Hemingway Polydactyl Cat
by Catherine Sherman
Title
Hemingway Polydactyl Cat
Artist
Catherine Sherman
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
"Hemingway Polydactyl Cat" by Catherine Sherman.
A polydactyl (extra toed) tabby cat lounges on an outdoor patio of the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West Florida. This inherited trait is a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyly (or polydactylism, also known as hyperdactyly), that causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws.
Between 40 to 50 cats live in the house and on the grounds of the Hemingway Home. Many are descendants of a cat given to Ernest Hemingway by a ship's captain when Hemingway lived in Key West. He lived in the house from the years 1931 to 1939. The staff of the house cares for the cats, which freely roam the grounds and some even sleep on the bed where Ernest slept with his second wife Pauline. Others find the flower beds comfortable or seek a cool spot in the museum gift shop. The chairs in Ernest's writing studio also might be adorned by a cat or two.
The cats don't seem to mind the swarms of tourists who visit Hemingway House every year. Many will allow you to pet them, and some will climb on your lap if you're sitting on a bench.
One pair of the cats is allowed to have kittens each year, while the rest are neutered. The year I visited the cat couple were Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, although I didn't meet the celebrated pair. All of the cats at the Hemingway Home are given the names of famous people.
Uploaded
March 13th, 2018
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