Episode 3 - Hemingway Cats

 In this episode, Lauren discusses polydactyl cats, or Hemingway cats as some people know them as. Polydactyly is a genetic condition that causes cats to be born with additional toes on their paws. Ernest Hemingway was known for taking a liking to cats with this specific mutation after being gifted one named Snow White. You can visit Hemingway cats at the Ernest Hemingway Museum in Key West, Florida.

Show Notes

Polydactyl cats

  • Polydactyl is a genetic mutation that causes cats or other species to be born with extra digits on feet and hands.

  • Polydactyl cats typically have up to 9 digits on each of their paws, cats are typically born with 5 digits on their front paws and 4 on their back.

  • Regina, Lauren’s cat, was born with 6 digits on her front paws and 5 digits on her paws.

Lore behind Polydactyl cats

  • Sailors thought polydactyl cats were good luck and usually brought on ships. They also thought they would be able to move around the ship and catch rodents with their big paws.

  • Ernest Hemingway was gifted a cat, Snow White, by a ship captain.

Hemingway cats

  • Ernest Hemingway was known to have had up to 70-80 polydactyl cats roaming his home.

  • The Ernest Hemingway Museum is home to about 40-50 polydactyl cats, all of whom can have their lineage traced back to some of Hemingway’s original cats.

Fun facts about Hemingway Cats

  • All the cats on the entire island of key west can be traced back to one of Ernest Hemingway’s cats.

  • Only about half the cats at the Hemingway estate are true polydactyls, but all of them carry the dominant gene, even if it is not expressed.

  • All the cats at the estate have unique names and tend to be named after celebrities and the staff gets to vote on the name

  • Each female cat at the estate is allowed to have one litter prior to neutering, all males remain tom cats.

  • All Hemingway cats that pass are buried at the estate with a full funeral and headstone.

  • Catnip is a large problem and should not be brought on the grounds to avoid any cat fights over the tasty treat.

If you have questions you would like to hear answered or ideas for topic you would like Lauren to dive into, email us podcast@petpawcast.com

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