Willow the First Cat has officially moved into the White House
The White House is a cat house once again.
In a tweet on Friday morning, First Lady Jill Biden introduced the world to Willow, a two-year-old tabby with big, green eyes.
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The announcement has been highly anticipated since the farm cat first sauntered into Dr. Biden's life in 2020.
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"Willow made quite an impression on Dr. Biden in 2020 when she jumped up on the stage and interrupted her remarks during a campaign stop,” said Michael LaRosa, the first lady’s spokesman told the New York Times. "Seeing their immediate bond, the owner of the farm knew that Willow belonged with Dr. Biden," LaRosa added.
Since then, questions about when Willow would be joining the first family have come up in interviews with Dr. Biden, and even with White House press secretary Jen Psaki. When asked about Willow during a session where she answered questions via tweet, Psaki said, "I’m also wondering about the cat, because the cat is going to dominate the internet." Within a few hours, Dr. Biden's tweet gained 90,000 likes and 9,000 retweets.
Willow, who was named after Dr. Biden's hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, will be joining Commander, a German shepherd puppy at the POTUS residence. Regarding canine/feline diplomatic relations, Commander has not released an official statement.
According to the Washington Post, only about a dozen cats have been White House pets, compared to over 100 dogs. This the first time since the Bush administration that a cat has resided at the White House. President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura had cat named India. Before that, there was famed Clinton cat Socks, who became the center of controversy when Republicans took issue with taxpayer money funding his mail correspondences.
Is Willow allowed free rein of the East Wing? Does she have a cat tree? Is White House staff concerned about her ripping up antique rugs? We have so many burning questions, but for now we know this: "Willow is settling into the White House with her favorite toys, treats and plenty of room to smell and explore," Mr. LaRosa the the Times.
Topics Animals
Cecily is a tech reporter at Mashable who covers AI, Apple, and emerging tech trends. Before getting her master's degree at Columbia Journalism School, she spent several years working with startups and social impact businesses for Unreasonable Group and B Lab. Before that, she co-founded a startup consulting business for emerging entrepreneurial hubs in South America, Europe, and Asia. You can find her on X at @cecily_mauran.
