Happily, no 'farewell to cats' in Key West

— -- Papa would be proud: After a five-year legal battle, the dozens of cats that prowl author Ernest Hemingway's former Key West hideaway are free to stay.

The cats roam the grounds of the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, where Hemingway lived with his second wife, Pauline, and wrote classics such as A Farewell to Arms and To Have and Have Not. Descended from Hemingway's cat Snowball, many are polydactyl, which means they have extra toes. The museum names them after famous writers, artists and celebrities.

The cats have been a popular tourist attraction in quirky Key West since the museum opened in 1964. But until September, their future was unclear. The museum was embroiled in legal wranglings with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which wanted to remove them to protect them.

Finally, an outside veterinarian came up with a compromise: Install a special fence around the 1-acre property that will keep the cats enclosed yet not mar the historic landmark.