• by Tanya Gazdik , October 28, 2010

Actress Betty White is joining with Sergeant's Pet Care Products and Morris Animal Foundation for the "Happy, Healthy Cat Photo Contest."

The contest coincides with Morris Animal Foundation's annual campaign to bring attention to feline health and features cat products from Sergeant's Pet Care.

"Cats are wonderful pets and sometimes don't get the respect they deserve," says White in a statement. "They make you laugh and they can laugh with you. They can be the best friends in the world."

White, an avid animal advocate and strong supporter of Morris Animal Foundation, will serve as judge of the photo contest that is running from Oct. 26 to Dec. 15. Entries can be uploaded to sergeants.com and will be available to view in the contest photo gallery. The contest is being promoted on the Omaha-Neb.-based company's social media sites.

Sergeant's has a large fan base (90,000) on its Facebook page, Pet Health Central (facebook.com/phcfans), and will conduct a targeted ad campaign on Facebook, says a spokesperson.

Steve Dale, syndicated radio show host and columnist, conducted an interview with White about the contest and will run interviews and spots about the contest for the duration, reaching out to his audience of millions across the country. Morris Animal Foundation also is promoting the contest on their website and in direct mail to their large supporter base.

This is Sergeant's first time working with either Morris or White. White has been a long-time supporter of Morris and Sergeant's was connected to Morris and White through Steve Dale. He works with Morris and has worked with Sergeant's many times in the past.

Photos can be entered into one of three categories: The "Happy, Healthy Cat" category includes photos of cats that best represent the happy, healthy contest theme; the "My Favorite Human" category includes photos of cats with their favorite family, child or adult; and the "My Favorite K9" category includes photos of cats with their favorite dog, to show the bonds of friendship that are common between the species.

Finalists in each category will be reviewed by White, who will choose the grand-prize winner and runners up. The grand-prize winner will be featured on the cover of AnimalNews and highlighted in an article in this publication from Morris Animal Foundation. They will also receive a gift card to PetSmart and a gift assortment of products for cats from Sergeant's Pet Care Products. Runners up will also receive gift cards.

Sergeant's work on developing products that support feline health pairs well with Morris Animal Foundation's goal of advancing veterinary research to improve cats' lives, stated Caryn Stichler, Sergeant's Pet Care Products vice president of marketing.