A short history of White House cats Jeva Lange
It s a problem that the Bidens are set to remedy. Last week, first lady Jill Biden teased that a cat is waiting in the wings to join the family and their two dogs at the White House. The newcomer won t be the first four-legged friend to knock pens off the Resolute Desk, though; here are seven notable White House cats who blazed the trail for First Kitty Biden.
Tabby and Dixie, the O.G.s
When President Abraham Lincoln s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was asked if her husband had any hobbies, the first lady replied simply: Cats. She wasn t kidding: Reportedly Abe loved his cats so much that he d even feed them from the dinner table, to Mary Todd s dismay. Lincoln was also the first president to introduce cats into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the form of Tabby and Dixie, who were a gift from his secretary of state, William H. Seward. At one point, [Lincoln] told a friend that Dixie was smarter than his entire cabinet a
After four long years, we finally have a new president and, more importantly, new presidential pets. Usually the thrill of pets arriving at the White House is tempered by the sting of old presidential pets leaving the White House, but this year is different: Donald Trump is the first president in more than 100 years not to have a pet of any kind, so we can say goodbye to his rotten administration without stray sympathy for any blameless dogs, cats, or possums getting evicted alongside their captors.
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This also means that the incoming presidential pets the Bidens have two German shepherds and a cat, the former two of which arrived to the White House this week to great fanfare won’t be able to rely on the outgoing presidential pets for advice or support during the transfer of power. So to help the new national mascots find their footing, Slate has decided to break what many regard as the most important commandment in journalism (“all presidential pets are equally goo