India (cat) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
India "Willie" Bush (July 13, 1990 – January 4, 2009) was a female solid black American Shorthair cat owned by former U.S. President
Official Biography at WhiteHouse.gov
{{George W. Bush 1990 animal births 2009 animal deaths George W. Bush administration controversies India–United States relations United States presidential cats Naming controversies
India "Willie" Bush (July 13, 1990 – January 4, 2009) was a female solid black American Shorthair cat owned by former U.S. President George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
and First Lady Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...
. She lived with the Bush family for almost two decades.
Biography
The Bushes acquired India, a solid black, female American Shorthair, in late 1991 or 1992 when their twin daughters Barbara and Jenna Bush were nine years old. India remained with George and Laura Bush once their daughters left for college. The cat moved with the Bushes to theWhite House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
from the Texas Governor's Mansion in Austin
Austin refers to:
Common meanings
* Austin, Texas, United States, a city
* Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
in early 2001 following Bush's inauguration as president.
Despite living at the White House with the First Family, India was overshadowed in the media by the Bushes' higher-profile Scottish terrier
The Scottish Terrier (; also known as the Aberdeen Terrier), popularly called the Scottie, is a dog breed, breed of dog. Initially one of the highland breeds of terrier that were grouped under the name of ''Skye Terrier'', it is one of five br ...
s, Barney and Miss Beazley. However, she was seen in the "Barneycam" videos produced by the White House staff around Christmas time, her first appearance being ''Where in the White House is Miss Beazley?'', where she was referred to as "Willie". The dogs received significantly more media attention from the White House press corps during the Bush presidency.
India made an appearance, again as "Willie", in the March 2008 ''Architectural Digest
''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast
...
'' in the East Sitting Hall of the White House.
India died at the White House on January 4, 2009, at the age of 18. In a press release, a spokesperson for the First Lady said that the family was "deeply saddened by their cat's death", and went on to say "India was a beloved member of the Bush family for almost two decades. She will be greatly missed."
Controversy in India
There was some controversy reported inIndia
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
as some people were upset with the cat's name. In July 2004, demonstrators in the city of Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
in Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
denounced the cat's name as an insult to the nation of India, and burned an effigy
An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...
of President Bush in protest. The Bushes did not change the cat's name in response to the demonstrations, as their cat had been named after the baseball player Rubén Sierra, who was nicknamed " El Indio" during his time with the Texas Rangers when Bush owned the team. The name "India" had reportedly been given to the family cat by their daughter Barbara.
See also
* United States presidential pets *List of individual cats
This is a list of individual cats who have achieved some degree of popularity or notability.
Before the modern era
* Nedjem or Nojem (Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''nḏm'' "Sweet One" or "Sweetie"), 15th century BC. The cat of Puimre, second p ...
References
External links
Official Biography at WhiteHouse.gov
{{George W. Bush 1990 animal births 2009 animal deaths George W. Bush administration controversies India–United States relations United States presidential cats Naming controversies