His home in Key West currently houses about 50 cats, most of which are descendants of Hemingway’s pets. The first, named Snow White (some argue that Snowball), was given to him by Captain Harold Stanley Dexter after a drinking night at Sloppy Joe’s. Like most cats living in Hemingway’s home at the present, this cat suffered from polydactyly. Polydactyly or hyperdactyly is a rare genetic condition that manifests with extra fingers or toes. A cat that Captain Dexter gave Hemingway served on the ship as a buzzard and good luck talisman.
