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Your standard house cat has, at any given time, five toes on each front paw and four on each back paw. There exists, however, a genetic abnormality called polydactyly, in which the little allergy grenades are born with more little piggies than normal.

This was, according to the Hemingway Home museum, the case with Hemingway's cat Snow White — possibly "Snowball," accounts vary. He was gifted to Ernest sometime in the 1930s by Stanley Dexter, a ship's captain. One story in the Fort Lauderdale News claims that there was a lot of alcohol involved, which, while impossible to verify, pretty much tracks. In any case, the polydactyl cat apparently made himself at home on the island and got down to the business of making more cats.

From what can be gathered about Snow White's life, the kitty was down for whatever, and he spread his genetic whatnots all across Key West, making sure not to forget that sweet, sweet polydactyly gene. As a result, the 40 to 50 cats now residing at the Hemingway Home all either possess extra toes or carry the DNA necessary to pass the trait on to their offspring.

Yes, there are dozens of cats currently living at the old residence of one of the greatest writers in American history. The real takeaway here might be that, no matter how brilliant you are, you still need to spay and neuter your pets if you don't want your legacy to smell like ammonia.

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