Ernest Hemingway - a person not fully disclosed. Even of all his written works, only a small fraction has been published, and 10 thousand pages of text are still waiting to be presented to the reader. But the name of this American writer is remembered not only in connection with literature. He had many other hobbies, one of which was his boundless love for cats.
Kitten appearance
This story had its beginning in 1920, when the young Ernest came to Key West Island, which is located near the state of Florida. This place sunk into his heart, so eleven years later he bought a house here, which became the abode of the writer until his divorce from his second wife Pauline. Then he created some of his best works - "Farewell to arms!" and "For whom the bell tolls." Also in this house were two sons of the writer.
It was here that an unusual kitten appeared, which for Ernest was brought from Boston by his friend - captain Stanley Dexter. The cat was from the Maine Coon breed. But his main feature was that he had six fingers on his forelegs. In general, such cats were often kept on ships, because superstitious sailors believed that they bring good luck.
What was the name of the six-toed cat Hemingway
This little ball of wool marked the beginning of a long cat-like story in the life of a writer. He became known as Hemingway's first six-toed cat. The writer did not select a name for him for long. He was white, which explains his nickname - Snowball, and in English - Snowball. The writer immediately fell in love with him. This difference should be told separately, and now a few words about the Maine Coon breed itself.
Biological reference
The breed of these cats originated about 150 years ago on the Maine farms , hence the name, which literally translates as "Manx raccoon." They really look like this animal in large sizes and a fluffy tail. Maine Coon - half-long-haired cats. Their characteristic feature are tufts of wool on the tips of the ears, like a lynx. The body of the Maine Coon is muscular, downed, the muzzle is rectangular, with developed cheekbones. The coat color is different, the most popular is black tabby.
If we talk about the nature of raccoon cats, then they can rightly be called gentle giants. They are immensely affectionate and peaceful. They love the host society very much, but at the same time they need some personal space. This is a manifestation of such a feature as independence. Despite their size, Maine Coons just love acrobatic tricks. Ernest Hemingway's six-toed cat, Snowball, was just that. It is not surprising that this breed is one of the most popular in the world after Siamese and exotic cats.
Unfortunately, there was no clear photo where this six-toed Ernest cat was captured in all its glory, but there is an image of a kitten that looks like the famous Snezhka like two drops of water.
Polydactyly
The fact that Snow is a six-fingered cat is not fiction or legend. He really had 6 fingers on his forelegs. How can such a deviation be explained? Scientifically, this is called polydactyly. A similar phenomenon occurs not only in cats, but also in humans. In addition, there are six and seven fingers, and normally the cat should have five on its front legs and four on its hind legs.
Polydactyly is not a disease, but a gene mutation. Moreover, this sign will always be dominant, therefore, almost all cats whose father was a six-fingered cat will also have an extra finger. This also applies to the second and third generation.
Other cats of Ernest Hemingway
The six-toed cat Snowball became the first, but not the last pet of the great writer. Ernest Hemingway was so imbued with love for cats that in the near future about twenty individuals walked in his estate. Moreover, they were of all stripes: thoroughbred and not, huge and miniature, black, white, striped. Perhaps they reminded him of other representatives of the feline-graceful lions family, whom he met during the African hunting season. True, Ernest had the most sentimental feelings for his cats.
Once Hemingway had to shoot Willy the cat when he got under the car so that he would not suffer. He wrote the following about this in a letter to his friend: "I had to shoot people, but I had never shot the one whom I had known and loved for eleven years. Moreover, not the one who purred with two legs broken."
Snowball and his descendants
The six-toed cat Hemingway became the founder of the whole dynasty, which now lives in the famous house on Key West. There are more than forty descendants of Snowball. Each has one or two extra toes. In general, seventy representatives of the cat family live and live in the house-museum .
The great writer laid the foundation for one interesting tradition: he gave each cat or cat an original name in honor of famous personalities. For example, at one time, Harry Truman, Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill lived under one roof . And although the writer has long been dead, museum staff follow this example. Therefore, Sophia Loren, Charlie Chaplin, and Pablo Picasso live on Key West.
Near the estate there is a whole cat cemetery where the dead cats are buried, including the legendary Snowball - the first six-toed cat of Ernest Hemingway.
Thousands of tourists from all over the world visit the island in order to not only get acquainted with the life of an American writer, but also to look at the unusual descendants of Snezhka. This six-fingered cat Hemingway, whose name is undoubtedly known to fans of the writer's work, became the founder of a whole polydactyl family that pleases visitors with its purr.