Hemingway Home and Museum strives to keep the bloodline of Hemingway’s cats going, but should they be forced to have a zoo license?
I received an email this morning that introduced me to the great story of Ernest Hemingway’s cats. National Geographic reports in their April 2007 edition that the US Department of Agriculture wants the Hemingway Home and Museum to get a zoo license to “display” the 60 Hemingway cats that live on the property. The museum thinks this shouldn’t be necessary because these cats are not an exhibit but are residents.
Deciding to research these cats, I discovered the Hemingway Home and Museum website, which actually has a great deal of information on their six-toed feline friends. Their story is that once a ship’s captain gave Hemingway the gift of a polydactyl cat, and many of these cats living in the grounds are descendants of Hemingway’s original cat. Though most of the cats on the property are spayed and neutered, they keep some for breeding to keep the line alive.
These cats are quite well cared for! They get regular vet visits, Eukanuba supplies food, Pfizer / Revolution has now offered their flea treatment, and Friends of Animals helps with spaying and neutering.
Check out their Hemingway Home and Museum website to see some really cute kitty pictures! And many thanks to our friend Rosemary for the great story! Rosemary has written here at Cats on, “Cats and Toxoplasma gondii.”
