The Cats of Ernest Hemingway

As Unique as Hemingway Himself

Ernest Hemingway was famous for being a writer but is known for many other things. Every hobby he had, places he went and seemingly everything he touched was made popular just by association.  He made Key West Florida famous, Marlin fishing and he was a very good chef too.  Most of these things most people already know about Hemingway but one more thing he made popular was his choice of pet which was his cats. His cats were unique just like himself in that they were all "Polydactyl" which meant they had multiple extra toes.


More on Polydactylism

Polydactylism is a genetic defect that even affects humans.  Its when someone is born with extra digits, fingers or toes.  Most of the time in humans an operation is performed to remove the extra finger usually because it doesn't do much.  Extra toes are sometime left alone since they are easily hidden.

Polydactyl cats are becoming more common because they can pass the trait onto their offspring.  If two polydactyl cats mate most likely all their offspring will be polydactyl as well.  You can really only find polydactyls along the east coast of Canada and the United States since they originally came from England.  English sailors had them on board because they considered them good luck and because with the extra toes came extra claws which made them even better and catching and killing rodents.  Its likely that some escaped the ships and started breeding with each other or other cats. They haven't quite made it that far inland yet.  At this point however many consider them a separate breed because of the gene and the numbers and generations since landing here.

Hemingway and His Cats

Hemingway saw one on a ship in port and immediately asked the captain if he could have it.  The original one he was given was pure white and gave it the name Snow White.  He acquired more over his life time until now, even after his death there is still a colony of all polydactyls living at his estate. The colony numbers around 40-50 cats some of which are descended from Snow White.  It is because of Hemingway that they are also called "Hemingway cats".  Some writers believe that owning one will bring them good luck in their writing.
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One cat just leads to another. ~Ernest Hemingway
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The cats are a permanent feature of the estate and are free to roam as they please, even having their own veterinarian that takes care of them.  Hemingway's estate is located in Key West Florida which is a small island and there are other polydactyl cats on the island.  Since it's so small it's likely that most if not all polydactyls that exist on the island are because of Hemingway's preference for them.

The cats were so loved by him and important to the estate that they have their own cemetery and a stone that has small plaques added to it with the names of cats that are buried there. Hemingway named many of the cats after famous people such as Mark Twain,  Charlie Chaplin and Ava Gardner.

They continue to be buried in the special cemetery still to this day.





Legal Battle

Back in 2012 there was a potential legal battle between the state of Florida and the Hemingway estate surrounding the cats themselves.  The state of Florida wanted the Hemingway estate labelled as a zoo because of the amount of cats and the fact that many people come to see the cats.  Florida saw the cats as a major attraction possibly more than the estate itself.  Being labelled as a zoo would require full time veterinarian staff and a federal licence and all the fees associated with it.

Hairy Truman

So, far the cats are there to stay and remain free to roam inside and outside the estate.