Category: Culture

Culture, Science

Hemingway’s Cats and Feline Polydactyly

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Meredith Hemphill

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Encyclopaedia Felidae now has a Patreon! Go to www.patreon.com/EncyclopaediaFelidae if you want to help support this content!

“One cat just leads to another.” –Ernest Hemingway

If you visit the Hemingway House in Key West, Florida, USA, you will find that there is something special about the historic home: it is crawling with cats. This is no feral cat colony run amok. The cats here are friendly and well-cared for, happy to be petted or to sit in the laps of guests (1). But if you do get up close with one of these cats, you may notice something special about them, too. About half of the cats at the Hemingway House have extra toes (1)!

White two-story house with trees
The Hemingway House – Image by Michelle Maria from Pixabay

Polydactyly is Greek for “many fingers.” It is a genetic condition that causes extra digits. The trait has been found in humans, mice, dogs, cats, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, springboks and birds (2). Polydactyly is seen more often in cats than any other mammal, although no one knows exactly why (3). Sailors used to consider cats with extra toes even luckier to have aboard than a normal cat. It was thought that they were better mousers and could keep their balance better on rough seas (4). It’s suspected that sailors and their lucky ship’s cats are the reason that polydactyl cats are particularly common along the northeast coast of North America (4), and the same may explain their prevalence in Key West.

According to legend, a nautical friend of Ernest Hemingway gifted him a white, six-toed cat variously named Snow White, Snowball, or Princess, depending upon who you ask. Snowball then snowballed into up to eighty cats living at his Key West home, many of which inherited her extra toes. Today, many cats around Key West, not just at the Hemingway House, are polydactyl.

The truth of this tale is uncertain. While Hemingway certainly had a fondness for cats, some friends and family members say there was no Snow White/Snowball/Princess, or that he never kept cats in Key West at all. Whatever the truth may be, when the Hemingway House was turned into a museum in 1964, it abounded with cats. The family who kept up the museum chose to care for the cats as well, however they might have come to be there. Hemingway named many of his cats after famous people, and this tradition is kept up with Hemingway’s cats today (1).

Orange and white polydactylcat on pile of shirts
Archie Andrews has taken over the gift shop. Count the toes carefully. He has an extra on each front paw! – Photo by Hemingway Home Museum

In honor of the legendary connection between Hemingway and the lucky six-toed cats, polydactyl cats are often called Hemingway cats no matter where they live. The average cat has five toes on each front paw (including the dew claw) and four toes on each hind paw, for a total of eighteen. Polydactyl cats can have a wide variety of numbers and positions of extra toes. The extras are usually on the front paws or on both the front and back, but rarely on only the hind paws. Two of the most common configurations are called “mitten paw” and “patty paw” (2).

“Mitten paws” have extra toes to the side of the normal toes, causing the cat to look like they have mittens on (4). “Patty paws” have extra toes in line with the other toes, resulting in paws that just appear rather large (2). However, other configurations are possible. Polydactyly is a complex trait. It is caused by a dominant mutation that affects limb development very early on, hence the wide array of possible presentations (3).

Occasionally, polydactyl cats can have health problems such as nail infections, ingrown claws, or bone abnormalities (3, 4). In the vast majority of cases, however, the cats have no difficulty at all. It’s thought that in some environments, polydactyly may even be beneficial. Although the old idea that cats with extra toes are better hunters is generally regarded as myth, it was observed long ago that Maine Coon cats, which evolved as a breed in the wild in New England, had a high incidence of polydactyly. Up to 40% of Maine Coons had extra toes before breeders began to select the trait out (4). It is believed that the extra toes helped give Maine Coons even larger paws than they already have, big paws they use like snowshoes to prevent sinking in deep snow during harsh New England winters (4).

Brown, polydactyl tabby cat in flower bed
An example of “mitten paws” – Photo by Georgy Trofimov on Unsplash

There’s no need for snowshoes in Florida, but the cats at the Hemingway House aren’t required to hunt for themselves, anyway. They are fed, pampered, and seen by a vet once a week. Most are spayed and neutered, with a few left intact to keep the colony at about forty to fifty cats. Although guests are not allowed to sit on the antique furniture, the cats get a pass, because this is their house. I have paid the Hemingway House a visit myself and can vouch for how delightful an experience it is to be surrounded by so many happy cats in a beautiful house. Their unique feet is an added bonus.

If you would like to visit the Hemingway House, the address is 907 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040. They ask that you do not pick up the cats or bring any catnip or catnip toys with you. Apparently this happens a lot and has caused cats to fight over the limited herbal offerings. I imagine the same goes for bringing treats or anything else. No reservations are required, and each ticket includes a 30-minute tour.

Fun Facts

  • US President Theodore Roosevelt kept a polydactyl First Cat named Slippers while he was in the White House.
  • The current World Record for most toes on a cat belongs to Jake, a ginger tabby tom with 28 toes (seven on each paw).
  • There is an unsubstantiated report of a 32-toed cat named Mickey Mouse from 1974 (eight on each paw)!

Works Cited

  1. Hemingway Home Museum: https://www.hemingwayhome.com/cats/.
  2. Hamelin, A., et al. (2016). Clinical characterisation of polydactyly in Maine Coon cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 19(4), 1-12. DOI: 10.1177/1098612X16628920
  3. Basepaws. (2019). Genetics of polydactyly: Celebrating the Hemingway cats. https://www.basepaws.com/blog/genetics-of-polydactyly-celebrating-the-hemingway-cats/.
  4. Manhattan Cat Specialists. (2019). Polydactylism (extra toes). https://www.manhattancats.com/blog/2019/august/polydactylism-extra-toes-/.

Published June 6th, 2020

Updated November 4th, 2020

Culture

Cat Beach Sanctuary: A Feline Oasis in Malaysia

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Meredith Hemphill

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Encyclopaedia Felidae now has a Patreon! Go to www.patreon.com/EncyclopaediaFelidae if you want to help support this content!

Two white cats on beach
Cats on the beach – Photo from Cat Beach Sanctuary

There are a handful of things that have the power to relax me without fail. Two of them are being on the beach and petting a friendly kitty. Cat Beach Sanctuary in the fishing village of Teluk Bahang, Malaysia is a kind of paradise I didn’t know existed on Earth. Up to 300 rescued cats roam the seashore sanctuary, sunning themselves on the sand. Many of these cats have been saved from difficult lives or almost certain death. Now they are fed and cared for, and as many as possible will be adopted. If not, however, they can stay here for the rest of their lives. Cat Beach is truly a sanctuary.

The sanctuary was founded in 2014 on the island of Penang by an American expat, Teviot Fairservis, and a local community cat caregiver named Mr. Nana. They were inspired by the work of 4PAWS, a dog sanctuary on Penang with a similar set-up. Fairservis began volunteering at 4PAWS after moving to Penang, but quickly realized that there was nowhere for people to take rescued or unwanted cats. Then Penang enacted a “Zero Strays Policy,” effective July 2014. This meant that any cat or dog rescued from the streets could not be returned from whence they came. If there was nowhere to house these animals, they would have to be euthanized. There were some shelters available for cats to go to, but all were kill shelters that couldn’t keep animals indefinitely without euthanizing them. Fairservis felt she had to do something to help the cats.

4PAWS founder Barbara Janssen introduced Fairservis to Mr. Nana Bin Wanchik, a man in Teluk Bahang who had been feeding about eighty community cats. He and Fairservis built Cat Beach Sanctuary together. They also founded the Cat Lovers International Society to help advance the feline cause beyond the sanctuary.

Tropical beach
Penang, Malaysia – Image by Zsofia Daranyi from Pixabay

The sanctuary currently consists of a simple wooden beach house and several smaller outbuildings. The main house is where the most vulnerable cats are housed in individual cages, i.e. mothers with kittens and sick or injured cats that need a lot of care. Other shelters exist on the beach for cats that are healthier and can be allowed to come and go as they please. The sanctuary also features the Traveler’s Bookshop and 2nd Chances Charity Store. Their cat cafe suffered major damages after a monsoon in 2018 but is on the mend. Visitors are welcome. They can just hang out with the cats or join in activities such as cat-themed craft projects or volunteer opportunities.

Cat Beach takes in stray, abandoned, rescued, or surrendered cats from all over the island. Although the people of Teluk Bahang generally have a positive attitude toward cats, not everyone in Malaysia does, and they have witnessed horrifying mistreatment of cats in their work. Veterinary care is difficult to come by on Penang, but they do as much as they can on site and make the hour-long trip to the nearest clinic whenever necessary or possible.

Cat Beach has a goal of sterilizing and vaccinating every cat that comes to their doorstep, but it can be difficult. Cost and transportation make it hard to vaccinate and sterilize many cats at once. However, they are still trying, and they are also doing educational outreach programs to inform the community about the importance of such measures as well. Their educational programs also aim to change the perception of cats in Malaysia, so that people will no longer think of them as a nuisance. Hopefully, if more people love cats, less cats will be abused or abandoned to begin with, and more of the cats at the sanctuary will be adopted.

Cat and woman on beach
Ocean view – Photo from Cat Beach Sanctuary

Cat Beach is doing amazing work, but they need help to do it. They are a volunteer-run organization. You can volunteer during a single visit or apply to volunteer for an extended period of time. Long-term volunteers can be lodged on-site. They need volunteers for every part of running the organization, from cat care to maintenance to administration. They accept volunteers from anywhere in the world, and students may be able to receive internship credit for their service. Fairservis used to be a university professor. She understands the struggle. If interested in volunteering, email [email protected] or see the Cat Beach website for more information.

If you aren’t able to volunteer, there are other things you can do. Donations, either monetary or in-kind, are always welcomed. They go through a LOT of supplies with all those cats. Donations of funds can be sent via PayPal to TeviotCatBeachPenang, through their GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/catloversintl, or through direct deposit into CIMB Bank Malaysia Savings Account # 7063481337 in the name of Mohd Iqbal bin Zainal (the president of the Cat Lovers International Society). In-kind donations can be ordered from Tesco Penang or Lazada.com and sent to Cat Beach Sanctuary, 778 Jalan Teluk Awak, MK 2, Teluk Bahang, 11050, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Their wish list can be found here.

Finally, you can adopt a cat from Cat Beach. They do support international adoptions if you aren’t local, but it can get complicated, as you might expect. Don’t let that stop you if you really want to give it a go, though. You can also sponsor a Cat Beach cat to pay for their care. Cat Beach has a foster program as well.

You can find out more about Cat Beach by visiting their website at https://catbeachpenang.com/.

Published May 16, 2020

Updated December 19, 2020

Culture

Chilean Market Cats: A Creative Approach to Strays

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Meredith Hemphill

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Encyclopaedia Felidae now has a Patreon! Go to www.patreon.com/EncyclopaediaFelidae if you want to help support this content!

When it comes to addressing populations of stray and feral cats, sometimes the answers are easily, but far more often they are not. There are so, so many homeless cats around the world, and every place has its own, unique set of challenges in attempting to handle this overwhelming problem. I am very interested in the creative solutions that different communities invent to help their local street cats. I think cat advocates can learn a lot from each other when we trade our ideas. With that in mind, I wanted to share the way cats and vendors in a Chilean market have formed a brilliant symbiotic relationship.

La Vega Central is a huge market in the middle of Santiago, Chile, the country’s capital. It’s primarily a farmer’s market, selling all manner of fresh produce, meats, eggs, and dairy, but other products such as dried goods, bakery products, and even tools and cleaning supplies are on offer. The market is open every day and is popular with locals, tourists, and cats.

Tabby cat resting on a bag of vegetables
Papita, market cat at La Vega – Photo by Francisco Cabezas Moreno at Gatos de la Vega

That stray cats would be drawn to a farmer’s market makes sense. The presence of so much food is sure to draw rodents and other pests, and they draw cats. But how do the vendors feel about having cats all over the place? They’re thrilled! The vendors don’t merely tolerate the cats for their convenient mousing. Each vendor has their own cat coworker with whom they share their stall. Cats are very territorial, so they tended to frequent the same space every day. The vendors became attached to the cats that took a shine to their booths. The vendors are quite proud of their own personal market cat (or sometimes dog). They will name their cat, feed them, and get them veterinary care if they can afford it.

The organization Gatos de la Vega was founded to raise money for the care of the market cats in La Vega Central. Some of the vendors have formed a collective called Callejeritos de la Vega to raise money themselves. They all want to make sure these cats are well-provided for, and it sure looks like it’s working. They are starting to get some of the market cats neutered, too, to keep the entire feline community healthier.

TNR (trap, neuter, and return) has started to take hold in Chile in the last few years. Still, Chile has struggled to find large-scale or governmental solutions for stray animals. In the meantime, the long-standing relationship between the humans and cats (and dogs) of the Chilean markets arose organically. It just goes to show that when we are flexible and hold compassion in our hearts, solving difficult issues gets a lot easier.

If you would like to help the market cats of Chile, see Gatos de la Vega’s website at https://gatosdelavega.cl/ and purchase something from their store. They have a photo book about the market cats as well as adorable t-shirts, postcards, and tote bags. You can donate to Callejeritos de la Vega at paypal.me/callejeritosdelavega or sponsor an animal at their website, http://www.fundacioncallejeritosdelavega.cl/.

Hannah Shaw (The Kitten Lady)’s video about the cats of La Vega Central

Published February 6, 2020

Updated June 8, 2021

Culture

Is Your Zodiac Sign a Cat?

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Meredith Hemphill

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Encyclopaedia Felidae now has a Patreon! Go to www.patreon.com/EncyclopaediaFelidae if you want to help support this content!

Zodiac reading neon sign
Photo by pixel parker on Unsplash

In the Western world, people are most likely to be familiar with the Chinese Zodiac, which features a tiger but not the felines many of us share our homes with. The Vietnamese Zodiac, however, honors the domestic cat as its fourth sign, in place of the rabbit in the Chinese line-up. Why there is this notable difference between the two very similar zodiacs is unsure. Possibilities include the words for rabbit (mao) and cat (meo) sounding very similar or the Vietnamese of yore simply choosing to replace the rabbit with an animal that their agrarian society deemed much more useful, the pest-controlling cat. Whatever the reason, some cat lovers can reference the Vietnamese Zodiac to state with certainty that they themselves are cats.

Those born in the year of the cat are said to have personalities that resemble our furry friends. Cat signs are curious, but cautious as well, and show good judgement. They’re creative people, likely to be talented and ambitious. They are sociable but enjoy their alone time as well. Cat signs are a bit secretive, always keeping something hidden for themselves. They are also said to be superficial and self-indulgent, prone to mood swings, and–like every cat ever–stubborn.

Cat and pig bobble-head figures
Cats and pigs are highly compatible signs. Photo by Jerry Wang on Unsplash

Cat signs are very compatible with pigs and goats but do not get along with rats and roosters. An old folktale called The Great Race tells how the animals of the zodiac were invited to meet with the Jade Emperor. The rat and the cat were the cleverest of the bunch, but both were poor swimmers, so when they came to a river they convinced the ox to let them ride across on his back. But just when all three were about the reach the other side, the rat push the cat off the ox’s back. The rat made it to the Jade Emperor’s palace first and became the first animal in the zodiac. Cats have been the mortal enemies of rats ever since. I myself am Year of the Rat. Please nobody tell my cats.

Quick Facts

  • Element: Wood, Yin
  • Lucky Numbers: 3, 4, 6
  • Unlucky Numbers: 1, 7, 8
  • Lucky Flowers: plantain lily, jasmine, and snapdragon
  • Lucky Colors: pink, red, blue, and purple
  • Unlucky Colors: dark yellow, dark brown, white
  • Famous Cat Signs: Nicholas Cage, Brad Pitt, Cesar Chavez, Frank Sinatra, Andy Warhol, and Pope Benedict XVI

Published January 16, 2020

Updated May 5, 2021