MADISON COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- A local cat is in the running to win the title of "America's Favorite Pet."

Morpheus, a one-year-old long-haired cat, is currently in 17th place for America's Favorite Pet contest. If he wins, Morpheus will be featured on the cover of Catster magazine and will be awarded $5,000.

His owner, Ashley Sweet, works for the Madison Greene Humane Society and adopted him there. 

She says if he wins, she plans on giving half of the money to the humane society to help pay for spaying and neutering expenses. 

“For me, it's not about winning the contest for the cover," she said. "I mean, great, he's cute. I love him but more so for me, I just want to be able to do something huge for where I work and a local shelter.”

You can help Morpheus by voting for him here. Voting for the quarterfinals ends Thursday.