Morris the Cat
Encyclopedia
Morris the Cat is the advertising
mascot
for 9Lives
brand cat food
, appearing on its packaging and in many of its television
commercials. A large orange 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".
Morris has appeared in other media over the years. He debuted in the Robert Altman
film The Long Goodbye (film)
with Elliott Gould
, and 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. He was quoted at the 1993 "end of year" edition of People Magazine which noted 1993 deaths, to which he quoted a simple "Meow" in honor of the death of his friend Spuds MacKenzie
.
When he first appeared in British television advertisements in the late 1970s, he was coincidentally voiced by Johnny Morris
(then famous in the UK for his anthropomorphic character portrayals in the series Animal Magic), which led many British viewers, unaware of the character's origins, to wrongly suppose that the cat had been named after Morris himself. British ads for 9Lives later featured the voice of Richard Briers
.
There have been three different cats who have played the famed "Morris the Cat." The original Morris was discovered at the Hinsdale Humane Society, a Chicago-area animal shelter, in 1968 by professional animal handler Bob Martwick. The first Morris died in 1978 and was subsequently replaced by more cats who played "Morris." 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 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.
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for 9Lives
9Lives
9Lives is the name of a brand of cat food, owned by Del Monte Foods. It is best known for its mascot, Morris. 9Lives has four varieties of dry food , and five lines of wet food in various flavors. The company also promotes adoption of cats from animal shelters...
brand cat food
Cat food
Cat food is food intended for consumption by cats.As with all species, cats have requirements for specific dietary nutrients, rather than ingredients. Certain nutrients, including many vitamins and amino acids, are degraded by the temperatures, pressures and chemical treatments used during...
, appearing on its packaging and in many of its television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
commercials. A large orange tabby
Tabby cat
A tabby is any cat that has a distinctive coat that features stripes, dots, lines or swirling patterns, usually together with an "M" mark on its forehead. Tabbies are sometimes erroneously assumed to be a cat breed. In fact, the tabby pattern is found in many breeds of cat, as well as among the...
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".
Morris has appeared in other media over the years. He debuted in the Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
film The Long Goodbye (film)
The Long Goodbye (film)
The Long Goodbye is a 1973 neo noir, directed by Robert Altman and based on Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Leigh Brackett, who co-wrote the screenplay for The Big Sleep in 1946...
with Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
, and starred in the movie Shamus
Shamus (film)
Shamus is a 1973 American film starring Burt Reynolds and Dyan Cannon. Burt Reynolds plays McCoy, a hard-nosed private detective.-Plot Synopsis:...
with Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
and Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon is an American film and television actress, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer.-Early life:...
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. He was quoted at the 1993 "end of year" edition of People Magazine which noted 1993 deaths, to which he quoted a simple "Meow" in honor of the death of his friend Spuds MacKenzie
Spuds MacKenzie
Spuds MacKenzie was a fictional dog character created for use in an advertising campaign marketing Bud Light beer in the late 1980s. The dog first showed up in a Bud Light Super Bowl XXI ad in 1987...
.
When he first appeared in British television advertisements in the late 1970s, he was coincidentally voiced by Johnny Morris
Johnny Morris
Ernest John "Johnny" Morris OBE ) was a Welsh television presenter. He is best known for narrating the imported, Canadian-produced Tales of the Riverbank series of stories about Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat, GP the Guinea Pig, and their assorted animal friends along a riverbank and...
(then famous in the UK for his anthropomorphic character portrayals in the series Animal Magic), which led many British viewers, unaware of the character's origins, to wrongly suppose that the cat had been named after Morris himself. British ads for 9Lives later featured the voice of Richard Briers
Richard Briers
Richard David Briers, CBE is an English actor whose career has encompassed theatre, television, film and radio.He first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines in the 1960s, but it was in the following decade when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life that he became a...
.
There have been three different cats who have played the famed "Morris the Cat." The original Morris was discovered at the Hinsdale Humane Society, a Chicago-area animal shelter, in 1968 by professional animal handler Bob Martwick. The first Morris died in 1978 and was subsequently replaced by more cats who played "Morris." 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
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with his handler, Rose Ordile.
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.