Results: Polydactyl Cats aka Hemingway Cats
Published on 08/10/2023
A polydactyl cat is a cat with a genetic anomaly that causes extra toes. Polydactyl cats are born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws. Cats normally have five toes on each front paw and four toes on each back paw. Polydactyly is most commonly found on the front paws but can affect all four paws.
Admin note: this was originally live on Sat, August 5 but we are reposting if for those who could not complete it that day.
Admin note: this was originally live on Sat, August 5 but we are reposting if for those who could not complete it that day.
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1.
1.
Have you heard of these cats?
Yes
44%
1057 votes
No
46%
1099 votes
N/A
11%
259 votes
2.
2.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature. From 1931-1939 Hemingway spent the winters in Key West, Florida. Hemingway's curiosity about these six-toed cats and his love for cats in general spread, and a local sailor named Captain Stanley Dexter decided to give Hemingway a white six-toed kitten. Today the Ernest Hemingway House is a museum where visitors can learn about Hemingway's life, his works, and his death while surrounded by his possessions and the cats who still roam the grounds. Are you aware of any of the following?
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is home to about 60 polydactyl cats.
15%
369 votes
Some of the cats that live on the grounds are descendants of the original cat named Snow White.
14%
347 votes
About half of the cats at the museum have the physical polydactyl trait but they all carry the polydactyl gene in their DNA which means even the ones without six toes can still mother or father six-toed kittens.
10%
251 votes
The cats are well cared for. They have regular veterinarian visits, annual vaccinations, routine flea, worm and ear mite treatments and weekly wellness checks. They are also spayed and neutered.
13%
318 votes
The curators of the house allow each female cat to have one litter and then they are fixed in order to control the population.
5%
125 votes
All
6%
152 votes
None
57%
1370 votes
N/A
13%
320 votes
3.
3.
Are you familiar with any of these facts?
When the cats pass away, they are laid to rest behind the house in the gardens. Their small graves are marked by concrete gravestones.
8%
188 votes
All
5%
127 votes
None
51%
1214 votes
Polydactyly is harmless to a cat's health and wellness.
21%
494 votes
N/A
14%
325 votes
They were popular on ships and were believed to bring good luck to sailors.
9%
218 votes
The Florida Keys, including the Hemingway Home, were evacuated in 2017 before the arrival of Hurricane Irma. But ten employees stayed behind to care for the cats who were too numerous to remove from the island. They made it through the storm without any loss of life or injury, cat or human.
11%
252 votes
4.
4.
Have you been to Key West? Yes
22%
528 votes
No
69%
1656 votes
N/A
10%
233 votes
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