Rose Ordile & Morris

 

Rose Ordile

America's most finicky feline has a partner: Rose Ordile. Rose has been the personalhandler and companion for Morris the 9Lives Cat for more than six years.

9Lives chose Rose based on her expertise in animal behavior, as well as her experience training and preparing animals for television and film. Rose has trained animals for national print ad campaigns, such as Target, McDonald's, Snapple and Disney, TV programs including Everybody Loves Raymond, Charmed and CSI, and feature films like Princess Diaries 1 and 2. In addition to training, Rose is also a professional animal colorist. Her most recent work includes coloring the dogs in Eight Below, Garfield 1 and 2, and The Shaggy Dog.

Rose and Morris have been traveling the country since June 2006 with 9Lives’ Morris’ Million Cat Rescue™ (MMCR) Campaign, in an effort to rescue one million homeless cats.

They make quite a team! Morris sometimes tags along with Rose in LA while she is on the set training other domestic animals for their big debuts in feature films or TV sitcoms. Whether it’s birds, rabbits or dogs, Morris enjoys watching Rose train and color other animals as she prepares them for their time in the spotlight. Even with all the other furry creatures she works with, Morris is always Rose’s number one priority!

With more than 20 years of experience training a variety of domestic and exotic animals, Rose is the perfectperson to handle even the most finicky cat. She, Morris and her two dogs live in Los Angeles, California.

 

 

Morris The Cat

In 1968, a street-wise orange tabby from a Hinsdale, Illinois shelter was about to be put down when the shelter staff noticed something special about the cat – a certain “star quality.”  They immediately contacted Bob Martwick, a professional animal handler, to take a look.  Bob adopted him on the spot.  Twenty minutes from death, Morris the Cat got a second chance.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

Bob pitched Morris as a celebrity cat to 9Lives®, and the entire nation took notice of the new star of their television commercials.  From then on, Morris was to become the most recognizable cat in the world.  He was ubiquitous.  He graced the covers of national magazines; he was a darling of the national talk show circuit, and he was even cast in the major motion picture “Shamus,” with Burt Reynolds.

Morris’ fame continued to grow over the years, and his accomplishments even include runs for the presidency in both 1988 and 1992 on the Finicky Party platform.  Despite all of his accomplishments, Morris never forgot where he came from – which brings us to today. 

With red carpets, limousines, paparazzi…what does the cat who has everything do next?  In Morris’ case, he decided to leverage his celebrity to give back to his fellow felines.  Together with 9Lives, he launched the 9Lives’ Morris’ Million Cat Rescue™ in September 2006. He is still asking cat lovers everywhere to join him in his mission to find safe, loving homes for one million homeless cats!

 

Famous 9Lives® cat food icon Morris® the Cat was originally rescued from a shelter in Hinsdale, Illinois in 1968.  In spite of his fame, Morris has never forgotten where he came from, so he has wielded his considerable celebrity to help find homes for one million of his fellow felines.  Together with 9Lives, he launched 9Lives’ Morris’ Million Cat Rescue™ Campaign in 2006 and asked cat lovers everywhere to join him in his mission to find safe, loving homes for one million homeless cats.  

Now, in the campaign’s third year, Morris and his team are expected to reach the one million mark in June! To celebrate this momentous occasion, Morris is scheduled to visit the set of “Price is Right” in Los Angeles. “Price is Right” has a strong history of ensuring pet safety and care by promoting the spay and neuter of pets;  9Lives®  is “makes lives better” by donating a percentage of all cat food sales to shelters, and by providing the highest quality nutritious product. Together, “Price is Right” and 9Lives will continue to enrich the lives of both pet and owner, by partnering to communicate healthy, happy pet care throughout 2008.

Again this year, 9Lives’ Morris’ Million Cat Rescue has teamed up with the American Humane Association™ as the official sponsor of June Adopt-A-Cat Month® and Catster, an online community of cat lovers. 9Lives and Catster have joined forces to connect cat lovers in support of cat adoption in communities everywhere.

For the third consecutive year, Morris the Cat will lead a national campaign to find loving homes for one million homeless cats. Today, three out of every four cats who enter shelters are euthanized. The need for someone to champion the cause of homeless cats has never been greater, and Morris is proud to step up!

For further information, visit 9Lives.com.

 

9Lives.com