Cat in the White House?

Should there by a Cat in the White House? 20% of people who took part in a vote on whether there should be a pet in the White House said there should be a cat. 1% said a dog. 37% said several pets and 2% said no pets.

Socks is the most recent cat resident of the White House being a companion to the Clintons. When the Clintons acquired a dog, Buddy, a Labrador, Socks thought that the change sucked and never got used to it. Socks by the way was a black and white mixed breed cat. Were the Clintons wise to introduce a dog to the household as they did? Seems not. Socks never got used to it.

Socks now lives with the Clinton's secretary and is 17 years old at the date of this post. This is in his 80s if he were a person (is he still alive?). Why do people generally favor a cat and a pet at the White House? Simple. Pets and for me cats are a great benefit to the President. Cats slow you down, open you up by forcing you to think of something else. Cats are known to be good for our health. This is probably because they slow us down to reduce stress levels.

Cats can teach us one or two things too? Patience and persistence come to mind right away. Do cats in the White House alter people's perception of the President? Are cats/pets in the White House beneficial to the President in ways that benefit him in terms of popularity with the electorate? Yes and Yes.

82 % of people think that people who live with a cat are more compassionate and are therefore more likely to understand women. This could translate to more votes from women at least. Sure people want a strong President but being compassionate does not mean you are not strong. Also a pet provides a wonderful distraction for the media to get into.

OK, it's conclusive a cat in the White House is good for the President. Does Barack Obama and/or John McCain have pets and if so do they live with a cat?

Well John McCain beats Barack Obama by a clear margin in terms of pets. McCain has a number of pets including: 4 dogs, a cat, a parakeet and fish. OK very impressive. What about Obama? He should in theory have more being a liberal. But no, no pets whatsoever. Damn, I was behind Obama and now I am not so sure. Perhaps he has no pets because he is too mobile for a cat to feel settled. Perhaps he is thinking of the cat. He'll probably adopt a cat when he moves into the White House - another cat in the White House.

John Kennedy an inspirational figure for many including Mr Obama had many pets including a cat. Only good politicians live with cats.

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Cat in the White House? inspiration came from PetPlace.com polls and the Presidental elections.