Cat Fight Breaks Out at Hemingway’s Key West Home
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 07.31.06 | 11:26 AM ET
The United States Department of Agriculture has sued The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida, claiming that Hemingway’s famous six-toed cats that roam the grounds need to be licensed. According to a story in the Guardian, “The US department of agriculture wants to fine the museum’s owners up to $200 (£107) a day for ‘exhibiting’ the animals without a licence, according to a lawsuit filed in Miami, but the trustees insist that tourists pay to see the house, of which the cats are merely residents.” The cats are allegedly descendents of Snow White, who was given to Hemingway by a ship’s captain in 1935. “About half of the Hemingway cats are polydactyl, or mitten cats, meaning they have extra toes on their front or back paws,” writes the Guardian’s Richard Luscombe. “Often named after actors, artists and philosophers, current popular residents include Archibald MacLeish, Pablo Picasso and Simone de Beauvoir.”
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Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
Ira Voepel 08.06.06 | 11:57 AM ET
Hello,
I live in Germany and the only reason that I visited on my vaccation in Florida the Hemingway Home .............was the wonderful CATS living there peacefully since so many years!
Ernest Hemingway would be proud and very happy about this!!!
Kind regards
Ira Voepel
miranda s. 05.05.08 | 2:17 PM ET
Why did the US Dept. of Agriculture even bother with this lawsuit? There had to have been more pressing things for their lawyers to deal with. What’s more, they had to have anticipated that that the trustees would fight the lawsuit by claiming they were just residents.
This whole thing seems really bizarre to me. It’s as if a bunch of federal government lawyers grew tired of dealing with the same paperwork, so they decided to create a little interesting litigation for themselves to test a novel issue like whether a bunch of 6 toed cats living in Hemingway’s old house qualify as “residents.”
Thomas 07.21.08 | 6:01 AM ET
I love reading this kind of stuff, it seems the US Dept of Agriculture is trying to flex its muscle. Only in America you can sue for virtually anything. LOL
jwp cabinets 07.28.08 | 11:21 PM ET
Wow, I already feel safer knowing the U.S. government is on top of this pressing issue! Keep up the good work uncle sam, we need you!