Little Rock , Arkansas
What was the residence of Socks (cat) from 1990 to 1993?
Socks ( cat ) Socks Clinton ( 1989 – February 20 , 2009 ) was the pet cat of U.S . President Bill Clintons family during his presidency . As an adopted stray cat , he was the only pet of the Clintons during the early years of the administration , and his likeness hosted the childrens version of the White House website . After Clinton left office , Socks resided with former Clinton secretary Betty Currie and her husband , owing to continuing conflicts with the Clintons dog Buddy . Biography . Socks was likely born in early 1989 , based on a veterinarians estimate that he would have turned 20 in early 2009 . He was adopted by the Clintons in 1991 after he jumped into the arms of Chelsea Clinton as she was leaving the house of her piano teacher in Little Rock , Arkansas , where he was playing with his sibling , Midnight , who was later adopted by another family . His name was inspired by his white paws , which resembled those of the title character of the Beverly Cleary novel Socks . When Bill Clinton became president , Socks moved with the family from the governors mansion to the White House and became the principal pet of the First Family in Clintons first term , though he was known to share his food and water with a stray tabby , dubbed Slippers . He was often taken to schools and hospitals . During the Clinton administration , children visiting the White House website would be guided by a cartoon version of Socks . Bill Clinton said , I did better with the Palestinians and the Israelis than Ive done with Socks and Buddy . When the Clintons left the White House in 2001 , they took Buddy to their new home , but left Socks under the care of Bill Clintons secretary , Betty Currie . Buddy would die within a year , being hit by a car in 2002 . By June 2008 , Socks was still living with Currie and her husband in Hollywood , Maryland , about 60 miles from Washington , but had a thyroid condition , hair loss , weight loss , and kidney problems . In December 2008 , Socks was reported to be in failing health , apparently suffering from cancer . Socks was euthanized on February 20 , 2009 , in Hollywood , Maryland , after suffering cancer of the jaw . Investigation . Representative Dan Burton , then the chairman of the House Oversight Committee , once publicly questioned the use of White House staff , postage , and stationery to answer mail addressed to the cat . Cultural references . First Lady Hillary Clinton carried a Socks-shaped minaudière to the 1997 Inaugural Ball . It was designed by Judith Leiber , a designer famous for her whimsically shaped , rhinestone-encrusted evening bags . The bag is currently on display at the Amsterdam Museum of Bags and Purses . Hillary Clinton wrote a childrens book called Dear Socks , Dear Buddy : Kids Letters to the First Pets in 1998 . A cartoon book called Socks Goes to Washington : The Diary of Americas First Cat , written by Michael ODonoghue and Jean-Claude Suares , was published in 1993 . Socks was featured prominently in an episode of the sitcom Murphy Brown in December 1993 entitled Sox and the Single Girl , in which Socks is inadvertently removed from the White House during a press dinner . On the April 1 , 1994 , edition of Larry King Live , a Muppet version of Socks was a special guest interviewed by Kermit the Frog , who was guest hosting for Larry King at the time . In Berkeley Breatheds comic strip Outland , Socks was involved in a homosexual affair with Bill the Cat . They appeared together on a talk show , along with Checkers Nixon , Rex Reagan , and Millie Bush , on the topic of Gay Presidential Pets . The video clip for the song Blister in the Sun by the band Violent Femmes , used in the movie Grosse Pointe Blank , depicts an obsessive fan donning a Socks costume and attempting to assassinate Socks while he was speaking in public . Socks survives the incident unscathed while the would-be assassin is apprehended . In an episode of Eek ! The Cat , an attempt is made on Socks life . Eek learns that the prospective killer is a deranged Checkers , the black and white Presidential dog , who still holds a grudge over being humiliated in Richard Nixons famous 1952 Checkers speech and wishes to make all Presidential pets pay . Socks was to be the subject of a canceled 1993 video game entitled Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill for the Super NES and Sega Genesis platforms . In his announcement of the Next Generation Internet Initiative in 1996 , Bill Clinton said , When I took office , only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the World Wide Web . Now even my cat has its own page . The womens clothing brand Soccx , produced by the German company Clinton Großhandels-GmbH , was named after Socks . The companys other brands , Camp David and Chelsea , are also references to the Clintons .