Famous Black and White Felines Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is the name of the famous black and white ship's cat that is said to have survived the sinking of three battleships during World War II?

Answer: Unsinkable Sam

Unsinkable Sam, also known as Oskar or Oscar, supposedly was owned by a crewman on the Bismarck and was the only survivor rescued by the HMS Cossack when the Bismarck went down in May of 1941. The HMS Cossack then sank in October, 1941. Again, Sam was saved and later was on board the HMS Ark Royal when it was torpedoed in November, 1941. That was the end of ship life for Sam, and he went to live with a sailor in Ireland.

He died in 1955. There are some reasons to doubt the story of Sam that can be explored online.

2. Lewis, an ill-tempered tuxedo cat from Fairfield, Connecticut, got his owner into legal troubles in 2006 because he did what?

Answer: attacked neighbors

Lewis was a bad kitty and is said to have attacked several people including an Avon lady. After he was picked out of a lineup of black and white cats, a restraining order was issued against him, the first such event in the US. Lewis was placed on house arrest. Now he is only allowed out to go to the vet and must be in a cat carrier.

3. Humphrey, a black and white cat from the UK, held the position of Chief Mouser to the Cabinet from 1989 to 1997. Where did he reside during this time?

Answer: 10 Downing Street

Humphrey served under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair. The British press often joked that he was an "actual employee at Number 10."

4. Socks, a black and white short hair, lived at the White House during the Clinton years. When Clinton left office, why did Socks go to a new owner?

Answer: Couldn't get along with a new pet

Socks had a great life at the White House, that is until 1997 when the Clintons got another pet, a Labrador retriever named Buddy. Hillary Clinton stated that Socks "despised Buddy from first sight, instantly and forever." An even funnier quote from President Clinton: "I did better with ... the Palestinians and the Israelis than I've done with Socks and Buddy." Socks went to live with Clinton's former secretary. Sadly, he died in 2009 from throat cancer.

5. French Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1684) actually owned fourteen cats, one of which was black and had what religious name?

Answer: Lucifer

It is ironic that during Richelieu's tenure he was instrumental in persecuting witches, but had a fondness for cats even though they were associated with superstitions. A heroic cat, Lucifer is said to have helped save other cats from witch trials by leading them to ships that got them safely to America. Richelieu stated in his will that he wanted his cats to live in comfort after his death, but they were all put to death by the Swiss Guard.

6. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had a number of cats and owned a black cat that bore the name of what famous British military hero?

Answer: Nelson

The cat Nelson, also referred to as Rear Admiral, was often present sitting in a chair by Churchill at dinners and cabinet meetings during World War II. Churchill is quoted as saying: "Nelson is the bravest cat I ever knew. I once saw him chase a huge dog out of the Admiralty. I decided to adopt him and name him after our great Admiral."

7. What event in the life of Tommaso, a black cat from Italy, made headline news in 2011?

Answer: inherited millions

Tomasso, who was a rescued stray, should never want to stray from his new-found riches. When his owner, Maria Assunta, was unable to find a suitable organization to care for her cat after her death, she willed her $13 million fortune and other properties to him through her nurse. The nurse and the cat now live at a secret location in Rome to avoid criminal threats.

8. In 2007, a white cat named Macavity from the Western Midlands, UK, caught media attention with what exceptional behavior?

Answer: riding public buses

The name "Macavity" was given to this cat by some West Midlands bus drivers who noticed that he would regularly ride the buses by himself. One driver was quoted as saying: "As soon as I open the doors he jumps on. He seems to like it. It was quite strange at first but now seems normal.

He is the perfect passenger. The only problem is he never pays." Macavity has one green eye and one blue eye.

9. The book "Oscar: The Bionic Cat" (2013) is the story of a real-life black cat who was given what prosthetic(s) after a serious injury?

Answer: two hind feet

Oscar lost both paws of his hind legs when he was caught by a combine harvester in 2009. His owners, who lived on the Channel Island of Jersey, were referred to neuro-orthopaedic surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick in Surrey who decided Oscar was a candidate for the "first-in-the-world" procedure. Besides the above-mentioned book, more can be learned from the 2010 BBC documentary "The Bionic Vet".

10. This black kitty lived in the White House with President George W. Bush and his family. Some people in a city called Thiruvananthapuram got upset because the cat bore the name of what Asian country?

Answer: India

In July of 2004, several people in Thiruvananthapuram, India, showed their dislike of the cat's name by protesting and burning an effigy of President Bush. During the time when Bush owned the Texas Rangers baseball team, one of the players was Ruben Sierra whose nickname was "El Indio". One of Bush's daughters named the cat "India" in reference to him. The Bush family continued to use that name for their pet even after all the uproar in India.

Source: Author unterkircher

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Tizzabelle before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

I'm not much of a cat lover, but researching for this quiz lead me to the discovery of many famous cats and their owners. Enjoy this "purrfect" quiz.

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