Morris the Cat (voiced by John Erwin of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ), is the advertising mascot for 9Lives brand cat food, appearing on its packaging and in many of its television commercials. A large red tabby tom, he is "the world's most finicky cat", and prefers only 9Lives brand, making this preference clear by means of humorously sardonic voice-over comments when offered other brands. Every can of 9Lives features Morris' "signature".

Morris has appeared in other media over the years. He starred in the movie Shamus with Burt Reynolds and Dyan Cannon in 1973. He also appears as a "spokescat" promoting responsible pet ownership, pet health and pet adoptions through animal shelters. To this end, he has "authored" three books: The Morris Approach, The Morris Method, and The Morris Prescription.

Over the years several cats have portrayed Morris on television. The original Morris was discovered at the Hinsdale Humane Society in 1968 by professional animal handler Bob Martwick. All cats to play Morris have been rescues, either coming from an animal shelter or a cat rescue. The current Morris lives in Los Angeles with his handler, Rose Ordile.

In an interesting sidelight, the current Morris was almost portrayed by another cat, named "Sir Gregory." Sir Gregory was initially rejected not because he was unsuited (he was actually quite friendly and easy going), but because he was both a very large cat and was a polydactyl -- a cat with extra toes -- and thus would be difficult to replace visually when he eventually retired.

However, after the initial rejection, the ad company approached the woman who had adopted him from the cat rescue caring for him at the time of his initial looksee. She was quite willing for Sir Gregory to be the next Morris, until she learned that she would have to give him up permanently. She declined to give him up.

In 2006, Morris was depicted as adopting a kitten from a Los Angeles animal shelter, L'il Mo, who represents the first in a campaign known as Morris' Million Cat Rescue.

Morris the Cat

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Morris_the_Cat&action=history

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