President Joe Biden has revealed that his cat, Willow, has “no limits” when it comes to her amusing sleeping patterns.
On 26 January, the US president hosted a Lunar New Year celebration at the White House where he shared details about his cat’s certain nighttime habit. While reflecting on how this year is the Year of the Cat in Vietnamese culture, Biden was reminded of his own feline friend.
“For many of you, this is the year of the rabbit. And for others, like the Vietnamese community, it’s the year of the cat,” he said during his remarks. “The cat – majestic, beloved, a protector. By the way, that sounds like our cat, Willow,” Biden added, before he was interrupted by laughter.
“You think I’m kidding. Willow may walk in here any time now,” he said. “She has no limits…Especially in the middle of the night when she climbs up and lays on top of my head.”
President Joe Biden and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, welcomed the cat to the White House last year. The three-year-old green-eyed, grey and white tabby cat is the newest addition to the Bidens’ pet family, and was reportedly named after Dr Biden’s hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.
The Bidens’ are also pet parents to a two-year-old German shepherd puppy named Commander. They previously had two other German shepherds, Champ and Major, before adopting Commander in December 2021. However, Champ died in June 2021 at age 13, while Major started “behaving aggressively” after he arrived at the White House following President Biden’s inauguration.
The first family brought Willow to the White House after she jumped on stage during a 2020 campaign stop in Pennsylvania.
“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,” the first lady’s spokesman Michael LaRosa told The New York Times last year. “Seeing their immediate bond, the owner of the farm knew that Willow belonged with Dr Biden.”
After welcoming the tabby cat into their pet family, the first lady shared photos of Willow prowling throughout the White House along with the caption, “Meet Willow!”
Meanwhile, LaRosa said that Willow was “settling into the White House with her favourite toys, treats, and plenty of room to smell and explore.”
Willow is the first cat to live in the White House since former president George W Bush’s cat India lived there between 2001 and 2009. Meanwhile, former president Barack Obama’s family adopted dogs Bo and Sunny during his presidency.
Bo, a male Portuguese water dog, was a gift to Obama’s daughters Sasha and Malia after his 2008 campaign. After winning his first presidential election, the former president addressed his daughters during his victory speech, saying, “I love you both more than you can imagine. You have earned the puppy that is coming with us!”
