jimmy carter

Misty Malarky Ying Yang

February 28, 2016 By Presidential Pet Museum

Meet Misty Malarky Ying Yang!

Misty has the distinction of having one of the most unique cat names of all time — in fact, the name is so unique that there was even a song composed for it. Gabor Szabo featured an original instrumental composition called “Misty Malarkey Ying-Yang” on his album Faces.

This lovable Siamese cat belonged to Amy Lynn Carter, only daughter of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

Misty lived in the White House with the Carters until Amy turned 9 and President Carter’s term ended. Misty was the last cat to live in the White House until President Clinton moved in with his feline companion, Socks.

Typical Siamese

Misty has been described as a typical Siamese — active, playful, and intelligent.

And although Misty didn’t seem to mind being photographed with Amy, it seems big fancy occasions were just too much. During the Carters’ first state dinner, Misty sauntered down the grand staircase, only to flee at the sight of all those flashbulbs.

Misty often sat by during Amy’s violin sessions, meowing.

During a visit by Carter grandson James Earl Carter IV, young James set to clapping and Misty to meowing during the practice session, leading Washington AP reporter Frank Cormier to remark: “It may be a wonder that the president’s daughter is able to practice at all!”

Amy and Misty (who was a male cat, actually).

Lap Cat

Misty appears to have been devoted to Amy, spending time with her playing (and even sleeping) in a dollhouse, speaking to reporters, and even sitting in Amy’s lap during an interview after Amy’s brief arrest for civil disobedience when she was a teenager.

Misty was not allowed to roam freely through the White House, although according to Ronald Rosen and Francine Hornberger, authors of So You Think You Know Cats?, Misty enjoyed steak and seafood from the White House kitchen. Who wouldn’t?

Misty was briefly joined by a dog: a border collie mix named Grits.

And the most fun fact of all: Despite Misty’s seemingly female moniker — he was, in fact, a male!

Jimmy Carter’s Dog, Lewis Brown

February 26, 2016 By Presidential Pet Museum

Lewis Brown was an Afghan hound who belonged to President Carter, our 39th president.

Because this was an era before social media, not much is known about Lewis. He lived quietly in the White House with First Lady Rosalynn Carter and President Carter.

Afghan hounds originated in Afghanistan and are noticeable for their long, silky coats and curled-up tail.

Afghan hounds also tend to have an average life span of about 12 years. It is interesting to think about what Lewis Brown may have been privy to during those years with President Carter, particularly during the Iran hostage crisis, which so defined Carter’s presidency.

A Siamese If You Please

November 1, 2013 By Presidential Pet Museum

Misty Malarky Ying Yang, August 15, 1977. National Archives photo. — Misty Malarky Ying Yang, Aug. 15, 1977. National Archives photo.

Most presidents are known for the gift of gab.

So it is fitting that several Siamese cats — which are known for their “talking” and for their inquisitive personalities — have made their home in the White House.

The first Siamese cat to come to the United States was Siam, a female cat given as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife, Lucy, in 1879, by our American consul in Bangkok, David B. Sickels.

Siam had a long journey and probably used up quite a few of her nine lives on the way from Thailand. She was first shipped to Hong Kong, then to San Francisco; and from there, she traveled by land to Washington.

Elegant and slender with long legs and bright blue eyes, Siam created quite a stir in the White House. Lucy Hayes at first named the cat Miss Pussy, but changed her name to Siam after noticing her regal bearing and high-born attitude. The cat soon became a favorite of Fanny, the president’s daughter.

Sadly, Siam became sick several months after arriving in our nation’s capital. Even though the president’s own physician was asked to examine the cat, Siam did not recover. Records show that instructions were given to preserve the cat’s body, but a stuffed Siam has never been found, according to the Hayes Presidential Center.

Two More Presidential Siamese Cats

Many decades later, two more Siamese cats made their home in the White House:

President Gerald Ford’s daughter, Susan, brought her Siamese cat named Shan with her to Pennsylvania Avenue when her father became president in 1974. Susan and Shan even made the cover of People Magazine!
The Siamese cat vibe at the White House continued for another term with President Jimmy Carter’s daughter’s cat. Amy Carter had one of the more uniquely named presidential pets with a Siamese named Misty Malarky Ying Yang. The personable, high-energy Misty made her presence known among Amy’s 39 teddy bears.

Jimmy Carter’s Dog, Grits

July 22, 2013 By Presidential Pet Museum

Amy Carter and her mixed-breed dog, Grits, on June 9, 1977. — Amy Carter and her border collie mix, Grits, on June 9, 1977.

When Jimmy Carter and his family moved into the White House in 1977, they did not bring any dogs with them.

His daughter Amy Carter’s public school teacher, Verona Meeder, tried to rectify that situation by giving 9-year-old Amy a handsome border collie mix. The dog, who was born on the same day Jimmy Carter won the presidential election, was named Grits in honor of the Carter family’s Southern roots.

Grits’ arrival at the White House is recorded in the presidential diary on June 8, 1977.

Amy “sure loves that dog,” visitors were said to observe.

Several photos show that Grits was part of the family — including one showing Amy petting Grits on the White House steps and another that shows the president bending to pet the black-and-white dog outside the White House — until the Carters apparently decided to give the dog back to Amy’s teacher.

President Carter pets Grits. — President Carter pets Grits the dog.

Some sources report that Grits had a few behavior problems, including soiling the White House carpet and refusing to swallow a pill for Heartworm Awareness Week — not to mention Grits apparently didn’t get along very well with the Carters’ cat, Misty Malarky Ying Yang. But it may be that Amy parted with Grits to help ease her teacher’s sadness over the loss of her own dog.

First Lady Roslaynn Carter’s press secretary Mary Finch Hoyt told the Associated Press in an article dated Sept. 11, 1979 that when Meeder’s dog — who was Grits’ mother — died, Amy, who was by then 11, gave Grits back to her teacher.