing Meme was like “IS THAT WALT COOKING METHA-… oh.” It’s fine. I’m doing great.

Howard is going to be fine

Here’s the thing about Howard: He’s one of a few main characters on the show whose fate we don’t know. It’s basically down to him, Lalo, and Kim at this point, now that Nacho is buried in a desert somewhere. We also know:

• He is kind of at war with Jimmy and Kim
• They referenced something coming “next,” which sounded like a big ominous deal
• Jimmy and Kim are not the murdering types

All of which makes this interesting. Right now I have my money on Kim surviving and fleeing back to the Midwest, and Lalo dying in the superlab via the gun Gus just hid, but… I don’t have a handle on Howard. Again, I don’t think he dies, unless his new plan of following Jimmy gets him mixed up in bad cartel business somehow. But something has to happen where he’s no longer a significant part of Jimmy’s life, only because there are no more weird boxing matches once Breaking Bad starts. I guess for now I’ll go with “framed for something and disbarred and maybe went to jail.”

Or maybe he buckles down and becomes light heavyweight champion. Probably not, though.

Kim is a mastermind at home security

Kim Wexler is:

• Barricading hotel doors closed with loose desk chairs
• Smoking a lot of cigarettes
• Making sad/pained faces when coworkers tell her that she makes them feel good about the law

Kim Wexler is not doing great. I would not exactly list this as breaking news, but it does seem like it’s all becoming a little too real for her after that meeting with Mike last week and the revelation that Lalo is still alive. This is all going to get very stressful going forward. I don’t want to talk about it anymore right now.

The food at Los Pollos Hermanos is delicious

My gut says yes. I do not think Gus would stand for substandard food quality even at a restaurant he uses mostly as a cover for an international methamphetamine operation. The bigger question I have here is… how good?

Is Los Pollos like a Popeyes of the Southwest? Is that what we’re getting at? Does Gus actually hate Popeyes and see them as his primary competitor? Do they have folksy little commercials that air regionally with a silly little spokesman? Do people get angry about it when the argument comes up? Do websites do rankings of fast-food fried chicken places in the BB/BCS universe and, if so, where does Los Pollos rank? Can you imagine how wild it would be if the CEO and founder of, like, Bojangles, was secretly running an international meth ring?

This is a problem I have. I’m supposed to be watching this show critically, as a professional, for work, and then I realize I’ve just spent 15 minutes on chicken fantasies.

Lalo Salamanca is the most fascinating character on television

There are a couple things happening here, which I will attempt to explain…

The first is that Lalo is a complete sociopath. He flew to Germany and tried to seduce the wife of a man whose death he was mostly responsible for, using a fake name — I was so disappointed he went with “Ben” and not something fun like “Victor Biloxi” — and a martini to woo her a bit. He didn’t get invited in, which was probably good for Werner’s wife, because she might not have made it out of there alive then. But he did find out where she lives and was able to use his startling athleticism again to leap over fences and out windows and do everything short of dance through lasers like a jewel thief in a heist movie.

(Gus kind of figured this out, too, by the way. He knows Lalo is doing Germany things and coming for the superlab, which is why he hid the gun there. There are various Reddit deep dives you can examine to track this all back. The point is that the people who make these shows are very good at their jobs.)

The second thing here is that I know he’s an evil sociopath who will kill anyone who stands in his way or even just off to the side of his way a bit and yet… I love him very much. I got so excited when I heard his voice after he spent a few episodes on the bench. I would watch a whole episode of him just sipping martinis and chatting up people at a bar. I know this is probably not the correct takeaway here but… I don’t know. It’s where we are.

I was extremely nervous that Lalo was going to kill that dog

LITTLE BEAR

MY SWEET BOY

LOOK AT HIM

LEAVE HIM ALONE

Our timelines are careening toward each other

Hello again, Francesca, Jimmy’s secretary who is now Saul’s secretary, and who really seemed to roll with all the new information that was thrown at her, once the money was right: Jimmy being Saul now, Saul representing criminal instead of sweet old people, a toilet in the middle of the new office, etc. We see a lot of her once we go full Breaking Bad in the timeline, but it was good to see her here hustling Jimmy into extra salary and a signing bonus.

I was happy to see her. Give her a spin-off next. I am barely kidding.

It must be thrilling to say the words “cancel my week”

I was so envious when I heard Howard say this. I still am. I want to say it to my editor as soon as I submit this. Actually… no. That won’t work. This is something you say to a secretary or assistant. Which means I need a secretary or assistant. This is getting complicated. Now I have to spend the rest of the week trying to hire someone, which defeats the purpose of trying to cancel it. This is a disaster.

I think the best option I have at this point is to throw open my front door and scream it into the heavens. It probably won’t work but I bet it’ll feel good. Baby steps.

Despite their superficial physical resemblance, ASAP Rocky and Travis Scott haven’t had the warmest relationship. In fact, you almost never see the two of them together (kinda like Clark Kent and Superman) — which, come to think of it, probably contributed to them being mistaken for each other all those times. However, despite some rumors and speculation, Rocky has insisted that there’s no beef between the two men. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t agree with certain comparisons between them — namely, the one that Travis jacked ASAP Rocky’s style.

That question came up again in a teaser for an upcoming episode of rap’s in-house mess factory, Drink Champs with NORE. In the teaser, NORE suggests, once again, that Travis Scott stole Rocky’s “whole style.” Although the clip is edited to exclude any elaboration from Rocky, he does appear to agree with this assessment before the teaser moves on to other topics. This may mark the first time Rocky openly copped to the belief that Travis bit his look; meanwhile, another portion of the teaser may provide some insight into why it’s such a big deal for him in the first place.

“Kanye West came out on this same show and said, ‘ASAP Rocky dresses better than me,’” NORE recalls excitedly. “I never thought I would hear that in my whole life.” Considering Kanye’s reputation as hip-hop’s premier fashionista, this constitutes high praise for the “Fashion Killa,” who appears to be promoting his own comeback project with singles like “DMB.” He’s also been preparing for the birth of his baby with his “Fashion Killa” co-star Rihanna, so he’s still probably too busy for beef. But it is interesting that he’s finally given a straight answer to this question after dodging it since 2016.

Julia Jacklin 2019’s emotional opus Crushing distinguished her from her peers like Phoebe Bridgers and Angel Olsen and proved her as a singular, marvelous voice in indie music. The Australian singer seems to effortlessly evoke heartbreak with every incisive line she lulls with passion and vulnerability; the album opener “Body” showcased her knack for storytelling, while the hit “Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You” displayed the power of her straightforward honesty in her public reckoning.

So, it’s a big deal to have her back with the just-announced album Pre Pleasure arriving this summer; The lead single “Lydia Wears A Cross” is out today, and watches her trade in her signature acoustic guitar for some pulsating synths.

“The song is about a lot of things but mainly being a 7yr old Jesus Christ Superstar fanatic attending catholic school trying to figure out which way is up,” Jacklin said about the new single. “The music video was filmed by my constant collaborator and friend Nick Mckk at Splitpoint lighthouse. I played a show close by recently and asked on stage if anyone could let me film inside. Someone in the crowd knew a guy and that was it. The rest was filmed in the streets of Northcote, Melbourne.”

Listen to “Lydia Wears A Cross” above. Check out the Pre Pleasure artwork and tracklist below.

1. “Lydia Wears A Cross”
2. “Love, Try Not To Let Go”
3. “Ignore Tenderness”
4. “I Was Neon”
5. “Too In Love To Die”
6. “Less Of A Stranger”
7. “Moviegoer”
8. “Magic”
9. “Be Careful With Yourself”
10. “End Of A Friendship”

Pre Pleasure is out 8/26 via Polyvinyl Record Co. Pre-order it here.

Know someone who’s over 60 and feeling lonely? Help is just a phone call away. Purina Cat Chow has partnered with two non-profits in order to bring senior citizens some much-needed virtual therapy cat visits.

Wait…that’s a thing?

When we think of the term “therapy animal,” most of us are probably inclined to picture a dog. After all, canines dominate the therapy animal field at 94%. Felines, on the other hand, make up part of the other 6% (that’s combined with other animals). Anyone who has experienced that special, soul-soothing bliss that comes from stroking a purring kitty in their lap will tell you: those numbers might be off. Although therapy cats make up a smaller percentage of this segment, cats offer a wide array of positive benefits that make them wonderful therapy animals.

Just ask Roger and Sal – a couple of registered therapy cats – along with their handler Tracy Howell.

Since 2016, Tracy and Roger have been working with Pet Partners®, a non-profit that matches volunteer therapy animals of all kinds with people in need of a furry friend visit, including nursing facilities, assisted living, hospice centers, and children’s hospitals.

Tracy and Roger in 2016; Photo courtesy of Tracy Howell

Sal is a mew addition to the team. But he’s already working very, very hard…putting his head on people’s thighs and letting them massage his paws. What a gig.

According to Pet Partners, who have had more than 1,500 felines registered in their Therapy Animal Program, certain populations prefer cat companions to dogs. For one thing: they’re more compact, and generally more quiet, making lap cuddles a much more Zen experience.

Plus, cats tend to be more particular about who they interact with, which can signal a nice little ego boost. “Cats have a reputation for being selectively affectionate. If a cat likes you, you’re special,” says Moira Smith, Pet Partners staff member, team evaluator, and cat handler.

Basically, it feels really good to be invited into the Cat Club. Some of Roger and Sal’s most loyal fans are, in fact, seniors – in particular, those with dementia.

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“People think it must be hard to visit seniors with dementia, but it isn’t,” she told Upworthy. “They tend to repeat questions a lot so if you mess up your answer, chances are you won’t mess up the next time they ask. I’ve laughed so many times during our visits with seniors–just because you are older doesn’t mean you stop being funny.”

Photo courtesy of Purina® Cat Chow®

Where humor is not lost, connection is. With many of their family members passed on, living far away, or not allowed to visit due to COVID-19 restrictions, loneliness is a major issue seniors often face. This leads to depression, anxiety, and irritability.

That’s where Roger and Sal come in. A typical therapy cat visit consists of lap cuddles with warm blankets, nap time, and a bit of TV watching. Sometimes the seniors will tell Tracy about their own cats they once had, and how much they loved them.

During the pandemic, Roger and Sal have even excelled at their virtual visits. While nothing replaces the emotional engagement of one-on-one interactions, research has indicated that virtual animal content still brightens the mood.

Photo courtesy of Tracy Howell

Tracy agreed that even though they were not able to be in person, the trio has still been able to make a connection and keep people smiling and happy. Roger even performed a few tricks. Perhaps the affinity cats have for interrupting Zoom calls can come in handy after all.

The online visits have been so impactful that for Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Cat Chow, Pet Partners and the Institute on Aging are working together to get more seniors, over the age of 60, connected to virtual therapy cat visits. By calling 800-616-5152, seniors can schedule one of 50 free virtual therapy cat visits with a Pet Partners therapy cat team. That means kitties like Roger and Sal are going to have VIP status, Very Important Pets, that is.

The whole project has been made possible by Purina Cat Chow, a company that knows all too well the healing powers of cats. During the entire month of May, for every Cat Chow Complete purchase, Purina will donate two cents per purchase, up to $25,000 to Pet Partners in support of their Therapy Animal Program. This donation will help more cats like Roger and Sal ensure more people have access to the therapeutic benefits of cats.

If you’re a cat-lover who would like to show support, you can find out more at catchow.com/therapy.

Photo courtesy of Purina® Cat Chow®