I did this painting for my sister of her sweet kitty, Iggy! I love him to death. As you may notice, Iggy has a few too many toes. I had never heard of Hemingway Cats before my family got Iggy. Hemingway acquired his first cat from a ship's captain in Key West, Florida, where he made his home for a number of years. This cat, which may have been a Maine Coon, had extra toes (technically known as polydactyl, latin for "many digits"). Today, approximately 60 cats, half of them polydactyl, make their home in the Ernest Hemingway Museum and Home, in Key West, protected by the terms of his will.
The cats of the Hemingway Museum are so popular and so well-known, that the nickname "Hemingway Cats" has often been given to polydactyls.
Iggy is getting up in years, but he still has a nice disposition and is very loving. My sis also has another cat named Harley who is young and crazy! I promised her a painting of him next Christmas!
You can get a print of 'Iggy' on Fine Art America! He is too cute to pass up :)
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