The White House strange pets

Hello Hoomans,

I guess you've all heard about Bo? Don't you read my articles?! Bo is the USA's First Dog. And yes he lives with the Obama family in the White House.

If it is quite ordinary for an american family to own a dog (don't ask me why they haven't adopted a cat...), and many very exotic pets have lived in the White House as well. For you Hoomans, here is a list:

A pygmy hippopotamus: U.S. President Calvin Coolidge who was President from 1923 to 1929 was a big fan of the animal world. Thus, he populated the famous White House six dogs, a cat (YAY cats rock!!!), a goose, a lynx, an antelope, a wallaby and a raccoon he often walked on a leash. One day, a millionaire offered him a hippo (because he could no longer care for it himself) and the president happily accepted. Billy the hippo stayed at the White House during the President mandate and at the end of it, he put the animal in a zoo.

Sheep: During WWI, the White House decided that the year 1917 will be the year of budget restrictions. President Woodrow Wilson had the idea to buy a flock of sheep to save money on the maintenance of the White House's park. All played their role very well mowing the grass, the president even had his favorite: Old Ike, a sheep which chewed tobacco when not chewing the lawn!

Bears: President Thomas Jefferson housed two Grizzly bears in the White House and President Theodore Roosevelt lived with a brown bear named Jonathan Edwards (in tribute to a former relative of his wife) who was deemed indomitable and rather nasty. Although President loved this animal, he conceded and gave  the bear to the local zoo.

An alligator: John Quincy Adams was offered by the French General Lafayette an alligator! Though at first very skeptical, President Adams finally enjoyed this new companion. He was accustomed to putting it in one of the bathrooms and  when a guest asked him to show him to a bathroom, the President indicated this bathroom for the joy of seeing the guest running before laughing.

Cows: Mooley Wooly and Pauline Wayne lived in the White House during the term of President William H. Taft. They had to provide the family of the President with milk.

Possums and a goat: President Benjamin Harrison loved animals. It was common to see him walking around with one of his two possums on the shoulder, Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection. He also had a goat with a pretty bad character. One day while the President's grandchildren were playing with the goat, she got fed up and ran away from the White House! The president helped  by some members of the staff stopped her a few blocks away.

Two tiger cubs: President Martin Van Buren was friend with the Sultan of Oman. This Sultan sent two tiger cubs to the President who loved them immediately. Unfortunately for him he did not keep them long since the Congress forced him to give these cubs to the local zoo because they were technically not offered directly to him but to the American people.

Badger: during a visit to Kansas, President Roosevelt was offered by a little girl to adopt a badger she had caught with her brother. He accepted with joy and brought it back to the White House. Apparently, the badger was rather asocial, spitting and attacking ankles when someone passed by him. This eventually annoyed the inhabitants of the White House and so the badger was sent to the Bronx Zoo.

Well, not many cats in the White House, eh? Of course I will be delighted to adopt President Obama and Michelle to pamper me... Meow.

Yours, (almost) famous,
Gossip Kitty,
xoxo