There’s a feline ruling the White House — it’s Willow Biden, First Cat.  A two-year-old short-haired tabby, Willow was adopted by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden from Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.
According to ABC News, the tabby previously resided on a farm in Pennsylvania, where she made an impression on Dr. Biden during an event in 2020. Willow’s name was inspired by the first lady’s hometown Willow Grove.
After meeting the cat, Dr. Biden gave a call to the farm’s owner Rick Telesz, asking whether she might adopt it. Willow officially made her White House debut in January 2022.
Willow, an active First Cat
Prior to Willow’s arrival, the Biden family had two other pets. Unfortunatly, three-year-old Major the first shelter dog to live in the White House had to be rehomed due to behavioral concerns, and Champ the Bidens’ beloved thirteen-year-old German Shepherd, sadly died last summer.
As First Feline, Willow has an active daily schedule. The gray tabby is usually found on the White House executive residence’s second and third floors.
Her busy agenda includes taking naps on desks, peering out the window at birds, and receiving gifts from the First Lady. Overall, the green-eyed puss is perfectly at ease in her new quarters.
During hot summer days, Willow likes a little escapade. On Wednesday as CNN reports, a member of the staff from the White House residence was seen bringing Willow in a carrier to Marine One, the presidential helicopter.
The helicopter transported the feline, as well as the presidential couple to the family’s beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware.
A long line of presidential cats
Willow is the first cat to reside in the White House since George W. Bush’s presidency. During his time in office, President Bush had a black short-hair cat named India.
The White House has seen a good number of First Cats over the years, and many of them have managed to make a name for themselves.
Before India Bush came Socks Clinton, President Bill Clinton’s cat. Socks was a celebrity in his own right even taking part in press conferences and he was known as the Chief Executive Cat.
Renowned past presidents such as Jimmy Carter, Herbert Hoover, and Calvin Coolidge also owned cats during their time in the White House.
Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth US president was the proud father of four cats during his tenure, they were: Tiger, Blacky, Bounder, and Climber Coolidge. The mischievous Tiger was said to have kept the White House staff on their toes back in the day.
According to the Catnip times, the tomcat once managed to flee the White House. Fortunately, he didn’t go too far, the First Cat was retrieved the next day after wandering inside the Navy Building.
Following that escape, Tiger wore a collar with “The White House” etched on it, but he still vanished for good shortly after.
For the Bidens’ sake, we hope that Willow is less of a wanderer.