Hemingway Cats at Center of Dispute
The 50 to 60 cats who are the decendents of the six-toed cat given by a ship's captain to Ernest Hemingway are at the center of a controversy involving the author's Key West home and the USDA. According to the Hemingway home's lawyer, the USDA says the home is an "exhibitor" of cats and as such needs a USDA Animal Welfare License to posess them. However, the USDA has repeatedly turned down requests for a license.
The managers of the Hemingway home state that they wish to know if the law applies to their cats or not, and, if so, how many cats are permitted. USDA inspectors to the home have, reportedly, never made any statements about the health or welfare of the cats, but have expressed concerns that the six-foot high fence that surrounds the property is inadequate. The home maintains that increasing the height of the fence would jeopardize the site's status as a National Historic Landmark. The managers of the property have asked a federal judge to intervene in the case.
Hemingway owned the home from 1931 through 1961 (the date of his suicide). It was a primary residence during the '30s, until he divorced his wife, Pauline, and settled in Cuba. Afterwards, he used it occasionally. It is the locale where he wrote many of his most famous stories.
The managers of the Hemingway home state that they wish to know if the law applies to their cats or not, and, if so, how many cats are permitted. USDA inspectors to the home have, reportedly, never made any statements about the health or welfare of the cats, but have expressed concerns that the six-foot high fence that surrounds the property is inadequate. The home maintains that increasing the height of the fence would jeopardize the site's status as a National Historic Landmark. The managers of the property have asked a federal judge to intervene in the case.
Hemingway owned the home from 1931 through 1961 (the date of his suicide). It was a primary residence during the '30s, until he divorced his wife, Pauline, and settled in Cuba. Afterwards, he used it occasionally. It is the locale where he wrote many of his most famous stories.