Nintendo is offering 3DS owners the chance to get the 39th President's cat, an offer made all the more macabre because our 39th President, Jimmy Carter, once killed a cat.
True story. He shot his sister-in-law's cat when it was near a bird feeder, writing in a letter to her:
"It may ease your grief somewhat to know that the cat was buried properly with a prayer & that I'll be glad to get you another of your choice."
Carter wrote that his intention wasn't actually to kill the cat, but "just to sting it". Hello animal cruelty!
When President Carter's not killing cats, he's apparently turning them into croissants.
This weekend, Nintendo offered 3DS owners the chance to snag "our 39th President's cat" simply by visiting the Journal in Nintendogs + Cats and using SpotPass. (I tried this on my Japanese copy of Nintendogs + Cats and wasn't able to snag the feline, so it might be U.S. only.)
Considering how Jimmy Carter has actually killed a cat, Nintendo's choice is peculiar, if not odd. Sure, his daughter Amy Carter had cats, but when you think Jimmy Carter, you think of peanuts, or his drunk brother. Other presidential cats would be a better choice, like Socks (above), the cat of our 42nd President and a White House mascot. Because when you think Bill Clinton, you immediately think pussy.
Our 39th President [Twitter]
(Top photo: Marcy Nighswander | AP)
You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at bashcraft@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.