Morris the Cat

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's "signature". Image File history File links Morris_the_Cat. ... John Erwin is a voice-actor recognised as the voice of He-man in the Filmation production He-man and the Masters of the Universe that ran from 1983 to 1985. ... He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattels successful toy line Masters of the Universe. ... Commercialism redirects here. ... Millie, once mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Councils representative. ... The 9Lives logo. ... i like to eat cat food Some available options of cat food Cat food is a type of food specially engineered for the feeding of cats. ... A mackerel tabby, with vertical stripes and white socks. The characteristic M can be easily seen on its forehead. ...

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. Burt Reynolds (born Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. ... Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Freisen on January 4, 1937) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated American film and television actress, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ...

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, thereby saving him from a scheduled death 20 minutes later. 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. Hinsdale is an affluent Chicago suburb located in Cook County and DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ...

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's Million Cat Rescue.

Morris is also known to be one of the longest serving and best loved members of The Total Film Forum.

External links

• Morris the Cat - A Celebrity Animal