# six-toed cats in Florida



## Dot Com

Key West to be exact:

Cat fight pits government against Hemingway museum - TODAY Travel


> The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that the government does have the power to regulate the dozens of cats that live at the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West, Fla. &#8212; a notion the attraction has fought for years.
> 
> Some 250,000 visitors flock to the site each year to experience the house where the famed American writer lived from 1931 to 1938 and see the *polydactyl (six-toed) felines *whose company he enjoyed.
> 
> When he lived in the house, Hemingway &#8212; a famous cat lover &#8212; cared for a *white polydactyl cat named Snowball* that was given to him by a ship&#8217;s captain.



I toured that place @ 30 yrs ago. I remember a pool, a safe, and nice breezes.


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## RosieS

Dot Com said:


> Key West to be exact:
> 
> Cat fight pits government against Hemingway museum - TODAY Travel
> 
> 
> 
> The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that the government does have the power to regulate the dozens of cats that live at the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West, Fla.  a notion the attraction has fought for years.
> 
> Some 250,000 visitors flock to the site each year to experience the house where the famed American writer lived from 1931 to 1938 and see the polydactyl (six-toed) felines whose company he enjoyed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I toured that place @ 30 yrs ago. I remember a pool, a safe, and nice breezes.
Click to expand...


It's still nice and still busy. I got to go up in to loft area where Papa wrote.

I hope they don't reduce the cats by much - seeing so many lounging around outside is part of the charm.

Regards from Rosie


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## Dot Com

I forgot, technically its a cat fight 

 



Dot Com said:


> Key West to be exact:
> 
> Cat fight pits government against Hemingway museum - TODAY Travel
> 
> 
> 
> The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that the government does have the power to regulate the dozens of cats that live at the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West, Fla. &#8212; a notion the attraction has fought for years.
> 
> Some 250,000 visitors flock to the site each year to experience the house where the famed American writer lived from 1931 to 1938 and see the polydactyl (six-toed) felines whose company he enjoyed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I toured that place @ 30 yrs ago. I remember a pool, a safe, and nice breezes.
Click to expand...


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## Dot Com

Never heard of this before: Dominique's Circus Cats at Sunset, Key West, Florida


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## skye

Papa rules! 

leave his cats alone!


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## Arthur

It's humane to spay and neuter a bunch of these cats.  Do they do that there?


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## skye

Arthur said:


> It's humane to spay and neuter a bunch of these cats.  Do they do that there?




 Today, approximately 60 cats, half of them polydactyl (six toed) make their home in the Ernest Hemingway Museum and Home, in Key West, protected by the terms of his will
Routine procedures such as ear mite treatment, flea spraying, and worming are performed here at the museum by our Veterinarian, Dr. Edie Clark. Dr Clark also administers annual vaccinations, and performs routine animal health maintenance.


Who you  do you think you are  Arthur??? Better than Hemingway?  You righteous so and so?


Here Papa with his children Gregory and Patrick from second wife Pauline ...and his beautiful   six toe  cats


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## skye

Arthur said:


> It's humane to spay and neuter a bunch of these cats.  Do they do that there?



I still have a big problem with you! 

So what if the cats have 6 or 7 or 8 toes ..... what is your problem?  spray ok ...but you seem bent on making them  dissapear from this earth! they are not different from other cats!

also


they were an inspiration to Ernest Hemingway.. the best writer of the 20th century


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## syrenn

i had three missions in key west...  foremost, the mel fish museum, Henrietta's Coconut Strips and visiting the 6 toed cats...


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## Politico

So wills don't mean anything anymore now. Alrighty then.


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## Arthur

skye said:


> Arthur said:
> 
> 
> 
> It's humane to spay and neuter a bunch of these cats.  Do they do that there?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Today, approximately 60 cats, half of them polydactyl (six toed) make their home in the Ernest Hemingway Museum and Home, in Key West, protected by the terms of his will
> Routine procedures such as ear mite treatment, flea spraying, and worming are performed here at the museum by our Veterinarian, Dr. Edie Clark. Dr Clark also administers annual vaccinations, and performs routine animal health maintenance.
> 
> 
> Who you  do you think you are  Arthur??? Better than Hemingway?  You righteous so and so?
> 
> 
> Here Papa with his children Gregory and Patrick from second wife Pauline ...and his beautiful   six toe  cats
Click to expand...


Who do I think I am?  Nobody special.  I just think that a feral cat population should be controlled by a spay and neuter program.


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## Zoom-boing

Arthur said:


> skye said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Arthur said:
> 
> 
> 
> It's humane to spay and neuter a bunch of these cats.  Do they do that there?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Today, approximately 60 cats, half of them polydactyl (six toed) make their home in the Ernest Hemingway Museum and Home, in Key West, protected by the terms of his will
> Routine procedures such as ear mite treatment, flea spraying, and worming are performed here at the museum by our Veterinarian, Dr. Edie Clark. Dr Clark also administers annual vaccinations, and performs routine animal health maintenance.
> 
> 
> Who you  do you think you are  Arthur??? Better than Hemingway?  You righteous so and so?
> 
> 
> Here Papa with his children Gregory and Patrick from second wife Pauline ...and his beautiful   six toe  cats
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Who do I think I am?  Nobody special.  I just think that a feral cat population should be controlled by a spay and neuter program.
Click to expand...


I was wondering the same thing.  Are the cats feral or tame? Also, how are there only 60 cats ... wouldn't they just continue to reproduce endlessly?  And wouldn't they continue to inbreed thus creating mutant cats?

Meow.


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## syrenn

Arthur said:


> skye said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Arthur said:
> 
> 
> 
> It's humane to spay and neuter a bunch of these cats.  Do they do that there?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Today, approximately 60 cats, half of them polydactyl (six toed) make their home in the Ernest Hemingway Museum and Home, in Key West, protected by the terms of his will
> Routine procedures such as ear mite treatment, flea spraying, and worming are performed here at the museum by our Veterinarian, Dr. Edie Clark. Dr Clark also administers annual vaccinations, and performs routine animal health maintenance.
> 
> 
> Who you  do you think you are  Arthur??? Better than Hemingway?  You righteous so and so?
> 
> 
> Here Papa with his children Gregory and Patrick from second wife Pauline ...and his beautiful   six toe  cats
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Who do I think I am?  Nobody special.  I just think that a feral cat population should be controlled by a spay and neuter program.
Click to expand...


they aren't a feral cat population. They live at and are cared for by museum. 

my understanding of it when i was there.... some of them are spayed and neutered. If they completely spay and neuter the population.... it will disappear. That is not what they want.


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## syrenn

Zoom-boing said:


> Arthur said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> skye said:
> 
> 
> 
> Today, approximately 60 cats, half of them polydactyl (six toed) make their home in the Ernest Hemingway Museum and Home, in Key West, protected by the terms of his will
> Routine procedures such as ear mite treatment, flea spraying, and worming are performed here at the museum by our Veterinarian, Dr. Edie Clark. Dr Clark also administers annual vaccinations, and performs routine animal health maintenance.
> 
> 
> Who you  do you think you are  Arthur??? Better than Hemingway?  You righteous so and so?
> 
> 
> Here Papa with his children Gregory and Patrick from second wife Pauline ...and his beautiful   six toe  cats
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Who do I think I am?  Nobody special.  I just think that a feral cat population should be controlled by a spay and neuter program.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I was wondering the same thing.  Are the cats feral or tame? Also, how are there only 60 cats ... wouldn't they just continue to reproduce endlessly?  And wouldn't they continue to inbreed thus creating mutant cats?
> 
> Meow.
Click to expand...


very very tame spoiled cats!


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## skye

I will post this comment written  about the topic of Hemingway's cats.  I think the person who wrote it is absolutely correct! 


"Having visited Hemingway's house and seen the cats first hand, I can testify that these cats are very well taken care of, pampered and treated with love and respect by the residents in Key West. They truly are celebrities in their own right. This is another example of intrusive government regulation fueled by an idiot's complaint. One would think that the beaurocrats involved in this would have better things to do with their time and our tax dollars."






by his Master's typewriter


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## Connery

Clearly a cased of blind administration of the law. "USDA inspectors showed up in Key West. They said that if the museum wanted to display cats it needed an exhibitors license as required under the federal Animal Welfare Act. (Thats the same law that regulates circuses, zoos, and traveling dog and pony shows.)

Federal officials advised the museum that it also needed to take action to: Confine the cats in individual cages each night, or construct a higher fence around the property, or install an electric wire atop the existing brick wall, or hire a night watchman to keep an eye on the cats."

How Ernest Hemingway's cats became a federal case (+video) - CSMonitor.com


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## Connery

The Cats at Key West's Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHcnLwvL3r4&feature=player_embedded]The Cats at Key West's Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum - YouTube[/ame]


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## syrenn

funny thing is... i dont remember the house well at all. I remember the yard and the cats.


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## Arthur

I had a six toed cat once.  Loved her.


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## Dot Com

syrenn said:


> funny thing is... i dont remember the house well at all. I remember the yard and the cats.



i remember the pool/veranda & a room or two.


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## percysunshine

Cats have four paws.

The math does not work out unless they have 1.25 toes per paw.


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## syrenn

percysunshine said:


> Cats have four paws.
> 
> The math does not work out unless they have 1.25 toes per paw.



cats only have dew claws on the front paws. Is a double dew claw.


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## Arthur

Mittens for kittens.


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## skye

Sitting at a table feeding his cat Cristobal a corn cob at his home,  Hem loved his  six-toed cats!


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## Dot Com

ok skye, you're creeping me out.


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## Connery




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## skye

I said it before and say it again.... Papa rules    (and his cats )that's the life!


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## Connery

Mary Hemingway(c)Ernest Hemingway Collection, JFK Presidential Library and Museum


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## skye

Hem in the 1920s    Meowwww


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## Connery




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## nesta

Connery said:


> Mary Hemingway(c)Ernest Hemingway Collection, JFK Presidential Library and Museum



I dont think people should have lots of cats like that its not fair on them a cat needs quite a lot of attention you couldnt give enough attention to that many cats, maybe 3 or 4 should be the limit


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## Dot Com

nesta said:


> I dont think people should have lots of cats like that its not fair on them a cat needs quite a lot of attention you couldnt give enough attention to that many cats, maybe 3 or 4 should be the limit



agreed.


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## koshergrl

I thought polydactyl just meant extra toes...

We've had some through the years. We had a whole family of them as barn cats. 

But my fave was a kitty called DumDum...he had 7 on his front..it looked like two complete paws at the bottom of his front legs, and they each had retractable claws. He was the coolest kitty. 

We had one we called "Toad". Toad was toed.


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## Connery

nesta said:


> Connery said:
> 
> 
> 
> Mary Hemingway(c)Ernest Hemingway Collection, JFK Presidential Library and Museum
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I dont think people should have lots of cats like that its not fair on them a cat needs quite a lot of attention you couldnt give enough attention to that many cats, maybe 3 or 4 should be the limit
Click to expand...




Hemingway would seem to disagree with you....


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## koshergrl

Did he have guns in all his bathrooms?


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## skye

I thought I post this  quote  from  Hem.
 That he was one of the  most macho devoted cat lovers...there is no doubt 


A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.


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## lovemymutts

Love cats ! I have several (all spayed/nuetered) There are over 10,00 cats euthanized DAILY,over 4 MILLION a year.Please be responsible and spay/nueter your pets.


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## skye

lovemymutts said:


> Love cats ! I have several (all spayed/nuetered) There are over 10,00 cats euthanized DAILY,over 4 MILLION a year.Please be responsible and spay/nueter your pets.




Sure. 

But we are only talking   here about Ernest Hemingway's six toed cats.


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## Connery

koshergrl said:


> Did he have guns in all his bathrooms?



Only when he was constipated.


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## skye

And  when  models and beautiful people were drawn to Hem ... as you know a  bright mind is an afrodisiac ...LOL... he was ok with that....  he never bothered too much  ... he didn't give a fig... very casual  and all that ...but one thing ... gotta love my cats ... gotta love them.




here with model of the day...back then 1950s


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## Connery

^^^^
Her name is Jean Patchett..


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## Connery




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## skye

Connery said:


> ^^^^
> Her name is Jean Patchett..




where is the six toed cat there?

thank you


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## skye

Papa..


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## lovemymutts

skye said:


> lovemymutts said:
> 
> 
> 
> Love cats ! I have several (all spayed/nuetered) There are over 10,00 cats euthanized DAILY,over 4 MILLION a year.Please be responsible and spay/nueter your pets.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sure.
> 
> But we are only talking   here about Ernest Hemingway's six toed cats.
Click to expand...


They should spay/nueter  ALL but  ONE breeding pair.The average Female cat and her offspring can produce OVER 6,000 cats in their life time.


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## skye

Pulitzer Prize and  Nobel Prize in Literature ...... Hemingway, holding another of his beloved  six toed cats


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## Dot Com

ok skye we get it you asswipe. stop posting your zany, obsession-filled posts  on my thread


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## skye

Dot Com said:


> ok skye we get it you asswipe. stop posting your zany, obsession-filled posts  on my thread




your thread??????

you weaked minded simpleton? haaa

he says he owns the thread ........LOL   the pathetic piece of ****

but hey......... you encounter morons  online...

it's all good


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## skye

just to say.....if I may.... even if it's off topic...

Happy Vintage   New Year Papa Hemingway!


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