Hemingway’s other legacy — master of the dramatic paws
Estate where Papa lived ordered to rein in its colony of six-toed cats
In a unanimous decision, a threejudge U.S. panel on Friday sided with the Department of Agriculture in ruling that the cats that roam the Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Fla., must be regulated.
More than 40 cats, descendants of a six-toed cat that belonged to the American writer, roam the property at will.
Federal officials had earlier ruled that the museum must confine the cats in individual cages each night or build a higher fence around the property, install an electric wire atop the existing brick wall, or hire a night watchman to keep an eye on the cats.
Department officials also advised that the museum would face fines for non-compliance.
Ernest Hemingway lived at 907 Whitehead St. in Key West from 1931 to 1938. During that time, his friend Capt. Stanley Dexter, gave Hemingway a polydactyl cat named Snowball. Since then, Snowball’s progeny have thrived and populated the property.
The museum has always kept, fed and provided weekly veterinary care for the Hemingway cats. Appeals court Chief Judge Joel Dubina noted in his ruling that the museum charges admission for a tour of the property, and the tour includes seeing and discussing the Hemingway cats. He also pointed out that the museum’s gift shop sells cat-related merchandise. The museum’s website has a secondary page devoted exclusively to the Hemingway cats, and they are featured prominently in print advertisements. Several years ago, a museum visitor complained to the Department of Agriculture about the centre’s care of the animals. In 2003, Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyer, a USDA regional director for animal care, determined that the museum was an animal exhibitor subject to USDA regulation under the Animal Welfare Act. The museum has been licensed as an exhibitor since August 2008. However, the museum filed a complaint in October 2009, arguing that it is not an exhibitor under the Animal Welfare Act and is not under the Department of Agriculture’s animal care jurisdiction. The museum appealed the district court decision, and the appeals court on Friday ruled against it. “The exhibition of the Hemingway cats is integral to the museum’s commercial purpose,” Dubina said in his 13-page decision.