Today is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth President. Let’s learn more about his love for animals.
He loved cats and could play with them for hours. When asked if her husband had a hobby, Mary Todd Lincoln replied, “cats.” President Lincoln visited General Grant at City Point, Virginia in March of 1865. The civil war was drawing to a close and the enormous task of reuniting the country lay ahead, yet the President made time to care for three orphaned kittens. Abraham Lincoln noticed three stray kittens in the telegraph hut. Picking them up and placing them in his lap, he asked about their mother. When the President learned that the kittens’ mother was dead, he made sure the kittens would be fed and a good home found for them.
President Lincoln’s compassion extended to turkeys, too. Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation on October 3, 1863, setting aside the last Thursday of November, “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise.” A turkey was sent to the White House for Thanksgiving dinner in 1863, and Tad, Lincoln’s son, named him Tom. Tad befriended the turkey and pleaded with his father to grant “Tom” a stay of execution. Abraham Lincoln took time out from a cabinet meeting to issue “an order of reprieve,” sparing the turkey’s life.
Mr. Lincoln’s compassion extended to dogs, too. Fido was a mixed breed with floppy ears and a yellowish coat. When fireworks and cannons announced Abraham Lincoln’s victory in the Presidential election of 1860, poor Fido was terrified. The Lincolns were worried that the long train trip to Washington, D.C., combined with loud noises, would terrify Fido. John and Frank Roll, two neighborhood boys, promised to take good care of Fido. Mr. Lincoln made them promise to let Fido inside the house whenever he scratched at the front door, never scold Fido for entering the house with muddy paws, and feed him if he came to the dinner table. The Lincolns gave the Rolls their sofa so Fido would feel at home! Did you know “Fido” is Latin? Fido is from “Fidelitas,” which translates as “faithful.”
Nanny and Nanko were White House goats. Tad and Willie liked to hitch the goats to carts or kitchen chairs and have the goats pull them through the White House. Both Nanny and Nanko liked to chew things. Nanny got in trouble for chewing up the flowers at the Old Soldier’s Home. Nanko got in trouble for chewing the bulbs planted by White House Gardener, John Watt.
The Lincolns also had rabbits and cats. Mr. Lincoln named his horse Old Bob. Old Bob was the rider-less horse with a pair of boots turned backward in the stirrups in Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, animals, Cat People, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pet blog, presidents day
Noel’s unrequested assistance on certain tasks in the office is starting to get out of hand.
And, the boss found her sleeping on the job, AGAIN!
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: animals, Cat, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pets
Now that Noel can no longer get on the counter unless Mommy picks her up (which means that she can’t get into the herb window above the sink without assistance), Mini is deciding whether sunning in the herb window is her thing. I think the court is still out on that decision.
P.S. Noel still takes her meals in the herb window. She jumps on a low cabinet in the dining room, into the pass-through window from the dining room to the kitchen, then gets onto the kitchen table, and screams until she is picked up (see pic below) and placed on the kitchen counter so that she can get into her herb window. For those of you that think cats on the counters are disgusting; we wipe down all our counters/tables every day with antibacterial agents. If you can’t stand the idea of cats on your counters, then don’t allow it. Here at the zoo we protect ourselves and try to minimize the possibility of issues with clean sponges, antibacterial wipes, and healthy animals.
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: animals, Cat, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pets
Yep, you heard that right. There is definitely a mouse in the house. We have been sitting vigil on the sink mat for days and staring under the stove. Mom says any rodent that would come into the Zoo should know better than to show its snout with Noel and Mini on the prowl. Days and Nites (mostly nights) just waiting. Noel gets tired so she sleeps on the mat just in case the rodent appears.
You don’t stand a chance you little varmint!
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: animals, Cat, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, lorian lipton, mice, mouse, pets, Rodents
Noel here to discuss my herb window.
The herb window is one of my favorite places in the house. However, the window is made up of single panes of glass and they freeze up on cold nights. Mom has a curtain up so that the rest of the kitchen does not freeze also. As you know, I like to take my meals in the herb window (even though I am too old now to jump up on the counter to get there). Mom lifts me up from the floor nowadays and then I sneak behind the curtain and chow down.
Gosh, I love my window to the world. I see everything and everyone sees me.
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: animals, Cat, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pets
Stella has the most beautiful coloring and a butterfly for a nose.
Many people mistake her for Mini in pictures but Mini is gray.
Sadly, they hate each other so you will never see a picture of them together. V tries and tries to get them to be nice by putting a screen across Stella’s door so they can see each other, but it just ain’t happening.
Stella wants to be alone and that is that.
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: animals, Cat, cat fights, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pets
Hi. Noel here. Mom said that I haven’t helped her in her office for a very long time. Mostly I have been sleeping on her recliner in the living room or on a dining room chair. But the other day something scared me and I wandered down the long hall and found Mom’s office. That reminded me that I used to spend a lot of time in there helping her do her work and especially create the DogDaz blog.
Mom gave me my old job back as her office assistant, but mostly I can be found sleeping in the guest office chair, which has now forced Jolie to sleep on Louise’s old office pillow on the floor.
Displacing the little dog is a great perk of getting my office job back. She had taken over the guest chair and now it is mine!
I think I will keep this job for a while, or at least until I forget where the office is again.
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: animals, Cat, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pets
Sofie Bear would have been 12 years old yesterday. Here she is with Mr. Nine from a few years back. Nine would have been 12 this coming February. They passed too young at 11 years old. I miss them both a whole lot and I am thankful I got to spend so many years with them.
Memories are a double-edged sword: both sweet and painful at the same time.*
*I am not sure where I heard that quote, or who said it, but it makes a lot of sense.
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: animals, Cat, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pets
Dear Noel – I know that my humans are planning a big food celebration tomorrow – they call it Thanksgiving. All they ever give me though is dry kibble. How do I get my human to understand that I can have some leftovers too! – Please help. I am Hungry in Hagerstown
Dear Hungry – Many humans do not understand a cat’s diet. We are obligate carnivores, which means we have to have MEAT to live. But fat on the other paw can make us sick. In the wild, we would eat about 3 or 4 mice a day (yum), depending on our size. But remind them that we are little creatures and our calories per day should be limited to our size. And, we are each different, so tell your human to ask your Vet, since I am not a medicine cat and don’t know what is right for you.
You can have many wonderful COOKED lean proteins:
- 1 ounce of cooked TURKEY white meat
- Skinless chicken (MY FAVORITE)
- Liver
- Lean beef
- Lamb
- Cooked eggs
- Cooked salmon/tuna
- Canned fish
Don’t forget your veggies and grains:
- Raw Pumpkin/squash, peas, and cucumber
- Cooked carrots, broccoli, green beans
- Mashed sweet potato
- Cooked oatmeal
And your fruit:
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew (no seeded)
- Peeled apples
But remind them that you cannot eat the following:
- NO FAT
- Garlic
- Onions
- Coconut Milk
- Alcohol
- Coffee or caffeine
- Grapes/raisins
- Seeds
- RAW fish
- Bread dough
- Nuts
- Chocolate
- Cooked bones
- Milk
- Chives
- Candy / Gum
- Artificial sweeteners (Especially XYLITOL)
See this Basic guide
Enjoy your Thanksgiving and don’t forget to beg for more!
– Queen Noel, the Christmas Cat,
Charles, the Mugwump,
Stella,
Mini Cooper,
Jolie, the Muppet
& Mom.
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Cat, Cat food, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, human food for cats, lorian lipton, people food for cats, pets, sharing food with cats, Thanksgiving
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