Lincoln Mr. Lincoln's " Hobby "

[frontrank2]

President Abraham Lincoln "possessed extraordinary kindness of heart when his feelings could be reached," wrote Treasury official Mansell B. Field in his memoirs. "He was fond of dumb animals, especially cats. I have seen him fondle one for an hour. Helplessness and suffering touched him when they appealed directly to his senses, or when you could penetrate through his intelligence to them."

Lincoln, who decided to leave his dog Fido home in Springfield, Ill., when he was elected president, was given an unexpected gift of two kittens from Secretary of State William Seward.

The president doted on the cats, which he named Tabby and Dixie, so much that he once fed Tabby from the table during a formal dinner at the White House.

When Lincoln's embarrassed wife later observed that the action was "shameful in front of their guests," the president replied, "If the gold fork was good enough for former President James Buchanan, I think it is good enough for Tabby."

"Dixie Is Smarter Than My Whole Cabinet"

Lincoln's friend Caleb Carman recalled how the president would pick up one of the cats and "talk to it for half an hour at a time." The cats apparently won the president over with their quiet adoration.

At one point during his first term, Lincoln was said to have observed in frustration, "Dixie is smarter than my whole cabinet! And furthermore she doesn't talk back!"

Lincoln had a special affinity for stray cats and was known to bring them home on occasion. Mrs. Lincoln even referred to cats as her husband's "hobby."
continue reading: https://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/pets/abraham-lincoln-cats/

 

[Copperhead-mi]

Thank you for posting this. I was not aware of his fondness of cats.

 

[RobertP]

If the word gets out that Abe had a cat named Dixie there will be hel* to pay!

Seriously.

 

[LoyaltyOfDogs]

Thank you for posting this. I was not aware of his fondness of cats.

@Copperhead-mi, you might enjoy this story of Lincoln and three kittens (courtesy of @kholland).

 

[Copperhead-mi]

@Copperhead-mi, you might enjoy this story of Lincoln and three kittens (courtesy of @kholland).

Apparently i read that post about 9 years ago because I gave it a "Like" back then, but obviously couldn't remember it. Anyhow, it was great re-reading that story. Thank you for the link.

 

[donna]

Always like reading about president pets.

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

Copperhead, the post you are referring to is "Abraham Lincoln and His Love of Other Critters". Posted by KHolland on 08/28/14. There are several other threads about cats/kittens (pets et al) and Lincoln.

--BBF

 

[Copperhead-mi]

Copperhead, the post you are referring to is "Abraham Lincoln and His Love of Other Critters". Posted by KHolland on 08/28/14. There are several other threads about cats/kittens (pets et al) and Lincoln.

--BBF

As with the previous link mentioned above in post #4, I also read KHolland's 08/28/14 post and gave it a "Like" way back then. I better start eating more fatty fish and drinking more coffee to boost my memory.

 

[John Hartwell]

It had been much the same back in Springfield. Lincoln was always bringing home strays. There were as many as 6 kittens in the house at any one time, keeping best friend Fido company.

 

[LoyaltyOfDogs]

As with the previous link mentioned above in post #4, I also read KHolland's 08/28/14 post and gave it a "Like" way back then. I better start eating more fatty fish and drinking more coffee to boost my memory.

You're not alone, @Copperhead-mi. I do the very same thing regularly, despite a diet high in fatty fish and more coffee than almost anyone I know drinks (except for Mr. LoyaltyOfDogs). I think the *condition* that causes this phenomenon is not forgetfulness but the fact that as 21st Century people, we have more demands on our attention and more information to remember than probably any generation in the past. In one of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Dr. John Watson describes Holmes's belief that the human brain can hold only so much information, and it is always necessary to jettison what is not needed to make room for what is relevant. That explanation works for me.

 

[donna]

Because of forgetting I am glad people bring up old threads. Helps jog my memory on different subjects.