Remembering Presidential Pets: Socks the Demo-Cat

Socks the cat was a homeless kitten when he met the Clintons in Little Rock, Arkansas. Who knew that only a few years later, he would go on to become Feline-in-Chief?

The Clinton's daughter Chelsea adopted Socks when he was just a kitten around 1990. According to Purr 'n' Fur's website Chelsea was on her way to her piano lessons when she saw two little kittens in her teacher's garden. Chelsea didn't choose Socks. Quite the contrary, Socks chose Chelsea, jumping right up and into her arms. His sibling Midnight was also found a good home. The cat went on to live at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion and in 1992 he moved northeast to the nation's capital when Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush for President. The President's choice of pets was not without controversy. While cats weren't uncommon as Presidential pets, most past Presidents owned a dog to balance out the species chart. And Socks was the first cat in the White House since the Carter Administration, when Jimmy Carter's daughter owned a Siamese cat named Misty Malarky Ying Yang. Some even said that Clinton's relationship to the public was damaged because he didn't share the White House with a dog. Not surprisingly many speculated that the Clinton's decision to get a Chocolate Labrador named Buddy was to take the attention off of Monica-gate, the sex scandal that led to Bill Clinton being investigated and even impeached.

While living at the White House, Socks was confined to a long leash when he was let out on the South Lawn, much to his dismay. The Clintons had decided that it was best not to let him roam the entire 18 acres of property because he could so easily slip out of the fence and into traffic or crowds of the very busy city. Even though he was kept on a leash when outside, he still chased squirrels and other wildlife, and even made friends with another stray cat named Slippers, with whom he would share his food and water.

When Chelsea went off to college, Bill and Hillary decided to get another dog. Their last dog, Zeke, had been hit by a car back in Arkansas before they got Socks. Bill Clinton decided on a Labrador, and Socks the cat was not amused. The Clinton dog was named Buddy, but he was nothing close to a buddy to Socks. The cat and dog refused to be friends. Socks would hiss and claw at Buddy and Buddy always tried to chase the cat under the sofa. Over time, Socks had made a friend in Betty Currie, Clinton's personal secretary. When the Clintons left the White House in 2000, they decided it would be in Socks' best interest to go to Maryland with Currie while they kept Buddy the dog.

Socks lived nine long years with Betty Currie and her husband Bob, before finally succumbing to cancer in 2009. He left his paw print on the hearts of millions as First Cat, and as Hillary Clinton told People Magazine after his passing, "Socks brought much happiness to Chelsea and us over the years, and enjoyment to kids and cat lovers everywhere. We're grateful for those memories."