More pix at source.
Posted on 02/03/2015 1:50:56 PM PST by Slings and Arrows
No one loved telling stories quite like Ernest Hemingway loved telling stories. Like most grand storytellers, the writer also had a fervent affection for local legends, which is how he became smitten with the idea of owning a six-toed mitten cat.
Back at the turn of the century, sailors believed that six-toed cats, also called gypsy cats, were good luck, and they wanted them aboard their ships. This led to an abundance of six-toed cats in porttowns like Key West, Fla., in the thirties and forties.
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I went to Hemingway’s house in Key West many years ago and saw the cats, all with six toes and all named for movie stars. The guide was very cute: “There goes Marilyn Monroe, under the hedge.”
Some of the cats were for sale…or there would be a million cats on that property today. I wanted Rock Hudson, but it was too much of a hassle to get him back to California.
Mrs. JimRed and I visited there several years ago. I’m a kitty lover. That’s how she got me to take the side trip to what I assumed would be a boring old house tour. Turned out to be quite interesting.
The cats are actually a draw, like they are at Longwood Gardens in Chads Ford, PA.
My lovely wife and I toured Hemingway House a couple of years ago. Our guide was very pleasant and informative, and used me (grey hair, grey beard, large) as a “not” example of how Hemingway looked during his time in the house (He was dark haired and dashing then). Afters, by way of making amends, he took us around to some off-the-tour interesting spots, and showed my wife Greta Garbo the 7-toed cat. She and Greta became fast friends.
My wife asked our guide if he had any favorites among the vast herd of kitties. He replied, “Well, just the other day we had to fumigate the whole house. They totally enclosed the place in a plastic tent and pumped insecticide in for 12 hours. So, we had to gather up all the cats before they did this, of course, and put them in carriers and cages and such until they were done.” He displayed arms covered with scratches. “They didn’t like being gathered up, and let us all know about it! I’m a little pissed at them now...”
It is certainly worth the time to visit the House.
That’s great. Thank you.
*chuckle* Cats will be cats.
My pleasure.
I was there about 30 years ago and it was fun. There were about 40 cats roaming around.
I had a darling six toed white kitten who tripped over her toes. She was dumb as a post but sweet as honey. We think a coyote took her home for a dinner date because she disappeared.
The smarter cats knew not to wander out of the fenced yard and to come in when I called them, as we lived in the woods. They could sense trouble...but not poor dizzy lizzy.
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