克林頓時期第一貓“襪子”去世

Socks, the White House cat during the Clinton administration who waged war on Buddy the pup, has died. He was around 18.

Socks had lived with Bill Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie, in Hollywood, Md., since the Clintons left the White House in early 2001.

Currie confirmed Socks' death Friday evening and said she was "heartbroken." She did not give details, referring calls to the Clinton Foundation office.

The foundation released a statement from the Clintons:

"Socks brought much happiness to Chelsea and us over the years, and enjoyment to kids and cat lovers everywhere. We're grateful for those memories, and we especially want to thank our good friend, Betty Currie, for taking such loving care of Socks for so many years."

Socks had reached his late teens — an advanced age for a cat — when reports surfaced in late 2008 that he had cancer and Currie had ruled out invasive efforts to prolong his life.

"It's not a happy prognosis," presidential historian Barry Landau, a friend of Currie's, said at the time.

Socks was what feline-lovers call a tuxedo cat — mostly black with white down the front and belly and on his feet, suggesting a fashionable dandy in a black satin evening jacket with a snowy shirt peeping out. He had markings that looked a bit like a mustache and goatee.

日前，美國前總統克林頓當政時期的白宮第一貓“襪子”去世，“享年”約18歲。“襪子”生前與白宮第一寵物狗巴迪關係不合，

2001年初，克林頓攜全家離開白宮時把“襪子”託付給了他的祕書貝蒂•柯里，此後“襪子”一直隨柯里生活在馬里蘭州的好萊塢（Hollywood）。

柯里於上週五晚間證實了“襪子”的死訊，並稱自己“非常傷心”。她沒有透露“襪子”的具體死因，只稱如有問題可以聯繫克林頓基金會辦公室。

該基金會發布了一份來自克林頓全家的聲明：

“這些年來，‘襪子’給切爾西和我們帶來了無盡歡樂，各地的孩子和愛貓人士也非常喜愛他。我們對這些美好的記憶感激不盡，同時我們要特別感謝好友貝蒂•柯里多年來對‘襪子’的悉心照料。”

去年年底，就有消息稱“襪子”罹患癌症，但柯里拒絕使用介入療法延長其生命。當時襪子它已經十幾歲，在貓中屬於“高齡”。

當時柯里的朋友、總統歷史學家巴里•蘭道稱：“這種療法預後並不樂觀”。

“襪子”被愛貓人士稱爲“燕尾服貓”，它的身體大部分爲黑色，但面部、腹部和爪子是白色，很像一位身着黑綢晚禮服、露出雪白襯衣的時尚紳士。它的面部還有看起來有點像小鬍子的斑紋。

Vocabulary:

marking:斑紋