Ernest Hemingway's Florida home intact and property's 59 cats are safe after Hurricane Ian
Estate is home to nearly 60 cats, with many being descendants of Hemingway's pet, Snow White
Ernest Hemingway’s home, including the 59 cats that reside on the property, are in good shape following Hurricane Ian.
Alexa Morgan, a representative for the museum, shared with People magazine that "all is well" at the estate. Hemingway’s home received minor damage in the storm and all 59 cats on the property are safe.
Morgan told the outlet that the staff is now prioritizing cleaning the tree and leaf debris from the outside of the Florida Keys home. The museum was closed on Wednesday but reopened its doors on Thursday.
She shared that during the storm, the cats were in a secure area of the estate and a few staff members stayed on the property to feed the animals.
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Most of the famous cats on Hemingway’s property are known to have a unique feature: many of them have six toes.
"About half of the cats at the museum have the physical polydactyl (six toes) trait, but they all carry the polydactyl gene in their DNA, which means that the ones that have 4 and 5 toes can still mother or father six-toed kittens," the museum’s website reads.
The cat phenomenon started with Hemingway’s personal cat, Snow White, who was gifted to him from a ship captain. "Some of the cats who live on the museum grounds are descendants of that original cat," the website states.
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Prior to the storm, Hemingway’s granddaughter, Mariel, shared with the Daily Mail that she feared her grandfather’s estate would be destroyed in the storm.
"If any of his houses were destroyed, the pain and sorrow would be palpable," she told the outlet, referencing Hemingway’s properties in Havana, Cuba, and Ketchum, Idaho. "It would be upsetting if any of his houses were affected."
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The famous author’s home in Florida was built in 1851. Hemingway received the home, which is located at 907 Whitehead St., as a wedding gift from the uncle of Pauline, his second wife. He lived there from 1931 to 1939.
Hemingway wrote some of his most famous work while he was living in the Key West house, including "A Farewell to Arms" and "Death in the Afternoon."
In addition to being a place where Hemingway worked and spent several years of his life, the Key West home was used as a shooting location in the 1989 James Bond movie "License to Kill."
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He moved out of the home after he and Pauline got a divorce. It was later turned into a museum that attracts many visitors.
Fox News Digital's Ashlyn Messier contributed to this report.