The media Morris the Cat was the quintessential spoiled, pampered pet. Morris first appeared on television in 1968 advertising 9 Lives Cat Food. The original Morris was a fifteen-pound orange-striped tabby with dark green eyes. Morris’ philosophy was "The cat who doesn’t act finicky soon loses control of his owner." There is another "Morris" in catdom - The Morris Animal Foundation.

Founded in 1948 by veterinarian and humanitarian Mark L. Morris Sr., the Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) promotes and protects animal health and welfare through grants to advance veterinary medicine.  MAF is the world’s largest non-profit foundation dedicated to funding research studies to protect, treat and cure animals, including companion animals (dogs, cats, horses, llamas/alpacas), as well as wildlife (mountain gorillas, elephants, rhinoceros, wolves, and many varieties of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish). According to the website, in 2007, 49 of the world’s most respected research institutions, colleges of veterinary medicine, and zoos are conducting 101 MAF-sponsored studies. Since their founding in 1948, they have funded almost 1,300 studies totally almost $50 million.

Some recent MAF research results for cats include:

Demonstrating that drug fenoldopan holds promise for treating cats with acute renal failure.

Establishing that anti-platelet drugs can help cats with arterial thromboembolism

Successfully testing a long-acting single-dose vaccine that could help to humanely control feral-cat populations.

Funding to provide effective and easy treatment for conjunctivitis in cats

Morris Animal Foundation

Posted by Barbara.