Willow (cat)
{{Short description|Pet cat owned by the Biden family}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox animal
| name = Willow
| image = Willow the First Cat.png
| caption = Willow in 2022
| birth_name =
| species = Domestic cat
| breed = Domestic short-haired cat
| gender = Female
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2020|1|3}}{{cite web|last=Rogers|first=Kate|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/28/us/politics/biden-cat-willow.html|title=Relax, America: Willow, the White House Cat, Has Arrived|work=The New York Times|date=January 28, 2022|accessdate=January 28, 2022|archive-date=January 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128103527/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/28/us/politics/biden-cat-willow.html|url-status=live}}
| birth_place = Western Pennsylvania, U.S.
| parents =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| term = January 28, 2022 – January 20, 2025
| occupation = Former United States presidential pet, First Cat of the United States
| employer =
| years_active = 2021–2025
| awards =
| tricks =
| owner = Biden family
| weight =
| height =
| appearance = Tabby cat with light green eyes, striped light and dark grey fur
| namedafter = Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
| predecessor = India
}}
Willow (born January 3, 2020) is an American tabby domestic short-haired cat owned by former President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Formerly a farm cat, she was adopted by the Biden family from Rick Telesz as part of a campaign promise to adopt a cat into the First Family and is named after Jill Biden's hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. Willow is the first cat to live in the White House since India, who was owned by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.{{Cite web|last=Oladipo|first=Gloria|date=2022-01-28|title=Willow the White House cat joins Bidens' pet family|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/28/white-house-cat-willow-joe-jill-biden|access-date=2022-01-28|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=January 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128213131/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/28/white-house-cat-willow-joe-jill-biden|url-status=live}}
Biography
Willow is a former farm cat that was born in Western Pennsylvania, and was formerly owned by Rick Telesz, a farmer in Volant, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.{{R|TheGuardian}}{{cite news|last1=Heyl|first1=Eric|title=New Biden White House Cat Willow Hails From PA|url=https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/new-biden-white-house-cat-willow-hails-pa|access-date=6 February 2022|work=Patch|date=31 January 2022|language=en|archive-date=February 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206130952/https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/new-biden-white-house-cat-willow-hails-pa|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Penington|first1=Lauren|title=Biden's cat, Willow, joins long line of presidential pets|url=https://www.klkntv.com/bidens-cat-willow-joins-long-line-of-presidential-pets|access-date=6 February 2022|work=KLKN-TV|date=31 January 2022|archive-date=February 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206130149/https://www.klkntv.com/bidens-cat-willow-joins-long-line-of-presidential-pets/|url-status=live}} She has green eyes.{{citation |url= https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-jill-biden-cats-e3164173bf418f28495a79cd9319ce11 |title= Here, kitty: Bidens welcome cat named Willow to White House |website= Associated Press|first=Darlene|last=Superville|date=January 28, 2022 |access-date=December 22, 2022 }} Biden has stated that "[Willow] has no limits" and that "in the middle of the night she climbs up and lays on top of [his] head".{{Cite web|last=Haroun|first=Azmi|date=2023-01-26|title= Biden confirms that White House cat Willow has 'no limits' and sleeps on top of his head at night|url= https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-presidential-cat-willow-sleeps-top-of-head-at-night-2023-1|access-date=2023-08-09|website=Business Insider|language=en|archive-date=June 30, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230630153739/https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-presidential-cat-willow-sleeps-top-of-head-at-night-2023-1|url-status=live}}File:Willow Biden and the Christmas tree.jpg on December 22, 2022]] File:Meet Willow 2.jpg.]]
Jill Biden first met Willow during a campaign speech at the farm where she resided and she immediately bonded with her.{{R|:NYT|:PATCH}} In an interview Jill stated that the cat had, between then and her adoption by the Bidens, been living with a foster family, and that she had grown attached to the cat.{{Cite news|last=Mason|first=Jeff|date=2022-01-28|title=Bidens welcome Willow the cat to the White House|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/bidens-welcome-willow-cat-white-house-2022-01-28/|access-date=2022-01-28|archive-date=January 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128213132/https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/bidens-welcome-willow-cat-white-house-2022-01-28/|url-status=live}} Rick Telesz, Willow's former owner, claimed that he received a phone call where he was informed that Jill wanted to adopt Willow from him.{{R|:PATCH}}{{cite news|title=Willow, The Biden Family Cat, Is From Western Pennsylvania|url=https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2022/01/30/willow-biden-family-cat-western-pennsylvania|access-date=6 February 2022|work=CBS Pittsburgh|date=30 January 2022|archive-date=February 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207153235/https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2022/01/30/willow-biden-family-cat-western-pennsylvania/|url-status=live}}
Willow's adoption was part of a campaign promise to adopt a cat into the First Family,{{Cite web|title=Meet Willow, the Bidens' new, very presidential-looking cat|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/28/1076323003/biden-cat-white-house-willow|access-date=2022-01-28|website=NPR|date=January 28, 2022|last1=Jacobs|first1=Harrison|archive-date=January 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129224945/https://www.npr.org/2022/01/28/1076323003/biden-cat-white-house-willow|url-status=live}} and after being so, was named Willow Biden, after Jill's hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.{{R|:NYT|:KLKN-TV}}{{Cite news|last=Judkis|first=Maura|date=January 28, 2022|title=The Bidens finally have a White House cat. World, meet Willow.|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/01/28/biden-cat-willow-white-house/|access-date=2022-01-29|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=January 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129044202/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/01/28/biden-cat-willow-white-house/|url-status=live}}
Willow was adopted in February 2021, but only came to live in the White House in 2022 because of concerns that she would not get along with the Biden family's German Shepherd Major, and lived with Jill Biden's press secretary Michael LaRosa for a time.{{Cite web |last=Rink |first=Matthew |title=First kitty: Willow Biden, new White House cat, hails from Volant, Pennsylvania, farm |url=https://www.goerie.com/story/news/politics/government/2022/01/29/first-kitty-willow-biden-white-house-cat-lawrence-county-farm-joe-biden/9261847002/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=Erie Times-News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Egan |first=Lauren |last2=Stokols |first2=Eli |last3=Ukenye |first3=Lawrence |date=2023-08-09 |title=A purrrfect White House drama |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2023/08/09/the-long-strange-journey-of-willow-the-white-house-cat-00110517 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=POLITICO |language=en}} Her arrival was announced in January 2022 after much previous speculation.{{Cite news |last=Rogers |first=Katie |date=2022-01-28 |title=Relax, America: Willow, the White House Cat, Has Arrived |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/28/us/politics/biden-cat-willow.html |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bvY86QS46Y |title='Where's the Cat?' Psaki Unaware of When Biden's Cat Will Move Into White House |date=2021-03-09 |last=Bloomberg Quicktake |access-date=2025-03-06 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evSYqVg9VGs |title=White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Answers Your Questions |date=2021-01-31 |last=The Biden White House |access-date=2025-03-06 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite web |last=Hartmann |first=Margaret |date=2021-12-21 |title=I’ll Believe We’re Getting a White House Cat When I See It |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/biden-white-house-cat-promise.html |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Intelligencer |language=en}} The dog reportedly had biting issues and was sent to live with friends of the Biden family in Delaware.{{R|:NYT}}
Willow is the subject of a picture book written by Jill Biden in 2024.{{Cite web |last=Communications |first=Corporate |date=2024-03-26 |title=Willow the White House Cat, a Picture Book Written by Jill Biden, to Be Published By Simon & Schuster in June 2024 |url=https://about.simonandschuster.biz/news/jill-biden-picture-book/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=News and Corporate Information about Simon & Schuster |language=en-US}}{{Cite book |url=https://parents.simonandschuster.com/9781665952057 |title=Willow the White House Cat |date=2024-06-04 |isbn=978-1-6659-5205-7 |language=en}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
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{{succession box
| title = United States presidential cat
| before = India
(George W. Bush's
black cat)
(January 4, 2009)
| after = vacant
| years = January 28, 2022 – January 20, 2025
}}
{{s-end}}
{{United States presidential pets}}
{{Joe Biden}}