by SOCKS FAN CLUB President Jay Jacob Wind, Arlington VA
Welcome to SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB! Since the article in PARADE Magazine in August 1997, we now have 5,000 members in all 50 states and 11 countries - Australia, Austria, Canada, China (Hong Kong), France, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, US, and United Kingdom.
We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter. We cover America's First Cat SOCKS, animals, children, politics, and White House news from a cat's-eye view. Some articles are copyrighted and used by permission, so please contact us before reprinting. Send us articles and letters by US Mail or e-mail us at
SOCKSTHECAT@WORLDNET.ATT.NET
We may reprint any letters and photos you send us.
To join SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB or BUDDY'S BUDDIES, please use our Membership Application.
Every member gets a SOCKS FAN CLUB or BUDDY'S BUDDIES t-shirt, button,
membership card, and the next newsletter. You can also choose many
other SOCKS FAN CLUB and BUDDY'S BUDDIES gifts. We donate 10% of everything we earn on SOCKS gifts to
Humane Society of the U.S.
and
Children's Defense Fund
and 10% of everything we earn on BUDDY gifts to
National Children's Hospital in Washington DC.
If you would be interested in helping edit THE CAT FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER, please call or e-mail us.
OUR MAY CAT OF THE MONTH
Hello, Socks The Cat Fan Club!
Here is a photo of my cat Ryzhyk.
My cat is very pleasant, always high-spirited, airy! His weight is about 8 kg,
He lives in big flat here in Moscow. He often promenades outdoors and looks on
a birds and others cats. He likes milk very much and and Kiticat or Whiskas cat food.
I very much love my cat Ryzhyk!
My name is Nikolay and I live in Russia. Please, what do you think
about life in Russia? I ask because Russian TV and newspapers often
stretch the truth.
-- Best wishes, Nikolay Umtas
Cat Collectors International, an international
society of more than 1,000 cat lovers who collect cat memorabilia, hosts
its fifth annual convention Friday-Sunday, June 19-21, 1998, at Hyatt Dulles
Hotel, 2300 Dulles Corner Boulevard, Herndon VA, outside Washington DC.
Cat Collectors founder and president
Marilyn Dipboye said, "We look forward to our best and largest conference
ever, welcoming members from the Washington DC area and afar. This is the
first time we have met outside the Detroit area."
The public is welcome to the Vendors'
Room on Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., for cat collectible shopping.
Conference speakers will include SOCKS FAN CLUB President Jay Jacob Wind,
as well as artists, craftspeople, and appraisers. The conference features
a gift exchange, cat doll exhibits, slides of members' collections, cat
jewelry, and cat costumes. Friday before the conference, members visit
the exhibit "Cats Wild To Mild" at National Geographic Society's Explorers
Hall, which opens June 6 and runs through September 1988.
For a registration packet for the conference,
send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Marilyn Dipboye, Cat Collectors
International, 33161 Wendy Drive, Sterling Heights MI 48310. Registration
packets will be mailed in early 1998.
by Ann Gerhart and Annie Groer, The Reliable Source, The Washington Post, April 27, 1998
Socks, the First Feline, did it in 1993.
Leader, Bob Dole's miniature schnauzer, did it in 1995.
But it looks as if Buddy, the White House chocolate lab, won't be allowed
to act as honorary "chairpet" of the Bark Ball, the D.C. Humane Society's
annual fund-raiser set for June 13 at Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel.
Why not?
"President and Mrs. Clinton didn't want to have the dog used in this kind of
way. And for Buddy's part, Buddy wants to give back to society, but he
would like to do it in quieter, less public ways," said Barry Toiv, a White
House spokesman.
So how come Socks ultimately got to serve in 1993, after the White
House initially balked? "That was sort of a mistake," Toiv explained.
Never mind that the president and first lady often act as honorary chairmen
for various charity galas. Their cat or dog -- who wouldn't actually have to
show up at the ball -- will not be allowed to follow suit.
"These are their pets and members of the household, and they do not want
to have them used in any other way," Toiv said.
Bark Ball founder and chairwoman Diana Kaiser was disappointed but
undaunted: "As a backup, we are going to ask Congresswoman Mary
Bono to lend us her dog, which I understand was adopted from the
Humane Society of Washington."
But Bono told The Source that her only dogs live in California.
Maybe independent counsel Ken Starr has a pet in need of a higher
profile.
Official Briefing by White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry, April 24, 1998
Mr. McCurry: You're not going to ask about Buddy?
Q. Oh, yeah. Why did you do that to poor Buddy?
Mr. McCurry: We did -- April asked this earlier, and we
might as well get that done -- let me find my paper on that.
Q. What are you looking for?
Mr. McCurry: I'm looking for some stuff -- I had some
good stuff here. Just wait.
I just want to say a few things about this because I
know you will report this appropriately. But the President,
believing it was the responsible thing to do, did arrange to have
Buddy neutered last weekend by a qualified veterinarian at a
veterinarian clinic off campus. The veterinarian asked to not be
named, or remain anonymous. (Laughter).
No, I want to say some things about this. This comes
courtesy of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals. I just want to give some statistics here on some things
that are important.
Q. Why was it the responsible thing to do?
Mr. McCurry: Hear me out. Each day in the United
States there are 70,000 puppies and kittens that are born, and there
is clearly not homes for all of those pets. Millions of homeless
pets are euthanized every year in the United States because owners
for whatever reason can't keep them or they are discarded. There are
different kinds of estimates. If you look up on the ASPCA's web
page, you can get these numbers, but I think they're very telling.
There is one estimate of as many as 5 million pets per
year that are euthanized. That's a veterinarian -- a professor of
veterinary medicine at Tufts who makes that estimate. The ASPCA
themselves, they have an estimate of 5 million to 10 million, or it
could be up to as many as 12 million according to the American Humane
Association -- 12 million pets per year who are euthanized. And
there is also a study from the National Council on Pet Population --a
National Council on Pet Population study policy that finds that an
average of 64 percent of all animals taken into shelter care end up
being euthanized because they can't find a place to take them.
Q. And the fear was Buddy would add to this?
Mr. McCurry: Unwanted animals suffer from disease, from
parasites, from starvation, injury, abuse, and suffer all manners of
cruelty. And the number one goal of many animal welfare
organizations -- I'm citing statistics from the ASPCA, but we would
commend a number of animal welfare organizations that have contacted
the Clintons and said that it's very important that they make a
statement about what is a very serious problem in our country that
they take the step, if they believe it right, to have their own pet
neutered.
All the studies show, or the latest medical findings
indicate, that a pet, male or female, will be healthier and live
longer if it's spayed and neutered, so this is obviously in the
animal's interest as well.
And the President just felt, based on all that
information and based on the likelihood that it would be reported
widely that he had made that decision, he felt it was the responsible
thing to do.
Q. Would you say he's making a statement? He's being
a role model from the standpoint of asking other pet owners to neuter
their pets?
Mr. McCurry: No, he's doing what he felt was the
responsible thing to do, and he acknowledges what he felt were the
important arguments advanced by a number of animal welfare
organizations.
Q. And those of us who don't neuter our dogs are not
responsible?
Mr. McCurry: People can make that choice, but it is
strongly encouraged that pet owners do that by organizations that
have to deal with the aftermath of people who don't make responsible
decisions. And the President wanted to --
Q. Does he have any doggie friends, though?
Q. Has the President noticed any chilliness in his
relationship with Buddy since then? (Laughter.)
Mr. McCurry: Buddy is happy and doing well and still
very much affectionate towards all of us, including Lori Anderson,
who just accidentally shared her lunch with Buddy.
Q. He could be more affectionate toward some of you
now, probably.
Q. How do you know that Buddy is happy?
Mr. McCurry: It's a very nice and happy animal.
Q. How do you know that Buddy is happy?
Mr. McCurry: How do I know? He told me. (Laughter.)
Q. On background.
Mr. McCurry: That was on background, that's right.
Q. Thank you. (Laughter.)
PRECIOUS SOUVENIR FROM SOCKS
from The Washington Post, December 11, 1996, page D-3.
150,000 people visited the White House during the holidays. On Monday, December 9, the First Cat sidled up to a group of New Jersey schoolchildren after their caroling and gloried in their vigorous petting.
Some of the girls saved the hair SOCKS shed, tucked it into tissues, and said they would keep it forever, said Cece Lentini, Merchantville NJ, a mother who traveled with them.
But she worried, "If everyone who passes through gets to pet the cat, he's not going to have any hair left. Does SOCKS have a double?"
Responded Neel Lattimore, press secretary to Hillary Rodham Clinton and the cat's official spokesman, "We have no stunt cat.
Socks does a lot of celebrity drop-bys this time of year, but only when he feels like it. You can't schedule SOCKS."
SCOTTISH SCIENTIST ANNOUNCES
SUCCESSFUL CLONING OF SOCKS
On Wednesday, April 1, Dr. Ian Willcat of the University of Scotland in Sloof Lirpa made an astonishing announcement:
he and a team of 13 Scottish scientists had successfully cloned a live cat from a lock of SOCKS's hair provided by a schoolgirl from Merchantville NJ.
In March, Scottish scientists stunned the world by announcing the first successful cloning of a sheep.
Dolly, the clone, appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine. A week later, University of Texas scientists cloned a monkey, raising the spectre that someday humans could be cloned.
"So far, by gosh," said Dr. Willcat, "the kitten is doing fine.
He looks just like SOCKS, with the green eyes, the patch on his nose and chin, the white sleeve, and the white paws.
Of course, he doesn't have the notch out of his ear, and he is not 'fixed' - those were acquired traits.
He meows and feeds off his surrogate mother just like a normal cat. We haven't told him yet that he was conceived in a test-tube."
From the hair sample, the Sloof Lirpa team extracted five complete feline cells.
They cultured these cells and then extracted their nuclei. Next, they injected these nuclei into a feline egg cell and implanted the embryo into an already-pregnant mother cat.
After a month, she delivered four healthy Calicos and an American Shorthair. "Sure, we think our baby is genetically identical to SOCKS," predicted Dr. Willcat.
"You know now," continued Dr. Willcat, "we were lucky to obtain such a fine sample of SOCKS's DNA from that clump of hair.
It's not every cat that's so healthy. Only time will tell if he will chase mice and scratch like a normal cat.
Someday, we hope to bring him to Washington to introduce him to the original SOCKS."
At a press conference the day of the announcement, White House spokesman Mike McCatty said he was pleased with the experiment.
"Chelsea always wanted another cat," he purred. "If SOCKS's clone is as well-behaved as SOCKS himself, he can sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom anytime.
At first, we thought Dr. Willcat's announcement was serious, but then we read Sloof Lirpa spelled backwards."
Hi Socks:
Are we related? I'm sending you my picture because my buddies tell me I
look a lot like you. Please send me an autographed photo, so we can add
it to our family album.
P.S. Don't give Buddy too hard a time. Be nice to him and he'll look
after you.
-- Much love, Goucher Ford, Gaithersburg MD
Dear Goucher:
Gosh, thanks! You are one beautiful cat! I'm sending you my picture!
--Thanks for writing! SOCKS
With the help of SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB, Danielle and Shacie Niccolli of Delta Middle School in Colorado recently interviewed SOCKS. Here's what they learned:
Q. What food do you like?
A. I like Meow Mix, but that is not a commerical endorsement.
Q. How's the Clinton family treating you?
A. Wonderfully, but I miss Chelsea.
Q. Do you get locked outside of the White House at night time?
A. Never. The Executive Protective Service sees to that.
Q. Does Buddy the dog scare you?
A. Yes, very much. See the photos on my website.
Q. Does he chase you around the White House?
A. No, he's just big and boring.
Q. It seems like he's getting more attention than you lately.
A. That's fur sure! I'll have to talk with my Press Secretary. Mike...?
Q. Do you enjoy chasing birds around the White House lawn?
A. Squirrels, mostly! Birds are too flighty.
Q. Why is your name Socks?
A. It's my white paws, see?
Q. How come they didn't call you mittens or shoes or something?
A. Very funny. I'm ROTFL.
Q. Have you ever ridden in Air Force One?
A. No, I don't fly well. My ears hurt. I prefer to drive. When they drive me places like Children's Hospital, I ride in a cushioned cage.
Q. What do you want for Easter? Are there bunnies you could chase on the White House lawn?
A. I was out for the Easter Egg Roll. Lots of kids petted me. Someone was there dressed as the Easter Bunny, but I wasn't fooled.
Q. Have you ever almost been run over by the President's limo?
A. No, they drive very carefully.
Q. Are there mice in the White House?
A. There were some before I moved in, but there are no more now!
Q. Have you ever seen a ghost in the White House?
A. They say Abraham Lincoln haunts the White House, but I looked for him everywhere
and never found him.
Q. Where is your litter box?
A. One is outside the Gatekeeper's office on the bottom floor. The other is in a bathroom in the residence.
Q. Do we ask a lot of questions?
A. Yes, but it's my job to answer them.
Q. Thank you!
On April 13 this year, like the day after every Easter since 1993, Socks was on hand to greet visitors to the Annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Wooden eggs with Socks' pawprints were far more popular that those with Bill's or Hillary's autograph. For official information,
visit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/Easter/1998.
CHALLENGES NASA TO BUILD A NEW SATELLITE
TO PROVIDE LIVE IMAGES OF EARTH FROM OUTER SPACE
from the Office of the Vice President, THE WHITE HOUSE, March 13, 1998
Vice President Gore proposed today that NASA
scientists and engineers design, build and operate a satellite that
will make available a live image of earth 24 hours a day on the
Internet.
In a speech at the National Innovation Summit at MIT, the Vice
President proposed that NASA launch a new micro satellite that will
provide live images of the earth from space by the year 2000. This
satellite will depict the motions of changing clouds, the advance of
hurricanes, large-scale fires in oil fields or forests and other
phenomena at the precise moment they occur.
"This new satellite, called Triana, will allow people around the
globe to gaze at our planet as it travels in its orbit around the sun
for the first time in history," Vice President Gore said. "With the
next millennium just around the corner, developing this High Definition
TV quality image of the full disk of the continuously lit Earth and
making it available 24 hours a day on the Internet will awaken a new
generation to the environment and educate millions of children around
the globe.
This new space craft will be carried into low earth orbit where a
small motor will place it in orbit 1 million miles from earth at the
L1 point (short for the Lagrangian libration point), the point between
the earth and sun where gravitational attractions are balanced. The
satellite will carry a small telescope and camera to provide these new
compelling images.
In the history of space exploration there are only a few
photographs of the full earth that have resonated with the public.
Christmas 1968 was an epiphany for many Americans, when they first saw
the image "Earth Rising." It is considered one of the fundamentally
profound images of this century. Another photograph, "The Blue Marble"
taken in 1972 during Apollo 17, began an era of global awareness.
These images of the earth moved thousands of Americans and
encouraged them to become active stakeholders in our planet's well-being,
Vice President Gore said. As we connect all our classrooms to
the Internet, we have the opportunity to bring new education and
potential scientific projects as well as global weather observations to
millions of American classrooms and living rooms via television and
computer.
IN SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER
by Sonya Ross, Associated Press, March 11, 1998
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sorry, Buddy, it's for your own good.
After consulting with his vet -- and hearing an appeal in favor
of neutering from actress Doris Day -- President Clinton has decided
on the procedure for his new puppy.
But the reluctant president reserved the right to change his
mind. In announcing Clinton's decision Tuesday, White House
spokesman Barry Toiv said Clinton was ``inclined'' to allow the
procedure.
The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest
animal protection group, applauded Clinton's decision, saying he
was doing the right thing by his pet.
"Neutering or spaying dogs and cats is one of the most
important acts a responsible pet owner can take," said Martha
Armstrong, a society vice president. "It promotes better physical
and behavioral health for dogs and cats, and it helps to address
the pet overpopulation crisis."
Clinton set no immediate date for putting Buddy under the knife,
leaving some to wonder whether the 7-month-old chocolate Labrador
retriever has been told of his fate.
"Buddy's a little too young to understand," Toiv said.
Indeed, Buddy seemed blissfully unaware of any pending surgery
as he played fetch with Clinton on the South Lawn with a green
tennis ball Tuesday.
White House press secretary Mike McCurry said today the
procedure was "not likely anytime soon given the dog's age."
Toiv said Clinton's decision was driven by concerns for Buddy's
health. He denied that it was motivated by the encounters the dog
has had with Socks the family cat -- who, for the record, is
neutered, too.
Dr. Jacqueline Suarez, a veterinarian with the Alexandria (Va.)
Animal Hospital, said neutering can help curb dogs' aggression
toward other animals and tendency to urinate in unwelcome places.
"Although, if we have people questioning if they should or
shouldn't, those health reasons are good reasons to neuter as well,
so we'll use them as part of the case for neutering," Suarez said.
Miss Day, president of the Doris Day Animal League, sent Clinton
a letter in December expressing concern that Buddy would suffer
health problems if he were left intact. Among them was a risk of
cancer and other infections.
In January, McCurry said there were no plans to neuter Buddy,
who had moved into the White House in mid-December.
However, Clinton physician Connie Mariano has now told Miss Day
in a letter that the Clintons had decided to neuter the dog on the
advice of their veterinarian.
Armstrong said Buddy need not worry about losing his procreative
abilities. "Pets don't have any concept of identity or ego. Neutering a male dog or cat will not change his basic personality," she said. "He doesn't suffer any kind of emotional
reaction or identity crisis when neutered."
Got that, Buddy?
by Mary Lowry, The Herald, Everett WA
Whether it's good or bad, logical or illogical, public figures have an extraordinary influence on our society.
What a disappointment, then, to watch the escapades of President Clinton regarding his new companion animal, Buddy.
It seems incomprehensible, but Clinton appears to be oblivious to one of our national disgraces: that millions of perfectly healthy, loving puppies, kittens, dogs and cats are put to death every year in our animal shelters
because there are not enough homes for them.
Some of those dogs are chocolate Labs like Buddy. The purebreds go down with the same dispatch as the mutts.
Think of the beautiful and important statement Clinton would have made had he gone to his local animal shelter and adopted one of the wonderful, deserving dogs he would have found there.
But Clinton's failing doesn't end at that.
In an Associated Press story in The Herald on Jan. 7, we read a well-written and very funny account of the president's "attempt at detente"
in bringing Buddy and Socks, the Clintons' cat, together. But the story's
tone is seriously sullied at the end, when we learn that Clinton "wondered
aloud whether Socks should have been declawed years ago."
Declawing is a risky and controversial procedure, one which some veterinarians refuse to perform.
The strongest reprobation, however, has to be directed at the last two paragraphs of the story:
Socks, by the way, is a neutered male, but Buddy is unlikely to come under the knife.
Asked whether Buddy might become an "it," White House spokesman Mike McCurry replied: "No, Buddy is doing quite well as a 'he.'"
No living being becomes an "it" just because he or she does not have reproductive capability.
Spaying and neutering our cats and dogs is one of the most critically important things we can do to reduce the tragedy of their overpopulation.
The Clintons take pride in the fact that they are different from George and Barbara Bush in so many ways. Too bad they don't have that attitude when it comes to their pets. The Bushes' legacy is that their dog, Millie, had a
big litter of pups while they were in the White House.
Dear SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB:
Thank you for mailing us a recent copy of the "Socks the Cat and Buddy's
Buddies" fan club newsletter. Although we found your articles and quotes
humorous, we wanted to pass along some concerns we have about a recent
article that appeared on the wire regarding the President's new animal
companion.
We are extremely disappointed that the President chose to purchase a
purebred dog from a breeder instead of adopting from a local animal
shelter, where thousands of homeless animals await loving homes. We are
also very concerned about the fact that the President does not intend to
have Buddy neutered and that he is considering declawing Socks the cat.
We are urging people to contact the President and ask him to take a
stand against companion animal overpopulation by modeling responsible
behavior and choosing to neuter Buddy. We also would like him to know
that declawing cats is an unnecessarily cruel and dangerous procedure
that many veterinarians refuse to perform for ethical reasons.
Please pass this information on to members in your fan club! Feel free
to contact me with further questions. -- Thanks, Stephanie Bell
Dear Stephanie:
Let me say this about that. First, as a cat, I share your concerns about a dog in the White House. So far, it has been no fun. I growl, he barks, he expect to walk on my South Lawn ... for this I moved from Little Rock?
To set the record straight, the President did not purchase Buddy. Buddy was a gift from an friend. Your point is well-taken, and most dog and cat owners should consider neutering/spaying their pets. As you can see from the above articles, the President took your advice. I'm neutered, and it doesn't bother me one bit.
Finally, no one has ever proposed de-clawing me. I have been a perfect gentleman since the moment I set foot in the Governor's Mansion, and especially since moving into the White House. I applaud vets who decline to declaw. I do my scratching outdoors on my daily walks. There are plenty of trees on the White House lawns. -- Thanks for raising the issues -- SOCKS
Dr. John C. Lewis writes:
Now, Socks will be tasked with training the dog. New headline will read,
Conflict broke out on the White House South Lawn on Tuesday, January 6, when President Clinton took a walk with new First Dog Buddy.
SOCKS was out on his own errands, when the dog came into view. SOCKS, who has ruled the White House since 1993, would not yield his turf. Buddy barked, SOCKS yowled, and the President found himself between two warring members of his household.
With the help of White House photographer Sharon Farmer, the President tried to broker a truce between the two First Pets, but it will be a while before the fur stops flying. See below for the official story from The Washington Post.
SOCKS FAN CLUB MEMBER Linda McLaughlin sent a suggestion: "Put a amall amount of perfume on your finger and rub it on the noses of both pets. They 'learn' the smell and will become friends. It took a couple of days for my pets, but they are now inseparable. I used Shalimar - that's what I wear most of the time, so they also recognized the scent."
by Ann Gerhart and Annie Groer, The Reliable Source, The Washington Post, January 7, 1998
It seems President Clinton had more success on these very same grounds with
Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin.
The soother of troubled factions was nearly helpless yesterday after frenzied
fighting broke out when he and First Dog Buddy encountered First Cat Socks
tethered outside the Oval Office. Buddy barked loudly. Socks charged him.
The prez grabbed the pup's muzzle and got him to lie down on the grass for a
minute. But Buddy started with the barking again, and Socks responded with
hisses, spitting and a back arched to the skies.
Socks often gets a long leash to roam outside the Oval Office, where he
watches the squirrels, said Marsha Berry, press secretary to Hillary Rodham
Clinton, whose office supervises official Socks activities. "This is a very
content cat," said Berry, but one who did not anticipate seeing a frisky
chocolate Lab come into view.
The president and dog were returning from a social outing to Education
Secretary Dick Riley's birthday party, where, Riley reported, Buddy ate a
plant.
Along for Vacation, President's New Dog Has His Day
Buddy is Master of Attention as Clintons Arrive at Retreat
by Peter Baker, The Washington Post, December 31, 1997
HILTON HEAD, S.C., Dec. 30-In case there were any lingering
doubts, Buddy's bright red leash came emblazoned with a message:
"I'm the one in charge."
Buddy certainly thinks so. As President Clinton and his family
embarked on a six-day, end-of-the-year vacation today, their new
chocolate-colored Labrador puppy stole the show everywhere they
went.
Long before the commander-in-chief arrived at Andrews Air Force
Base for his morning takeoff to a wonky New Year's retreat here,
the presidential pooch had made himself at home on Air Force
One, sprawled out on Clinton's couch. When he displayed some
trepidation about getting off the presidential jet on its arrival in
South Carolina, he got a royal disembarkment as Clinton personally
carried him down the mobile staircase. And when he wanted to
chew some grass, he simply tugged on his leash and dragged
Clinton along.
"Buddy's first plane ride," Clinton declared with delight. "He's a
happy little camper."
The same might be said of the First Dog Owner as well. After a
rocky year preoccupied with campaign finance probes, Paula
Jones's lawsuit and a major defeat on trade legislation, the canine
adoption has been the one unqualified public relations coup for the
president in 1997. And while even jaded aides are not so cynical as
to suggest a political motivation, it did not go unnoticed here that
Buddy, riding high in the polls, was invited for the getaway, while
Socks was left behind at the White House to fend for himself.
Buddy even got his own name tag -- blue for a first-time guest -- at the annual Renaissance Weekend here on this resort island, where the Clintons have rung in a dozen new years with seminars sober to silly. Founded by Philip and Linda LeSourd Lader (he is now ambassador to Britain), Renaissance Weekend this year attracted 1,500 prominent guests, from personal advice dispensers Joyce Brothers and Ruth Westheimer to Nobel laureates George A. Olah and Robert Richardson, for 356 panel discussions including
"War Crimes, Human Rights and Refugees" and "What My Spouse Is Wrong About."
If the past is prologue, Clinton will spend more time on the golf
course than in the conference center and, indeed, he hit the links
immediately on landing. He also hopes to play touch football again,
although he could be hampered by the knee he injured in March.
"I just wouldn't be very good or fast because I only have about 75
percent of my strength," he told reporters on Air Force One. "But I
think in terms of resilience -- you know, immunity from being torn
again -- I think it's probably in real good shape."
After a New Year's Eve celebration that will include a closed-door
question-and-answer session with the president for Renaissance
participants, the first family will fly to the U.S. Virgin Islands for a
long weekend, following the same creature-of-habit pattern as last
year. Fortunately, the owners of the luxury house where they will
stay in St. Thomas are waiving their no-pets rule.
"I have no agenda," Clinton said. "Mostly I just want to sit around
and talk to Hillary and Chelsea, think about next year, finish my
planning -- that's all we're going to do."
But he knows he has big tasks awaiting him back in Washington,
come 1998. The first one he will tackle, he said, is a peacemaking
mission. Buddy, it seems, is not yet getting along with the original
First Pet. "I still haven't reconciled him with Socks yet, but I'm
working on it," Clinton said. "I almost got them together. I got 'em
very close. ... When I get back, it's my first project. I'm going to
have them totally reconciled with each other."
The president explained away Socks's mysterious absence from
the trip as a function of his own reluctance to have the cat
declawed, making him ill-suited for the elaborately laid out Air
Force One. "It's bad for cats," he said of removing their claws. "I
refused to do it. But it meant that I couldn't let [him] sleep on our
floor."
AFTER NATIONWIDE INTERNET SEARCH
by Maggie Wilson, Springfield VA
Almost SIX weeks after she was stolen in Pennsylvania, Moka is home safe and
sound. Moka's owner got a phone call at 2 a.m. the morning of January 15
from the 94th precinct in Brooklyn NY, saying Moka been found and was at the
police station. Her recovery is attributed to the diligence of NYPD's finest
and a flyer that was sent to the 94th by someone from Samfans. The
owner has said that her safe return was all because of the dedicated
efforts of
Samfans, the Internet list of Samoyed owners
(http://www.samfans.org).
Other than being 8 or 9 pounds heavier, she seems to be in good shape.
After stealing the car with the dog in it, the car thieves made a call from
the car's cell phone to someone in Brooklyn. Apparently they dropped
her off at that residence, the home of a known car thief currently on
parole.
The 94th precinct police happened to be watching the man Wednesday
night when they saw him in an unregistered car with out-of-state plates.
They stopped him and he tried to run away on foot and was caught.
When they returned to the car, Moka popped her head up in the front
seat. They had already received the flyer sent to the precinct by a
member of Samfans and they recognized Moka. They got in touch with
the Pennsylvania police and the owner, who immediately drove to
Brooklyn to pick her up.
Moka is home safe with her family largely due to the efforts made by a
caring Internet community who persistently notified every possible
agency, organization, group, etc. who might possibly help in the search,
including SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB.
Moka's website
(http://www.oocities.org/Yosemite/1294/moka.htm),
describes the search. Thank you!
IN BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES, FLORIDA IN 1994
Reported by James Scarborough, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine. From MMWR, p. 909, Vol. 43, No. 49, by J.E. Stone et al.
On August 14, 1994, the Broward County Public Health Unit of the
Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitiative Services was notified
of three children from Pompano Beach who were hospitalized with
encephalitis attributed to cat scratch disease (CSD).
All three children (aged 5, 6, and 11 years) were previously healthy
and had no histories of seizure disorders or diagnoses of CSD. This report
summarizes the investigation of those cases.
On August 12 and 13, during a 26-hour period, each child entered
the emergency department of the same hospital with sudden onset of
generalized seizures, coma, and respiratory depression requiring
intubation and assisted ventilation. Two of the children had focal
lymphadenopathy (axillary and epitrochlear) on admission; cervical
lymphadenopathy developed in the third child during hospitalization.
Clinical examinations and laboratory tests ruled out some causes of
encephalopathy, including viral infections (e.g., herpes simplex and
arboviruses), metabolic disorders, and toxic ingestions.
On September 5 and 27, additional cases of CSD encephalitis were
confirmed in a 9-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl from the same area
(Fort Lauderdale and Boynton Beach). CSD lymphadenopathy had been
diagnosed in both children approximately 3 weeks before the onsets of
seizure and coma. Although the girl had been treated with successive
courses of amoxicilin/clavulanate potassium and
trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole before the onset of CSD encephalitis, both
of these cases were clinically similar to the first three cases.
Case and contact investigations identified exposure (e.g.,
handling and petting) to stray kittens as the only common link among the
affected children; histories of overt scratches or bites were not
elicited. Indirect fluorescent-antibody testing at CDC detected
elevated antibody titers to Bartonella henselae, the etiologic agent for
CSD, in all five patients. Microscopic examination
of lymph node biopsies was consistent with CSD for the two children with
lymphadenopathy on presentation. During hospitalization (range: 11-17 days), all children
received supportive care and antibiotic and anticonvulsant therapy. All
five children recovered without apparent sequelae.
Editor's Note: Last summer, SOCKS
THE CAT FAN CLUB introduced the SOCKS Virtual Reality Pet. Reviews were
mixed; some members loved theirs; other members were bored after a few
lives. Among virtual pets, that's life. Our first virtual pet owner, Paul Wind, age 12, tested his SOCKS virtual pet and wrote the following scientific analysis.
The SOCKS Virtual Reality Pet, I think,
is superior to the regular Tamagotchi. It has one more button than
the Tamagotchi, plus, if you don't like the picture of SOCKS THE CAT, you
can choose from any one of seven friends of SOCKS on the very same electronic
toy. You can choose between a cat, a crab, a butterfly, a fish, a dinosaur,
a dog, a rooster, and a dove!
| Characteristic | SOCKS Smart Pet | Tamagotchi |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Meal, snack, and water | Meal and snack |
| Games | Plays two guessing games | Plays one guessing game |
| Music
|
Plays nine songs:
|
None
|
| Cleaning up after | Clean up with a broom | Clean up with a wash |
| Shots | One shot does the trick | Two shots does the trick |
| Meter/Scale | Shows weight in Grams and age | Shows weight in Ounces and age |
| Lights | You can turn them on or off | You can turn them on or off |
| Attention | Beeps at you and picture glows | Beeps at you and picture glows |
| Chain | Made for a necklace or a keychain | Made only for a keychain |
| Buttons | Four | Three |
| Choice of animals | Eight | One |
Next fall, my mistress will go away to college and leave me home alone (with her parents.) Do you have any tips about coping with the separation? Who will spoil me with real tuna fish and rub my belly? Whose bed will I sleep on? Can I hide in her suitcase and go along too? Please help, I'm really worried.
-- Sox the Cat and Merrie Spaeth
Dear Sox and Merrie,
Separation will be very difficult for both of you.
For you, the cat, it will mean many hours alone.
But your mistress' parents will look after you and feed you
and play with you. Be sure to keep track of your cat toys
this year so you will remember where they are after she leaves.
For her, the student, it will even be more difficult. She will miss you
when she lives in the dorms, and she will ask to talk with you on the phone.
Be sure to MEOW for her when her parents bring you to the phone!
Don't hide in her suitcase. Especially if she is flying, cargo areas
are cold and dark. Instead, get a photo of both of you together,
and hang it by your food bowl and above her bedside at college.
-- Thank you for writing, SOCKS THE CAT
Dear SOCKS,
I am an artist. I enjoyed your website. I thought it is very nice! I hope I will adopt a cat and if she is a female, I will name her Elizabeth. If he is a male, then I will name him Garfield, after my favorite orange cat who loves lasagna and pizza! What else could I name him? I drew the portrait on the right.
I know it really is like a dog vs. cat world out there, but Socks, I know that Buddy really likes you a lot and he wanted to get to know you. It is all right to be scared, since you two are meeting for the first time. but your master is protecting both of you for his sake and for yours. You have Chelsea to protect you since you are lucky enough to have her around you, when she is home with you and her folks. I would like a cat since I don't have one at my apartment, and am planning to adopt one from the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
You are the star of my heart and you will always have a fan. I adore how cats live on this beautiful planet alongside humans. Sorry for the long letter, but Socks, I would like to extend my friendship to this wonderful feline and you happen to be the luckiest kitty ever. Meowrrr!
-- Say hello to the First Family for me, Anne Cohen, San Francisco CA
Dear Anne,
Thank you for your lovely letter and portait! You know, I enjoy living on this planet with people, and even Buddy and I will learn to get along.
-- With admiration, SOCKS THE CAT
Dear SOCKS:
Greetings from a feline friend in England. My name is Spider (ridiculous name isn't it). My hobbies are: catching mice; rabbits; birds; sleeping on the bannisters and getting my owners to open doors for me as much as possible. I was rescued from a wicked landlady who fed me DOGFOOD and let me sleep outside all night. I hope you are enjoying 'the holidays.' I had a nice piece of cheddar this evening. Unfortunately I also singed my eyebrow on a candle but it doesn't look too bad. My owner walked into a door last night and now has a black eye which looks really stupid. I was impressed to learn you have your own office. It's nice to know some of us cats get the status we deserve.
-- Peace, Spider, Mary Surrey UK
Dear Spider,
Thank you so much for writing. I have always wanted to visit Merrie Olde England, where everyone treasure their Moggies. I am sorry to hear about your encounter with the candle, but I hope you recover quickly.
-- Cheerio, SOCKS
Dear SOCKS,
After seeing the photo of Mr. Clinton and his cat (you), I figured you might be interested to know that my cat would make a perfect 'spot double.'
--Bitbyter, Brisbane, Australia
Dear Bitbyter:
Who would have thought my twin lived Down Under! Right down to the spots, indeed!
-- G'dye, Mate! SOCKS
Dear SOCKS:
We are SHOCKED! Almost but not quite speechless! Of course there's no way Chelsea can have Socks in the dorm, but what a double disaster for Socks not only to lose Chelsea but to have to deal with a Lab puppy. This is a true scandal in the White House . . . all that junk in the newspapers we regard as just Republican dirt-dishing, but this is different! What a betrayal! Here at Wee Meadow we have four found cats, three of which are black-and-white Socks-cousins, and we know how much each one of them loves attention, lap-time, and participation in our activities. When we go for walks they all follow in a row. We live way out in the mountains and always have lots of outdoor work on the go in which all the cats get involved. And all this despite the fact that they are unrelated on one another, came to us at different times, and don't get along with one another. They just love their people and let us know it in every possible way. We are worried about Socks's feelings of rejection and displacement. Is this pup being trained to be cat-friendly? Anyway, what mature cat wants to have a bouncing playful puppy to cope with? Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. We are wringing our hands!
-- Mary B. Sheffield and the Wee Meadow folks: Ringo, Tuxedo, Highway, and Atticus
Dear Mary and Friends,
It's not all bad. At last, it's not ME surrounded by all those photographers!
-- Best wishes to y'all, SOCKS
Esteemed member Megumi Narita of Arlington VA
translates SOCKS Newsletter into Japanese at
www.oocities.org/CapitolHill/6157/socks_j.html .
For a tool to view Japanese characters on your browser, visit
www.yahoo.com/docs/info/bridge.html .
Megumi's website is
http://www.oocities.org/Heartland/Ranch/7214 .
With every order of $12.00 or more, you get the membership package:
* SOCKS full-color pin (shown below)
... AND ...
* SOCKS FAN CLUB / BUDDY'S BUDDIES membership card
... AND ...
* The next issue of SOCKS FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER
... AND ...
* SOCKS's and BUDDY's History of Presidents' Pets
... AND ...
* SOCKS's Favorite Quotations From Chairman Meow
Please select among the following gifts:
[_] $12.00 T-shirt:
[_]SOCKS (design on right) or
[_]IN BUDDY WE TRUST
[_]S
[_]M
[_]L
[_]XL
[_]XX (Add $1.00)
[_]XXX (Add $2.00)
Child
[_]M
[_]L
[_] $20.00 Sweatshirt:
[_]SOCKS or
[_]IN BUDDY WE TRUST
[_]S
[_]M
[_]L
[_]XL
[_]XX (Add $1.00)
[_]XXX (Add $2.00)
[_] $20.00 SOCKS Virtual Reality Pet - better than a Tamagotchi!
[_] $20.00 SOCKS Look-Alike Cuddly Toy Cat
[_] $15.00
[_] Chef's Apron or
[_] Tote-bag (holds 35 pounds) or
[_] 3-Button Golf Shirt
[_] $ 8.00
[_]SOCKS or
[_]BUDDY T-shirt
-- without the membership package
[_]S
[_]M
[_]L
[_]XL
[_]XX (Add $1.00)
[_]XXX (Add $2.00)
Child
[_]M
[_]L
[_] $ 6.95
Cartoon book - Socks Goes to Washington, The Diary of America's First Cat
Biting, scratching satire by Michael O'Donoghue & J.C.Suarez
[_] $ 4.00
[_]SOCKS or [_]BUDDY Color Portrait Postcard
- 5.5"x8.5" (2 for $7.00)
[_] $ 2.00
Membership Renewal:
Issues 17 & 18 of SOCKS FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER
[_] $12.00
[_]SOCKS Xmas Cards or [_]Valentines - pack of 12, 6 witty designs, hand-colored
[_] Back issues of SOCKS FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER --
$ 1.00 each or $12.00 for all 17
__ #1 (2 pages) SOCKS's Inauguration Jan. 20, 1993
/ Kids clean up the environment
__ #2 (4 pages) Interview with SOCKS' vet Joan Nafe
/ White House maze
__ #3 (8 pages) Cat's Credo, a poem by Garrison
Keillor / 1993 Inauguration photos
__ #4 (8 pages) Vic Gold interviews SOCKS / White
House board game
__ #5 (8 pages) The Wild Cats of Hawaii / Murphy
Brown kidnaps SOCKS on TV
__ #6 (8 pages) Interview with SOCKS's press secretary
Neel Lattimore - scratch those rumors!
__ #7 (8 pages) New White House Visitor Center (the
first article anywhere!)
__ #8 (8 pages) African Safari / SOCKS in Mad
Magazine
__ #9 (8 pages) On-Line Tour / MaryKate & Ashley
Olson sing Some Day I Want to Be President
__#10 (8 pages) White House Sculpture Garden (1st
ever published!) / PRIMANJI Board Game
__#11 (8 pages) SOCKS interviews Leader Dole / The
Great SOCKS vs. Leader Debate
__#12 (8 pages) White House Holiday Cards / Holidays
Around the World
__#13 (4 pages) SOCKS's 2nd Inauguration / We meet
SOCKS at Children's Hospital
__#14 (8 pages) SOCKS's Inaugural Address / Saving
Australia's Cats / SOCKS Cloned!
__#15 (8 pages) A Day in the Life of SOCKS / Saving
Singapore's Cats / Presidential Movies
__#16 (8 pages) Chelsea leaves for college / A letter
from Clinton / Cabinet Member Contest
__#17 (8 pages) White House goes to the Dogs
[_] $20.00
S.A. Murray's beautiful full-color SOCKS T-shirt (© 1997, S.A. Murray)
[_]S
[_]M
[_]L
[_]XL
[_]XX (Add $1.00)
[_]XXX (Add $2.00)
[_] $ 6.00
FIRST FAMILY PHOTO WALLET -- 10 color photos of SOCKS, BUDDY, and BILL
[_] $ 4.00
Buttons (shown below) - full-color, 3" diameter (3 for $10.00)
[_] E Pluribus Meow [_] Fala and SOCKS - Tradition!
[_] Baby Bill Clinton (1947)
If so, what is their name _______________________________ and date of birth? ____ / ____ / ____
We'll enclose a free SOCKS THE CAT BIRTHDAY CERTIFICATE - your birthday in history!
NAME _________________________________________________________________
TOTAL ENCLOSED $ ___________________________
ADDRESS ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CITY, STATE, ZIP _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
PHONE ___________________________________________________________
TODAY'S DATE _____________________________________
by Jana
by Aleta Clayton, Alexandria VA
Peacock, who is fostering a cat named Gulliver from the Northern Virginia SPCA, is also fostering a website for the Northern Virginia SPCA until a good cyberhome can be found. Please visit -- the URL is http://www.wizard.net/~peacock/nvspca.htm
SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB and David's Cat Page have created a Website to list EVERY cat-related Website in America. Fur sure, we need your help to build the list. If you have a cat-related Website, please add it. There are five CAT-egories: National Organizations; Local Organizations; Department of Health and Feline Services; Department of Education; and Cat-izens' Pages. Please visit LAND'O'LINKS at http://www.pacinfo.com/~lnelson/cat-links/cat-links.html For information, send e-mail to David Nelson (lnelson@pacinfo.com)
Go to http://democraticparty.miningco.com/msub6.htm Then go to "SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB."
SOCKS now has his own ZIP+4 code, reports Semaphore Corporation (www.semaphorecorp.com). His address is SOCKS, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 20500-0010. An interesting experiment for a school social studies class would be to write SOCKS at the White House and SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER, 611 South Ivy Street, Arlington VA 22204-2429, both on the same day, to see who responds first and what they send. (Hint!)
Silver Star Site Award,
Cat Page Award
on Wednesday, August 13, 1997.
Our recent newsletters are on-line:
Get your own Free Home Page
SOCKS FAN CLUB WINS "LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS" AWARD
SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB's website has won the "Light in the Darkness" Award for selfless and relentless good works on behalf of animals everywhere. We invite you to visit the Light in the Darkness website http://www.oocities.org/Heartland/Ranch/5265 or email them at lightaward@hotmail.com .
SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB WINS PROFESSIONAL-LOOKING SITE AWARD
SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB's website has won "Kermit's 3 Piece Suit Award" for professional-looking pages by the keeper of these awards, http://members.aol.com/AthenaIris/kermit.html. The award has nothing to do with Jim Henson Productions: it was just made by a Mupppet fan to appreciate good web pages.
SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB SMILE! AWARD
On May 11, 1998, SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB was awarded the Smile! Award for a website well presented, easily accessed, and fun to read. We are honored to display this award on our website. For more information about the Smile! Award, write chem4@philly.infi.net