Socks (cat)

Socks

Socks photographed on the South Lawn of the White House
Other name(s)	First Cat, First Cat of the United States
Species	Cat
Breed	Domestic short-haired cat
Sex	Male
Born	1989 (1989) (estimated) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	February 20, 2009(2009-02-20) (aged 19–20) Hollywood, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation	First Cat of the United States (1993-2001), First Cat of Arkansas (1991-92)
Owner	Bill Clinton Betty Currie
Appearance	Black-and-white tuxedo

Socks Clinton (Spring 1989 – February 20, 2009) was the pet cat of U.S. President Bill Clinton's family during his presidency. As an adopted stray cat, he was the only pet of the Clintons during the early years of the administration, and his likeness hosted the children's version of the White House website. After Clinton left office, Socks resided with former Clinton secretary Betty Currie and her husband, owing to continuing conflicts with Clinton's dog Buddy.

Socks was adopted by the Clintons in 1991 after he jumped into the arms of Chelsea Clinton as she was leaving the house of her piano teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was playing with his sibling, Midnight, who was later adopted by another family.

When Bill Clinton became President, Socks moved with the family from the governor's mansion to the White House and became the principal pet of the First Family in Clinton's first term, though he was known to share his food and water with a stray tabby, dubbed Slippers. He was often taken to schools and hospitals. During the Clinton administration, children visiting the White House website would be guided by a cartoon version of Socks.

He eventually lost the position of principal Clinton pet in 1997 when the Clintons acquired Buddy, a Labrador Retriever.

Socks found Buddy's intrusion intolerable: according to Hillary Clinton, Socks "despised Buddy from first sight, instantly and forever." Bill Clinton said, "I did better with ... the Palestinians and the Israelis than I've done with Socks and Buddy." When the Clintons left the White House in 2001 they took Buddy to their new home, but left Socks under the care of Bill Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie. Buddy would die within a year, being hit by a car in 2002.