Friday (Presidential) Cat Blogging
By 
Calvin Coolidge was a man of few words and even fewer emotions, but he loved the shit out of his animals. In addition to dogs, cats and birds, the stony Coolidge and his wife Grace owned pet raccoons (Rebecca and Horace), a donkey (Ebeneezer), a goose (Enoch), a wallaby, a pygmy hippo, and a bear among other beasts great and small. None of these, however, did the president adore more than his beloved cat Tiger (or “Tige”), a striking orange tomcat with black stripes who would drape himself around the president’s shoulders as Silent Cal wandered through the White House. Like Coolidge’s canine friends, Tige would rush to his master’s side when called.
In late March 1924, Tige disappeared from the White House during an ice storm. The president was greatly distressed the next morning when the cat did not respond to his customary greeting. A thorough search of the grounds turned up nothing, and for three days the Coolidge family fretted over the mysterious fate of Tige. On the evening of March 24, Secret Service agent James Hanley appeared on WCAP radio and appealed to the city to keep an eye out for a cat fitting Tige’s description. Scores of Washingtonians began calling the White House with reports of cat sightings and unhelpful offers to replace the lost cat.
To the nation’s delight, on March 25 a Navy captain named Benjamin Fink — pictured here — discovered Tige inside the Naval building, about 500 yards from the White House. Coolidge was overjoyed by Tige’s return and immediately had a collar made for him with his name and address on it.
Four months later, Tige disappeared for a second time and was never seen again.