The White House, early 1860s.
The sixteenth president of the United States, his wife, Mary, and a few honored guests dine from luxurious china in the Presidential dining room. Midway through the formal dinner, an unaccounted-for guest enters: one of Abraham Lincoln’s two cats, Tabby. With a few meows, Tabby captures the attention of her kind-natured owner. Much to the chagrin of the first lady, President Lincoln, disregarding the judgement of his guests, treats Tabby to a forkful of table scraps, fed to her on the golden cutlery of the White House. After dinner, Mary Todd Lincoln, who did not hold Tabby in nearly such fondness, insisted her husband’s behavior was “shameful in front of their guests.” Lincoln jauntily replied, “If the gold fork was good enough for former President James Buchanan, I think it is good enough for Tabby.”
Besides Tabby and his second cat, Dixie, Lincoln held endearment for many animals. A kind and gentle-natured man, he treated all animals with fawning affection. During his time in the White House, Lincoln owned two cats, two goats, and a dog named Jip, and extended his love for animals to several other creatures he came across throughout his life.
First lady Mary Todd Lincoln could attest to her husband’s love of feline companions. Upon being asked what her husband’s hobbies were, she simply replied, “cats.” This statement is reflected by the testament of Caleb Carman, one of Lincoln’s former friends, who recounted that the President would pet and talk to his cats for a half hour at a time. In August of 1861, Secretary of State William Seward gifted Lincoln a pair of kittens: the famous Tabby and Dixie. The President adored the two cats, as shown by his alleged incident of feeding Tabby table scraps during a formal dinner, and the time when he insisted that Dixie was “smarter than [his] whole cabinet” and that “furthermore she [didn’t] talk back!”
Lincoln’s love for cats extended beyond those of his own. During the Siege of Petersburg in March of 1865, the President met with General Ulysses S. Grant at his headquarters in City Point, Virginia. The pitiful meows of three orphaned kittens who had been hiding in the telegraph hut captured his attention. As recounted by Admiral David Porter, Lincoln held the kittens, tenderly stroking their fur while saying, “Kitties, thank God you are cats, and can’t understand this terrible strife that is going on.” Porter found himself struck by the President’s compassion for the animals, stating that it “well illustrated the kindness of the man’s disposition, and showed the childlike simplicity which was mingled with the grandeur of his nature.” Before leaving his meeting, Lincoln requested that the cats would be “given plenty of milk and treated with kindness.”
While Lincoln held a particular fondness for cats, he treated his dogs with the same love and care. The Lincoln family owned a yellow mongrel dog named Fido for many years before they would begin their stay in Washington, D.C. A close companion to Abraham Lincoln, Fido regularly accompanied his master on errand runs to town. Although beloved by
both Abraham and Mary Lincoln and their sons, Willy and Tad, Fido had to be left in the care of John and Frank Roll upon Lincoln’s election, since the family feared the overwhelming and busy life awaiting them in D.C. would distress Fido. Lincoln instructed the Roll boys to always let Fido into the house when he scratched at the door, never scold him for coming inside with muddy paws, and let him freely roam about the dinner table during meals. After moving into the White House, the Lincoln family adopted a small dog named Jip, who would habitually sit in the lap of the President during lunch and receive pets along with his share of table scraps.
Though often considered farm animals, two goats, Nanny and Nanko, obtained the status of “beloved pets” to the 16th President and his son, Tad. Elizabeth Keckley, Mrs. Lincoln’s seamstress, wrote that the goats knew the sound of Abraham Lincoln’s voice and would come bounding to his side at his call. In her autobiography, Keckley recalled how Lincoln told her, “I believe [Nanny and Nanko] are the kindest and best goats in the world.” She also reported watching Tad and his father gleefully play with the goats in the White House garden on sunny afternoons.
Between his cats, dogs, goats, and also a few other animals Lincoln met throughout his life, the President extended his compassion to many creatures he crossed paths with. His actions serve as an admirable example of human kindness and a testament to his kind nature.
Works Cited
“Abraham Lincoln’s Fido.” Presidential Pet Museum, www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/abraham-lincolns-fido/.
Gale, Dr. Neil. “Abraham Lincoln Loved Cats, Dogs, Goats, a Pig, a Turkey, and of Course, His Horse.” The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal™, 1 Jan. 1970, drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2016/12/abraham-lincolns-cats-dogs-goats-pig.html.
Kelly, Kate. “Abraham Lincoln’s Dog, Fido.” America Comes Alive, 25 June 2021, americacomesalive.com/abraham-lincolns-dog-fido/.
“Photograph of Lincoln, Shortly Before His Death, 1865.” New York State Archives, http://www.archives.nysed.gov/education/photograph-lincoln-shortly-his-death-1865.
“President Lincoln and His Cats.” The Tiniest Tiger, 17 Feb. 2020, conservationcubclub.com/president-lincoln-and-his-cats/.
“The White House Grounds & Entrance: Pets.” Mr. Lincoln’s White House, The Lehrman Institute, 23 Mar. 2016, www.mrlincolnswhitehouse.org/the-white-house/the-white-house-grounds-entrance/white-house-grounds-entrance-pets/.