US First Cat India dies

The Bush family's 18-year-old cat, India, has died at the White House, First Lady Laura Bush's office announced yesterday.

"The president, Mrs Bush, Barbara, and Jenna are deeply saddened by the passing of their cat India ("Willie")," press secretary Sally McDonough said in a statement.

"India was a beloved member of the Bush family for almost two decades. She will be greatly missed," she said.

The black American Shorthair, which lived with US President George W Bush and his wife at the White House, died on Sunday.

India was named by Barbara Bush after a former Texas Ranger baseball player, Ruben Sierra, who was called "El Indio," but the cat was called "Willie" or "Kitty" by the family.