Socks, the first cat during the Clinton Whitehouse years, recently died. I would like to honour Socks and other cats that have been loved and lost. Socks died at the age of 20 years on Friday 20 February. He was euthanised after a battle with throat cancer. I have to admit Socks rocks. TaTa remembers being in Washington and a sidewalk vendor was selling postcards. She stopped to browse and saw one postcard was of Socks - a black and white photo of him out on a sidewalk at the Whitehouse with about 15 paparazzi photographers shooting his every move. She wished she had purchased one and has tried to find one on mew-bay.
What an interesting cat life Sock must have had. I love the idea of a cat in the Whitehouse (should have been changed to the Cathouse). I can picture him making himself at home and not being intimidated by anyone or anything. Curling up on one of those elegant chairs and making a house a home. The things Socks must have seen and heard (but us cats never tell). I should imagine he yawned a lot because politics are not the most interesting of things. During the Clinton years Socks was a permanent resident (just think he would have met Monicat Lewinsky). After the Clintons left the Whitehouse Soocks was adopted by Clinton's PA Betty Currie. Twenty years is a good long cat life. If you have ever loved and lost your cat, I know it is difficult. But us cats will all be there to greet our humans in the Great Cat Heaven in the Sky.
Some bits about Socks: Socks was a character in 'If", Steve Bell's cartoon strip in The Guardian where he was described as the "world's most powerful cat", and as "Chief of Staff for Fish". On 1 April 1994 during an episode of Larry King Live a Muppet version of Socks was a special guest interviewed by Kermit the Frog. In 1996, Socks appeared on a series of stamps in the Central African Republic with Bill Clinton. And much much more.
