Jennifer Pickens, a White House historian and author of Pets at the White House: 50 Years of Presidents and Their Pets, said the emergence of the internet had added to Sockss popularity as a cartoon version of the cat greeted visitors at the White House for Kids website.
The last cat to live in the White House, India (who also had the nickname Willie), belonged to President George W. Bush. Her time at the White House was often overshadowed by the Bush familys two Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, Mr. Hager said.
Protesters in Kerala, India, burned an effigy of Mr. Bush in July 2004 in protest of the cats name, citing it as an insult to their country, Mr. Hager said. (According to White House archives, the black shorthair cat was named after the former Texas Rangers baseball player, Ruben Sierra, who went by the nickname El Indio.)
India died in January 2009, just before President Bush left the White House.
Interest in presidential pets has grown over the years as the public has gravitated to more stories of life inside the White House, Ms. Pickens said.
Pets can help humanize presidents as well as soften their image, and with the Bidens newest addition, they could also represent a presidents hopes for the nation under new leadership.
Maybe this is symbolic of Bidens oft-repeated desire to unify the country, he said. I know that thats kind of trite, but Im very curious to see how this goes.read more
A Cat Is Said to Be Joining the Bidens in the White House
