What D'ya Know #2: Hemingway Cats

Happy hump day! Today I introduce a second installment of the "What D'ya Know" segment and what I wanted to discuss Polydactyl cats, or better known as "Hemingway Cats". These are basically cats that have more then the typical 18 digits (5 on each front paw and 4 on the back) and they get the nickname because the famous writer was such a fan of them. He was given one as a gift and after his death, his home in Key West, FL was turned into a home and museum for the decedents of his polys. His home is now occupied by 40-50 of them.

Mine apartment happen to be occupied by one: my kitty Duchess! If you can't tell from the pictures on my site, she has 6 digits on each front paw. When I adopted her from the ASCPA, they told me polys like her were considered lucky so I was sold!

Though I've always been a cat lover, I never heard about these "Hemingway Cats" until I adopted Duchess. One of the other rumors I've also heard about these cats, aside from them being lucky, is that they generally big cats. I kind of believe it since Duchess is 2 years and weighs 15lbs and Daisy is 3 years and weighs barely 8 lbs. Duchess is my big girl and I truly believe she does come with a lot of luck. =)

It's reported that the highest number found on a poly cat was 27 digits on all 4 paws. That means one paw is sporting an number... How fascinating! Also interesting is the many other nicknames they go by, which include

"Boxing Cats", "Mitten Cats", "Snowshoe Cats", "Thumb Cats", and "Six-fingered Cats". My own personal nickname for my poly is "Thumbs". =)