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Socks Around the Clock: President Clinton's cat, Socks, is a favorite of White House correspondents.
Photograph courtesy of Cookie Curci-Wright
Remember When
Feeling owned by your cat?
By Cookie Curci-Wright
It is early Sunday morning. My husband and I are sleeping in. Suddenly we're awakened by the sound of our daily morning alarm.
I glance at the clock; it's just after 7 a.m. I pull the bedcovers over my head and try to go back to sleep, but the noise continues with regularity and persistence. I bury my head deeper into my pillow and hope the noise will go away, but it doesn't, and I reluctantly throw back the covers and give in to our unyielding wake-up call. I invariably must, because there is no button to push to silence the noise, no snooze button to press that will grant me 10 more minutes of uninterrupted sleep.
You see, our wake-up call comes from our three hungry cats, whose three sets of sharp claws scratch vigorously on our bedroom door every morning, like fingernails on chalkboard, until we get out of bed and feed them. We stretch, we yawn, and stumble sleepily to the kitchen; the morning feeding ritual has begun. Three cans of cat food; three bowls of milk; three servings of dry food; some assorted flea preparations; medications; hairball remedies and brushing dispensed, and a half hour later my husband and I sit down to our breakfast--a cup of black coffee.
Torn upholstery, scratched furniture, traces of kitty litter on the carpet, paw prints on newly waxed floors and table tops, wet nose prints on mirrors and window panes, snagged clothing, tattered nylons and wisps of cat hair on sofas, drapes and dark suits--the signs of a cat in residence.
If any of this sounds familiar, than chances are you also share your household with a demanding cat or two. But we cat fanciers (read servants) can take heart that we are not alone in our devotion to cats. Down through the ages some of the finest people of our time have succumbed to the demands of their adorable felines.
According to the author Fernand Mary (The Life, History and Magic of the Cat), President Theodore Roosevelt was devoted to his cat, Slippers. Slippers was a gray, mixed-breed mouser whose greatest distinction was that he possessed an extra toe on each paw--a condition known as polydactylism.
It is said that Slippers would instinctively know just when to make his appearance at one of Teddy Roosevelt's elegant diplomatic dinners. Roosevelt was so devoted to his little pal that, on one occasion when Slippers was sprawled out on a White House rug at the main entrance to the dining room, the president insisted that the entire procession of dignitaries be rerouted around the sleeping cat, rather than disturb his beloved pet.
Slippers was the last cat to live in the White House until the Kennedy clan came along in the early '60s. They brought with them Caroline's little Tom Kitten, a small, black, American shorthair. Young Caroline thought nothing of bursting into President Kennedy's oval office, unannounced, with Tom Kitten tucked under her arm. Tom Kitten's favorite toy? One of the President's golf balls. (Somehow, I just can't imagine Jackie cleaning out a cat litter pan, can you?)
The White House was devoid of cats until Amy Carter moved in with her elegant Siamese, Misty Malarky Ying-Yang. Amy was so devoted to her cat she insisted it accompany the family all during Jimmy Carter's 1976 campaign. She also talked President Carter into taking Misty along on family vacations.
When the Clintons came to the White House, daughter Chelsea brought home a lovable black-and-white kitten. Socks, the cat, had the run of the White House lawns and gardens and, like his predecessors, he managed to override any restrictions placed on him, going where he pleased when he pleased. Although constantly pursued by the media, Socks managed to play a winning game of cat and mouse with nosy photographers.
It's not only American royalty who have doted on their cats. England's legendary Queen Victoria (1819-1901) kept her fat Angora cats well-pampered. The queen's royal pet, White Heather, was a fluffy Angora who was rarely far from Her Majesty's side. Queen Victoria was excessively devoted to her beautiful cat, whom she believed possessed a special talent for intuiting a person's true character. The queen lavished her pet with fresh fish, steak and fine poultry. All that fine food must have increased the cat's longevity, since she survived her mistress by many years. She was taken in by the queen's successor, King Edward the VII, and continued to live in the lap of luxury at Buckingham Palace.
So, the next time you're feeling intimidated by your cat, take heart and remember, some of our finest families have been owned by their cats.
As for my own three spoiled cats? My husband and I have discovered, like all cat owners, that the rewards for taking care of our little friends far outweigh the nuisances. We treasure their loving nudge at our knees welcoming us home; the iridescent eyes that spring to the window the moment our car pulls into the driveway and the soft comforting purr that rumbles from somewhere deep down inside as they nestle warmly in our laps. Foremost and always, what makes it all worthwhile are their years of unyielding companionship and devotion.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
