So, on my trip to Key West to find a White-crowned Pigeon,(see previous post), I made a point of just being a tourist for a day and toured the Hemingway House. Not so much for Hemingway history, of which I did learn a little, but for the chance to see and count as many of the 45 resident 6 toed cats as I could. Kind of like a Big Day, but with cats.
As the story goes, Hemingway was a true lover of cats, admiring their spirit and independence. The first of these unique cats came to Hemingway as a gift from a ship's captain, and was thought to be a Maine Coon with extra toes. Many of the cats present today are directly descended from Snowball, the fluffy, white cat that started it all, though I never did find out how Snowball was bred to create the 45 polydactyl cats that now live there. They still have a home, thanks to a provision in Hemmingway's will that they would always be cared for.
As I roamed the grounds, the house, the balconies of the estate, I saw and counted cats around every corner and learned that they all were named after movie stars, famous authors and characters from books and movies. I met and was politely bit by Truman Capote. I was not the only one there just for the cats, but may have been the only person who kept a running count. Must be the lister in me.
By the end of my tour I had counted at least 26 individuals, photographing most of them. I finished my tour, not with a cat, but at the world's most famous cat fountain. Many years before it served as a urinal in Sloppy Joes's bar, an institution that is still in business today. If you're a birder who is also a cat lover, I highly recommend that you stop by the Hemingway House and Museum next time you're birding in Key West.
Back to the birds, I have updated my February 9th Blog to include the Orange-crowned Parrot, I saw after finding the La Sagra's Flycatcher.
Here are just some of the many 6 toed cats I saw that day:
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