D.C. might not see a presidential pet in the next administration

• In fact, the only ones who didn't were James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump.

State of play: Like Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris doesn't have a pet.

• And while the White House is currently doggo-less — President Biden's dogs Commander and Major had to move elsewhere after biting incidents — the Bidens' cat Willow is still living the paw-litical life.

Flashback: The Obamas had Bo and Sunny, the Reagans had Rex (who had framed pictures of his presidential owners in his doghouse) and the Kennedys had a fleet of dogs including the pup Pushinka, a descendent of a Soviet space dog gifted by former Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev.

But history has seen some unusual critters living in the White House. See:

• Louisa Adams and her silkworms.
• Martin Van Buren and his tiger cubs.
• Andrew Jackson and his swear word-using parrot, Poll.
• And Billy Possum, which Herbert Hoover housed in a pen previously built for Grace Coolidge's raccoon.

Between the lines: Having and becoming deeply obsessed with a pet is something of a national pastime — 62% of Americans own a pet, and 97% of them say a pet is part of their family, according to Pew Research Center data.

• So having a political leader who has and loves a floof of their own is seen as a humanizing — and American — trait.
• This is especially true in D.C., where people really, really love their fur friends.

Zoom in: While the potential presidents don't have pets, their running mates do.

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has a cat named Honey and a dog, Scout (who rocketed to internet fame after locking himself in a bedroom).
• Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, meanwhile, has a pup named Atlas.