Mary Todd was once asked if Abe had any hobbies and her reply was: cats.
Lest you doubt Lincoln’s love of cats:
Mr. Lincoln had a particular weakness for kittens. One friend from his New Salem days recalled that he “ would take one & turn it on its back & talk to it for half an hour at a time.”10 Another New Salem resident recalled young Lincoln playing with the Carman family kittens, Jane and Susan: “he would Take them up in his lap & play with them and Hold their heads together & say Jane had a better countenance [sic] than Susan Had.”11
So there you have it… Lincoln & Lee’s kitty ranch could have been a reality.