[Deathwatch] Socks the Cat, former first cat, 20

[Deathwatch Central]

Socks, former Clinton cat, put to sleep

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Socks, the cat who won international fame during
his years in the Clinton White House, was euthanized Friday after
months of treatment for cancer.

Socks, who was born in 1989, was put to sleep about 10 a.m. at Three
Notch Veterinary Clinic in Hollywood, Maryland, said veterinary
assistant Rae Dera. Veterinarians say he was probably either 19 or 20
years old.

The cat had been losing weight since November and had been treated at
the clinic, Dera said. He had been suffering from a cancer in his mouth
and jaw.

Since the Clintons left the White House in 2001, Socks had lived with
Betty Currie, former President Bill Clinton's secretary. The Clintons
were known to have visited Socks, and Currie, when in Washington.

He had been a stray and was adopted by Chelsea Clinton, the Clintons'
daughter, when Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas.

"Socks brought much happiness to Chelsea and us over the years, and
enjoyment to kids and cat lovers everywhere," Bill and Hillary Clinton
said in a joint statement released by the William J. Clinton
Foundation. "We're grateful for those memories, and we especially want
to thank our good friend, Betty Currie, for taking such loving care of
Socks for so many years."

The black-and-white feline was a fixture at the White House during the
Clintons' eight-year run. He was often photographed on the president's
shoulder and was given free rein of the presidential residence --
showing up in photos in the Oval Office and White House press briefing
room.

He had his own online fan club, appeared at animal charity events and
was one of the subjects of now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's
book, "Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets."

Many thanks to Deathwatch Central for posting this obituary