Dr. Jill Biden’s cat has finally arrived at the White House, her name is Willow Biden

In December, Joe and Jill Biden confirmed the fact that Major Biden was being rehomed with someone close to the Biden family, somewhere with less delicious Secret Service agents. Major Biden apparently liked to be extra-protective of his dad and it was becoming a problem. At the same time, the Bidens brought in a new puppy, Commander Biden, who is now their sole dog. And within the same Biden-animal newscycle, we were told that Dr. Jill Biden was finally going to get a cat. Dr. Jill has been talking about wanting a cat since 2020. She told everyone that if her husband won the presidency, she would get a cat. 2021 was full of dog drama and I guess she decided to wait. But now Kitty Biden is here! Or rather, Willow Biden is here!!

I love her already. Such a pretty kitty. And not really a kitten! Apparently, Willow met Dr. Jill in 2020, when Willow gate-crashed the stage as Jill was speaking at a rally. Dr. Jill also got to name her, and Jill chose ā€œWillowā€ because she (Jill) grew up in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. Soā€¦ Willow is about two years old? I mean, I like that the Bidens adopted an adult cat (or a teenage cat), but I kind of wanted Dr. Jill to have a kitten! Didnā€™t you think we were getting a White House kitten?

Still, Willow is beautiful. I love grey kitties. Sheā€™s going to give Commander hell! I also kind of wonder if, after all of Dr. Jillā€™s longings for a cat, Willow ends up being Joeā€™s cat.

Photos courtesy of the White House and Backgrid.

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45 Responses to “Dr. Jill Biden’s cat has finally arrived at the White House, her name is Willow Biden”

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  1. Abby says:

    I love cats so much, and love the name. WELCOME Willow! Try not to scratch up the furniture!

  2. LightPurple says:

    Welcome, pretty Willow. Long may you reign.

    Kaiser, I agree. I think any pet in that household is somehow going to gravitate to Joe, no matter how hard Jill tries. They’ll expect Jill to feed them and tend to their needs but Joe will be the one they go to for fun and cuddling.

  3. Bettyrose says:

    Iā€™m glad she adopted an adult cat. Anyone can adopt a kitten, but adopting an adult cat says youā€™re in it for the commitment not just the cuteness.

    • Melly says:

      Totally agree. More people should adopt adult & senior cats, so this sets a pretty good example

      • BothSidesNow says:

        My last 3 adoptions have all been adults!! Except for the puppy that someone dumped into my backyard 3 years ago on a February evening, after 10P. She turned out to be a terrier mix, but she lives with my daughter and her fiancĆ©, as she had 2 dogs already and I couldnā€™t take care of her. And I always adopt from the local shelter too!!!

  4. AppleCart says:

    Willow is a adorable it’s nice to see fur friendly family back in the White House.

  5. Seaflower says:

    A cutie who looks like she might find lots of places to hide.

    • JenBanana says:

      What a sweetie pie! Made my day!šŸ˜Š I told my cat roommate the news and he wasnā€™t impressed, oh well.

      • Agreatreckoning says:

        Felines, especially if they are the only ones in the home, have no interest in news of the others. More importantly, they are not your roommate.lol It’s frustrating to them when they’re seen as equals and their catiarchy is not recognized. Been there, done that. Smarter now.lol

  6. schmootc says:

    She’s a beautiful girl! And it would be just like a cat for her to gravitate toward the person of the two that wasn’t the one who wanted her the most. Regardless, I’m sure she’ll be loved and spoiled, as she should be!

  7. SarahCS says:

    Welcome Willow and yay to adopting older animals. Just keep the photos coming please Dr Jill.

  8. CommentingBunny says:

    She’s a beauty!

    • BothSidesNow says:

      She is stunning!!!! Oh, how I adore cats!!!! Willow is such a beautiful name too!! Dr. Biden is such a wonderful woman!!

  9. Lucy2 says:

    Sheā€™s beautiful and I love the name!
    Given where they live, better to get an adult cat, kittens are so destructive! My two destroyed many, many things.
    Iā€™m sad for them it didnā€™t work out with Major, but they were right to rehome him for safety reasons.

    • AlpineWitch says:

      My 3 cats are all destructive and the youngest one is 3 and the oldest almost 8 šŸ¤£

  10. jferber says:

    This is the only time when I admire cat eyes– on a cat and not a surgically “enhanced” woman. You’re a beauty, Willow. Have fun at the White House!

  11. Barbie1 says:

    That is a beautiful name. She’s gorgeous and gets to live in the most incredible American house. Lucky.

  12. CFY says:

    Iā€™m so glad you covered this. I saw Dr. Jillā€™s Instagram post and nearly screeched out loud. I love (most) animals, but I have four feline overlords, including a kitty battling cancer (sheā€™s a true fighter). Welcome to the White House Willow Biden!!

  13. jferber says:

    CFY, “feline overlords.” I love it. I have one canine overlord (a cavalier) and I often complain to my husband I feel like her slave. It IS a thing. Best of luck to your kitty.

  14. Twin Falls says:

    So sweet! Weā€™re looking at adding a feline friend to the family.

  15. Feeshalori says:

    Sheā€™s adorable and itā€™s pawsome that she adopted an older kitty. I love adult cats, all my rescues have been two years old and above.

  16. MerlinsMom1018 says:

    Merlin is very happy to see Willow becoming the First Kitty. šŸ’–

  17. Jjjj says:

    She’s so pretty!!

  18. Peppes says:

    What a beauty! šŸ˜!Glad they got a cat. I just read a report about how cats are much lower in status as a pet than dogs and also twice as likely to suffer abuse from humans than dogs. I really feel like cats suffer from so many misconceptions.

    • Chicken+Tetrazzini says:

      Once you notice how ill treated cats are on TV and in movies it’s very disheartening. I can think of three shows easily off the top of my head where the cat being killed is the joke. (Broad City, Boondock Saints, Christmas Vacation) There are so many more though and Hollywood does nothing to help those misconceptions. Cats are always the villain and dogs the hero, it’s just lazy stereotyping.

      • AnneL says:

        Think of “Lady And The Tramp.” The Siamese cats (who get an especially bad rap) are sneaky and threatening. Dogs are the heroes.

      • olliesmom says:

        I agree. Cats are always getting a bad rap and are portrayed as evil more often than not. Cats with witches. White cats being stroked by an evil mastermind (Dr. Evil in Austin Powers).

    • Eve says:

      With you all!

  19. AnneL says:

    What a regal kitty. I love cats. We have a dog and a cat (used to be two dogs, the older one died at 17 a couple of years ago) but I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get another dog. I love them, but they need so much attention. I like the relative ease of cats. They’re a nice blend of independent and companionable.

  20. Kate says:

    The First Cat!! FCOTUS!

  21. Willow says:

    That is the purrrfect name! 2 year old cats are playful and lots of fun, but don’t climb curtains like kittens do, so she is also the purrrfect age!

  22. Steph says:

    I’m laughing just thinking of the shenanigans Willow is going to get into. My old boy, Simba is 16 or 17. I lost him in my house twice last week. Seriously couldn’t find him. I love in a tiny 1 bedroom. She is going to have a ball! They’ll be sitting there having really serious meetings and she’ll be sitting perched on a picture frame. I hope someone gives her hey own Twitter documenting what she gets up to.
    She is really cute too.
    Did the oldest Biden dog (Champ?)pass?

  23. Dee Kay says:

    Willow is a beauty!!!! I broke into a huge grin when I saw FLOTUS’s tweet with pics this morning.

  24. olliesmom says:

    She is so cute. What a lucky girl.

    Someone commented on Dr. Biden’s FB post about Willow this morning and asked if every time she enters a room “Hail to the Chief” is played! That’s about right! Cats do run the show and the household!

    It’s so refreshing to get normal people in the White House again who love animals and have pets.

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      I don’t read too many of the posts to my husband. Read this one. He laughed and said ‘Hail to the Chief’ sounds about right. We also have full confidence that Willow will chase out any potential lingering evil spirits from the previous administration. I didn’t zoom in on her mouth, but it looks like she might be a a mouse/rat mouther.

  25. Jaded says:

    Wow, she’s beautiful! I had a Willow kitteh many years ago – she was a Burmese/Siamese cross that my neighbours gifted me and was the love of my life for many years. So happy for the Bidens!

  26. Liz Version 700 says:

    I have fond images in my head of Willow sitting on her parents face to get them to feed her at 5 am! Welcome to the coolest cat house ever Willow!

  27. Emma says:

    Living for the beautiful cat / kitty pics! Agree with the comments above about cats being so maligned and misunderstood. Happy we have WH residents who love animals and help rescues.

  28. Agreatreckoning says:

    ‘somewhere with less delicious Secret Service agents’ Love that!

    Willow is a beautiful girl with a beautiful name. She looks like the ruler of our house that chose us and stole our hearts. Lovely post.

  29. Sigmund says:

    Sad news about Major, but Iā€™m glad he will still have a family that loves him and will hopefully feel safer there. Also, I would hope that Joe would still get updates on him and maybe be able to visit Major at some point.

    Great news about Commander and Willow! We have two cats and they are our fur babies. Cats make great companions and family members! Iā€™d like to get a dog too at some point, but we have a baby on the way, and that will be enough of an adjustment for a little bit, lol.

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      Congratulations on your baby on the way! My secret decoder ring tells me that the Biden’s have full visitation rights to Major. Joe & Jill have probably spent more time visiting Major on their time off than the Orange one spent time on the golf course & tweeting. Because they care.imo

  30. Anna says:

    I have been active in rescue for years, focusing 100% on American high kill shelters (I live in Europe). I am MORE THAN HAPPY that Bidens adopted an adult cat. Considering the outrageous conditions in the US (massive stray problem, mass killing of 3 million animals in US shelters per year), anything else would have been absolutely irresponsible in such an elevated position. Good for the Bidens to set an example and NOT get a cute kitten. I don’t even want to imagine the consequences, had they done that. The demand for kittens would have increased exponentially, satisfied by backyard breeders, while millions of cats rot in shelters right now. And it would have been even worse in times like these when so many people got Covid animals and will dump them after the pandemic. ANY gesture that stops people from treating animals as DISPOSIBLE TRASH is the ONLY decent thing to do.