President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have expanded their family — their pet family, that is. The couple adopted an adorable cat named Willow, and Jill, 70, debuted the feline on her Instagram page on Friday, January 28. “Meet Willow!💕,” she wrote, alongside three different photos of Willow at the White House.
Michael LaRosa, who is the first lady’s press secretary, told CNN that Willow is a short-haired, two-year-old gray tabby. He also revealed that the pet cat is named after Jill’s hometown: Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.
The Bidens’ were first introduced to Willow while they were on the 2020 presidential election campaign trail. Willow jumped out during a speech that Joe, 79, was giving at a Pennsylvania farm, according to Michael, who said that Jill immediately fell in love with the cat. “Seeing their immediate bond, the owner of the farm knew that Willow belonged with Dr. Biden,” the spokesman said. As reports state, Willow is the first cat to live at the White House since George W. Bush and his wife Laura Bush‘s pet feline, India.
Welcome to the Biden family, Willow! pic.twitter.com/MXLmjhNxBr
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 28, 2022
Willow isn’t the only new addition to the Bidens’ pet family. Just days before Christmas, they brought home a German Shepherd named Commander to the White House. The Bidens’ also currently own another German Shepherd, Major, 3, who was temporarily brought to Delaware in March 2021 for a few weeks after he’d bit a security guard and caused a minor injury on March 8. But after training, Major returned home to the White House by the end of the month.
Joe and Jill also had German Shepherd Champ, who they got back in 2008, after President Barack Obama‘s historic election, which Joe Biden was the vice president for. Champ sadly died on June 19 at age 13. “He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family,” the first lady said in a statement announcing Champ’s passing.