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One of the polydactyl cats at the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West, Florida.This particular cat has seven (two extra) toes on each paw. A polydactyl cat is a cat with a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyly (also known as polydactylism or hyperdactyly), which causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws.
In some cases, polydactyl cats are called “Hemingway cats” due to the fact hat many of the cats living in Hemingway’s former house in Key West exhibit this trait, as they are descended from ...
Legend has it that all cats on the property are descended from Snow White, a white six-toed cat [note 2] given as a gift to the Hemingways by a sea captain. [23] [33] However, Hemingway's niece, Hilary, and his son, Patrick, have both contested the claim that Hemingway owned cats in Key West. A neighbor allegedly owned several polydactyl cats ...
About 60 polydactyl cats with a genetic mutation for extra toes continue to live at the estate. Some of these cats are descendants of the original white, six-toed cat that Hemingway was gifted ...
Ernest Hemingway: Key West house: 1931–1939 Key West: Hemingway wrote several of his best-selling novels in this house, including To Have and Have Not. The site is also known for its dozens of six-toed cats, known locally as Hemingway cats. [12] Zora Neale Hurston
Besides the historical and literary significance of the home, the museum also is famous for housing the Hemingway cats. About 60 polydactyl cats with a genetic mutation for extra toes continue to live at the estate. Some of these cats are descendants of the original white, six-toed cat that Hemingway was gifted from a ship’s captain.
The analysis of the additional toe numbers of Maine Coon cats revealed that the number of toes follows a developmental bias: 2 additional toes occur much more frequently than 4, these more frequently than 6 or 8 additional ones. [34]
A polydactyl cat with seven toes at Hemingway's house. The six- or seven-toed polydactyl cats descended from Hemingway's original pet "Snowball" still live on the grounds and are cared for at the Hemingway House, despite complaints by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that they are not kept free from visitor contact. The Key West City ...