The Surprising Number Of Pets Abraham Lincoln Had

While he was not the primary caretaker of most of these animals, the president was far from disassociated from them. In terms of pets, Lincoln was an extremely avid cat lover. Though the White House only had two resident cats during his administration, Lincoln extended his affection for felines to any that he came across. Lincoln's love of the animals was something that his wife, Mary Todd, was well aware of; at one point she stated that cats were his "hobby" (via National Park Service).

On one occasion he even fed one of his cats from his own fork during a dinner at the White House, and supposedly defended the act when Mary pressed him on what guests might think. If the fork was good enough for presidents, he said, it was good enough for the cat.

Stray cats were also liable to be shown kindness by the president. During the war he came across three orphaned kittens in the tent of General Ulysses S. Grant's, and Lincoln spent some time petting and talking to them. Before he left he asked the officers inside that the three be properly cared for in light of their lack of a mother (via The Tiniest Tiger's Conservation Cub Club).

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