Unlike many frontiersmen of his era, Abraham Lincoln did not like hunting, as he was too much of an animal lover. He was especially fond of cats, and he was the first President to have them in the White House. It was typical for a feline to be feasting at the Presidential dinner table. When Mrs. Lincoln suggested that it was inappropriate for Lincoln to be feeding a cat with a gold fork during dinner, Lincoln replied that, "If the gold fork was good enough for former President James Buchanan, I think it is good enough for Tabby." When meeting with General Grant and Admiral Porter in Virginia during the war, Lincoln took off time to arrange for the adoption of three homeless kittens he found in a telegraph shed.
He also had a dog named "Fido," (pictured below) whom he left behind with some Illinois neighbor boys, as Lincoln was afraid that Fido would not do well in Washington. His favorite horse was named "Old Bob." Lincoln was not known for highbrow ostentatious designations for his animals.
Lincoln had to be physically restrained from running into a fire at the White House stables to rescue the horses.
The Lincoln menagerie also included rabbits, goats, and a turkey called "Tom" (yet another example of creative nomenclature). Tom was slated to be the 1863 Thanksgiving dinner but received a pardon at the request of Lincoln's son, Tad.
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| From the Henry Homer Collection at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum |
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