Theodore Roosevelt and his family had a plethora of pets during their time in the White House. From the exotic to the mundane, the Roosevelts greatly enjoyed having animals in their lives. One of their pets was a bit unique: Slippers, the six-toed cat.
Slippers was a bluish gray tabby cat who joined the Roosevelt family in the White House. Slippers was remarkable in a few ways. For one thing, he was polydactyl – he had extra toes on his feet. Six, to be precise. This fact amused Roosevelt, who doted on the demanding feline.
Slippers also had no sense of decorum. Once, during a formal dinner, Slippers flopped himself down for a nap right in the middle of the corridor that the dignitaries were using to get to the dining room. What could they do? All those important people walked around the imperial feline. Perhaps this attitude was born because Roosevelt often allowed Slippers to “attend” formal dinners in the White House, so Slippers simply assumed he belonged at the head of the line.
Slippers retired from the “dignitary” life when his family left the White House.
