Ernest Hemingway is arguably one of the most famous authors of the modern period. He was one of the most prestigious members of the “Lost Generation,” a phrase he popularized to describe the artistic movement of writers and artists following World War I. Hemingway published recognizable classics such as The Sun Also Rises, To Whom The Bell Tolls, A Farewell To Arms, and The Old Man and The Sea. While notable for his crisp, straightforward writing, Hemingway was just as recognized for his larger than life personality. Hemingway married four times and traveled extensively during his lifetime. In a letter to Ivan Kaskin, he wrote of liquor-“ I would as soon not eat at night as not to have red wine or water. The only time it isn’t good for you is when you write or when you fight.” Hemingway seemingly prescribed to the machismo order of his time by partaking in the activities of bull-running, boxing, hunting, and fishing. During his lifetime, Hemingway won both a Pulitzer prize and a Nobel Peace Prize for his work. He was sometimes affectionately known and called by his friends, family, and readers simply by his nickname, Papa.
Despite this burliness and notoriety, Hemingway is also well recognized for his love of cats. Interestingly, the man known for his love of big game hunting in the African safari often returned home to his little “purr factories.” In her biography of Hemingway entitled Hemingway’s Cats, Carlene Breenen recounts the many cats that kept Hemingway company throughout his life. The book provides 185 pages of fantastic insight into these cats and the man who loved them as well as countless photos. Writing on cats, Hemingway once said, “A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.” Hemingway is perhaps one of the most noted and affectionate cat owners that the literary world has ever known.
However, the most publicly recognized feline in Hemingway’s life is undoubtedly Snowball. Snowball was a male white domesticated cat that Hemingway received while living at his Key West mansion estate. The popular mythos for Hemingway’s acquirement of Snowball is that ship captain, Stanley Dexter, gave Snowball to Hemingway after he admired the cat’s genetic condition, polydactylism.
Polydactylism is an inherited congenital condition found in many cats wherein they are born with extra toes. The term “polydactyl” is literally translated from the Greek words, “poly” meaning “many” and “daktylos” meaning “digits.” Cats normally have five toes each on their front paws and four toes each on their back paws. Polydactyl cats, however, have six or more toes on their paws. Polydactyl cats (like Snowball) appear normal except for the fact that they can either appear to just have extremely large feet or as though they have thumbs.
Polydactyl cats are also known by nicknames such as “mitten cats,” “snowshoe cats,” “six-fingered cats,” and “boxing cats,” which allude to the large size of their feet. Snowball reportedly had six toes on each of his paws and is often described as “Hemingway’s six-toed cat.” The polydactyl trait in cats is often associated with the use of polydactyl cats as “ship cats” because sailors believed their extra toes made them more dexterous for hunting rodents. This would coincide with Snowball’s origin story; he was given to Hemingway by a ship captain.
Interestingly, due to Snowball, polydactyl cats are also commonly known by the nickname of “Hemingway cats.” This is in part due to Snowball’s literal lasting legacy at Hemingway’s Key West home. Perhaps due to his belief in machismo and the necessity of a man leaving home to “find himself,” Hemingway gave Snowball free range of the house and the island to sow his oats with as many female cats as he could find on the island. Snowball’s sexual meandering resulted in a large Key West clowder. This is significant because polydactylism is a dominant trait that can appear in any ancestor of a cat that carries the gene; there is an increased chance of a cat being polydactyl if both parents had the gene. Due to Snowball’s sexual meandering, many cats in the area surrounding Hemingway’s Key West home have polydactylism and are thought to be direct descendants of Snowball.
Following his death, Hemingway’s home was converted into the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum that preserved the estate in its full glory. The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum also became a safe haven for the Key West clowder who are the descendants of Snowball and his kittens. There are currently around fifty cats living full-time on the property. The Museum provides the routine care for all of the cats that reside on the property such as flea treatment, worming, annual vaccinations, and more. According to the museum, Hemingway had a tradition of naming his cats after famous people and that tradition is maintained until this day. Some examples of cats on the property include Pablo Picasso, Trevor Howard, Sophia Loren, and Charlie Chaplin. In a PBS special, Michael Palin’s Hemingway Adventure, Palin described the cats as such: “ They lighten up what is otherwise a pretty lifeless series of rooms, and they give the guides something to talk about.” While a neutering program has been put in place, a few males remain un-neutered to keep a containable number of Snowball’s descendants on the property for years to come. Literary fans can thus enjoy the same creature comforts that Papa himself once enjoyed by visiting the property.
There has been an ongoing debate on the validity of the Hemingway- Snowball mythos and the validity of the Snowball-sired clowder at The Earnest Hemingway Home & Museum. However, Hemingway’s love of cats (regardless of their origins) is readily apparent. Thus, my blog maintains that there is validity in the stories. More posts about Hemingway and other his cats will be featured at a later date.
jlt5425 says
This is great! I love the idea that there are still a few unneutered cats to keep the tradition going, even though there are certainly enough cats in this world! Hemingway was certainly a character. It’s strange to imagine him cuddling with kittens. Do you take requests? I visited Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount, and it was clear that her small dogs were a big part of her life. There was even a little pet cemetery! Don’t ever stop writing this blog ever.
~Jen~
Martha Ann Larkin says
Thank-you for your interest. Yes, I do take requests! I have done some minor research into Edith Wharton for the blog. However, I can give you a brief bit of trivia to hold you over for that post! According to multiple sources, Edith Wharton was a founding member of the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Animals).