Hemingway’s Fat-Footed Cats Weather the Storm

As Florida continues assessing the damage wrought by Hurricane Ian,  there’s one bit of good news: Ernest Hemingway’s Key West home has weathered the storm unscathed and, more importantly, so have the 59 cats that live there.

The Hemingway Home & Museum is normally open to visitors 365 days a year, but it did shutter its doors (and windows) last Wednesday as Ian barged through the Keys; it opened up again the following day. About half of the visitors to the estate come not to see Papa’s home but for the many cats that prowl the grounds.

These felines are special. Many of them are descendants of a cat named Snow White, given to Hemingway in the 1930s by naval sea captain Stanley Dexter. Like Snow White, most of her progeny are polydactyl, or six-toed. “Most cats have extra toes on their front feet and sometimes on their back feet as well,” according to the museum’s website. “Sometimes it looks as if they are wearing mittens because they appear to have a thumb on their paw.”

Hemingway named all his cats after famous people, so his namesake museum continues with that tradition. Some are famously fictional (Daisy Buchanan) and some are named for real personages (Amelia Earhart). We’re just glad they all pulled through.

A video about the six-toed cats here: youtube.com/watch?v=CAxrtgelmcY.

Photo credit: Hemingway Home & Museum