 Heinz sold StarKist and 9Lives to Del Monte in 2002.Del Monte spun off the pet foods division as Big Heart in 2014.For a period of time in the late 1970s and early 1980s, 9Lives used Sylvester the Cat from Warner Bros. "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" cartoons on the packages and in advertising as the mascot for its newly introduced dry cat food.