A passionate hunter and fisherman, capable of shooting a rhino and fighting gigantic tuna, the writer Ernest Hemingway was not known as a cat lover. This was until the moment when his faithful friend Stanley Dexter brought a cute kitten into his house. Since then, the neighbors began to call the writer - Cat's Dad.
Who are "Hemingway's cats"
In the two-story house-museum of the writer on the picturesque island of Key West, Florida, the descendants of his beloved Maine Coon cat named Snowball have been happily and carefree for more than seven decades. It was presented to Hemingway by the familiar ship captain Stanley Dexter in 1935. Snowball got into the house of the great writer as a tiny kitten, on small paws of which there were six fingers instead of the usual five. He immediately captivated his master, first by his unusualness, and then by his character.
Years have passed, and now about fifty cats live in the Hemingway mansion. Almost all of them also have extra fingers, and some of them have not six, but even seven. The ancestors of Snowball, who inherited six-fingered, are called "Hemingway's cats."
Museum workers admit that most of the visitors come to them not to see firsthand the house in which Hemingway lived and worked, but to look at his amazing cats.
"Hemingway's Cats" - a national treasure and a visiting card of the museum
A lot of cats are allowed in the writer's museum. So, they can freely walk around the house and garden, where the writer created his legendary novels "To have and not to have", "Farewell to arms!" Three of them are even allowed to climb onto Hemingway's bed. This trinity is considered "the chosen one."
"Hemingway's Cats" have very pompous names. Among them are Marlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper, Gary Truman, Gertrude Stein, Sophia Loren, Charlie Chaplin. However, there is also a familyless red cat named Ivan among them.
During the life of the writer, up to 80 cats of an unusual six-fingered breed lived in the house. When they wanted to make a museum in it, they tried to expel the animals, but since the cats at that time already considered themselves full-fledged owners, it was problematic to do this. After vain attempts to evict the feline swara on the street, it was decided to leave it.
For a long time, museum staff had problems with local authorities. Florida law requires a maximum of four cats to be kept in homes. Only a few years ago, the authorities recognized the "Hemingway cats" as a historical and national treasure.
What is the danger of multi-finger in cats
Polydactyly in cats is a deviation from the norm and is called polydactyly - it is an abnormality of a genetic nature. It can manifest itself in any animal, but this pathology is especially widespread among cats.
Polydactyly does not harm the musculoskeletal abilities of cats, even, on the contrary, there is only one benefit from one or two extra fingers. They make cats more agile and tenacious.
Any breed is susceptible to it, but it is especially often manifested in Maine Coons. Polydactyly is most common in cats living in western England, Wales, Canada, and New England (a region in the northeastern United States). It is in the latter that the writer's museum is located. Apparently, "Hemingway's cats" are not wasting their time.
