A Farewell to Felines at Hemingway's Home

July 24, 2007 — -- It is a luxurious life for the 46 cats on the grounds of Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West, Fla. The fact that the federal government is now investigating them doesn't seem to concern the likes of cats with names like Rita Heyworth, Greta Garbo and Charlie Chaplin.

Terry Curtis is a veterinary behaviorist flown in by the U.S. Department of Agriculture this week — on your tax dollars — to make sure these cats comply with the laws of the land. Some people call her the Cat Whisperer (or Whis-purr-er).

When asked about her new nickname, Curtis said, "I think that's great!"

But why has she been called to the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum?

"My understanding is that the USDA and the Hemingway house are in contention about getting the cats in this facility under compliance with the Animal Welfare Act," said Curtis.

No one disputes that cats have been part of Hemingway's house since he lived here in the 1930s. Photos seem to confirm that despite his macho image, the legendary writer was a cat lover.

A tour guide at the house said that "he did have over 50 cats himself, at one time. Named after famous people … Pablo Picasso, Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes and more."

Yes, some of the 200,000 tourists who visit the Hemingway home each year come to see the place where Papa Hemingway crafted some of the greatest works of American literature; but it's fair to say that cats are a big part of the privately owned museum's popularity — hence, the cat paraphernalia in the museum gift shop.

And these are not just any cats.

Linda Mendez, who works at the museum, points out what makes these cats special. "His toes, look at how he has a thumb," she said, holding one of the cats. "Most cats have five front toes and four back toes, and we have cats who have six and seven toes. And it appears to be a thumb in most cases."