(Picture Credit score: Eddie Brady by way of Getty)
Although hurricane Ian battered a lot of the Florida coast, Ernest Hemingway’s Key West mansion, residence to 59 cats, remained secure and sound.
How Hurricane Ian Affected the Property
In accordance with the Ernest Hemingway House & Museum app, the class 4 hurricane’s 155mph winds prompted superficial injury to the sprawling Spanish colonial-style property, the place the late creator wrote 70 p.c of his works. The grounds have been strewn with particles. However all cats, who freely roam the property, have been reported safe.
“All out cats are secure – we don’t put them in cages. They stroll round and naturally know to get to security throughout storms,” Alexa Morgan, a spokesperson for the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, advised The Daily Mail.
Earlier than the storm, the workers ensured the cats have been secure, and some workers stayed to feed and look after them, in response to People.
“All is nicely,” Morgan added.
This isn’t the primary time the Hemingway House and its feline residents have rode out a hurricane. Among the identical cats remained unhurt by means of Hurricane Irma 5 years in the past.
Why Hemingway Liked Polydactyl Cats
Hemingway was an avid animal lover. However he had a specific affinity for a particular kind of cat – polydactyls or those with extra toes. In accordance with the museum website, about half of the cats on Hemingway’s property have this trait. Whereas most cats have 5 entrance and 4 again toes, polydactyl cats usually have six on the entrance toes. Even these on the property who shouldn’t have additional toes carry the gene of their DNA, enabling them to have polydactyl kittens.
In accordance with the web site, Hemingway developed his love of six-toed cats after receiving one from a ship’s captain. He named the cat Snow White, and most of the property’s present residents are her descendants. In line with the late scribe’s custom, all of the cats are named after well-known individuals.
Moreover visiting the house in individual, you possibly can see the cats by way of the museum’s Hemingway Cat App.
