How old was India, the Bush Familys cat, when it died?”
It’s hard being a cat in a dog’s world. The Bush family’s 18-year-old cat India, who died Sunday at the White House, was overshadowed by the first family’s high-profile (and high maintenance) Scottish terriers. Barney had the Barney Cam, a publicity-generating machine that his feline cousin couldn’t match. Miss Beazley had the affection of the first lady and always got good press. Bad boy Barney made worldwide headlines by biting a Reuters reporter in the Rose Garden. India never made CNN, Fox News or YouTube, choosing instead to nap under the nearest bed. India — named in honor of a Texas Rangers baseball star, Ruben “El Indio” Sierra — even earned several aliases (or, should we say, presidential nicknames), including “Kitty” and “Willie.” But unlike Barney and Miss Beazley, she remained in the shadows of a dog-dominated White House. Only once did India create a stir. Indeed, it was an international incident. In July 2004, angry youths in Thiruvananthapuram, India, burned an effigy of
