Hemingway Cats in Trouble With USDA
Sunday July 30, 2006
The 50 or so descendants of Ernest Hemingway's polydactyl cats who roam the grounds of the Hemingway Home in Key West, FL, have roamed into a bit of a legal problem, according to this HeraldTribune.com news feature. It seems the USDA has targeted the Hemingway Home as an "exhibitor" of cats, which would require a USDA Animal Welfare License. Officials of the home, of course, are disputing this position. Lovers of polydactyl cats will be following this news closely.
Although polydactyl cats have been around for a long time, the Hemingway cats have increased their popularity, to the extent that "Hemingway Cats" has almost become synonymous with "polydactyl cats." To learn more about these many-toed cats, read further:
- The Amazing Hemingway Cats
- Polydactyl Picture Gallery - New Pictures Just Added
- Previous Polydact Cat Photo Album
Comments
How difficult and expensive is it to get that license? Because the cats are a feature of the home.
The kitten is so darling!
They are wasting my money again.
I looked on the USDA website and think the fees are approx. $300/yr. plus $10/yr. application fee. However, who knows what fines the USDA may try and assess…
They are wasting the people money,demanding a license for this place! :
Sounds like some silly politics to me. It appears that the place has the cat population under control. Let’s not get nuts about making more fees for someplace to pay just because it’s got a historic cat population. And the USDA no less!!! SO foolish!
I OWN a polydactyl and this cat has not only discovered my breast cancer that a machine could not, but she has warned me of 3 unplanned surgeries, one that I waited to long and had no idea what she was referring to. I ended up in ICU for 5 day, acute care for 2 weeks and a home nurse for 4 months. She warned me of another surgery in the same area, doctors said no way and CT proved differently. Had another hernia surgery without to many complications cause we caught it in time. And here I go again…she’s kneading a different area of my stomach and this time the doctors do not argue. I have a CT scan planned for Wednesday. I KNOW it’s another hernia….my cat has acted the same way.
I’ve not yet read through these links…and probably should have before I announced how my cat has saved my life 4 times….so I may be back.
My poly is my angel….
This is just another way for the city/state to get more money. This is a landmark and those cats are not a problem to anyone. Must be someone who is not fond of cats. I disagree with this 150% and more. How disgusting and shameful!! I am forwarding this to all my cat friends to comment, also.
Please go sign the Save The Hemingway Petition to help save these cats from the USDA action. http://www.petitiononline.com/MCPI/petition.html
just another waste of my taxes to bother some small great creatures