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The Hemingway Cats legal battle

post #1 of 19
12/26/06 at 6:29am
Thread Starter 
I'm going to side with the museum on this one: the cats are their personal property. They do need to be doing their part to keep them healthy and safe, but I don't think the Feds should have an interest in this. We have more important things to be worrying about on a Federal level.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...way-cats_x.htm
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post #2 of 19
12/26/06 at 7:14am
Being one that will TNR any cat that crosses over my property line, I can see the need to have the cats speutered, particularly Ivan. He is out creating havoc with managed colonies in the neighborhood.

I empathisize with the museum's desires to "carry on the bloodline", but not with so many homeless cats out in the world. I don't think that the museum is doing what is in the best interest of the cats nor the community of cats.

Sorry, need to side with Schultz on this one.
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post #3 of 19
12/26/06 at 7:23am
Quote:
Department inspectors say that the museum must be licensed as an exhibitor of animals, and that the cats, which sometimes climb over the wall surrounding the grounds, must be confined to the property.
Quote:
She says Ivan often stops by a feeding station she keeps for neighborhood cats. Schultz says she took Ivan to the animal shelter six times. Higgins says the museum had to "bail him out," each time.

"I saw Ivan many times loose," she says. "Ivan is a very unneutered, very macho male cat, and in each case, he had one of the street cats pinned down,"
I have to side with Schultz...if the museum wants to keep intact animals...they need to secure them so that they cannot get off the property and mate with strays or get into fights. We have enough of an overpopulation without Hemmingways cats adding to it.

Whether the museum wants to use this as an excuse:

Quote:
The cats "are born and raised and live their lives in Key West," she says. "They've been doing so for over 40 years. They're not sold, they're not distributed, they're not taken across state lines."
The fact is that they are responsible for the actions of their cats. These cats should never be allowed off the property and if they are truly interested in the welfare of these cats..they should want to find a way to keep these cats from ever leaving the grounds.

Katie
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post #4 of 19
12/26/06 at 1:27pm
Hey if it were not the "Hemingway" cats that are being taken care of by the museum personnel but instead a bunch of cats that belonged to some "crazy cat person" then I betcha that Key West animal control would be there in a New York minute. I don't see where a musuem rates special priveleges when it comes to taking care of cats.
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post #5 of 19
12/26/06 at 2:56pm
I agree the cats should be kept under control and it sounds like Ivan needs to be neutered.
But, I also agree that the Feds have ( or at least they should have ) more important things to do with their time.
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post #6 of 19
12/26/06 at 3:09pm
I bet my Mikey who is a poly-cat would love to see his genetically deformed mitten paw buddies go on and have a boundless life but he would rather see some control and saftey for them aswell.

I think they should do more to create a safer better housing area for all the cats and obviously keep them from breeding out of control. Maybe add a little kitty shack to the grounds or something. I would hate to see any of them taken away but surely I dont want to see them crossing walls and being hit by cars either.
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post #7 of 19
12/26/06 at 3:53pm
These cats get routine vet checks every month. Every month! They are selectively bred, cats not considered to be prime candidates for mating will be altered. The cats are cared for better than most cats are. the kittens and the mom cat are isolated for three months after birth to protect them until they can be vaccinated. The government is campaigning to put them in cages, stipulating that the cat proof fence that runs around the grounds isn't good enough. Do some cats slip through from time-to time? Yes, but they are quickly recovered.

it is interesting to note that in the area where these cats are housed, you can walk down the street and see feral chickens everywhere. They peck at your feet, leave droppings everywhere and are a true health issue, these Hemingway cats are not a health issue. Surely, the government has bigger fish to fry elsewhere?
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post #8 of 19
12/26/06 at 7:28pm
Hissy is correct. I have visited the Hemmingway house and they are very much in control of the neutering and reproduction. I forget their formula, but they determine who is going to reproduce and I think only one litter per female that is chosen and then spayed. They include this information in the tour. I don't think there are rules about any other animals that wander freely in Keywest, including cats. It is not fair to impose these reulations on this museum. The free roaming chickens and cats is one of the main attractions of Keywest. The homeless with their dogs give it a nice flavor as well. I am siding with the museum.
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post #9 of 19
12/26/06 at 7:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy View Post
These cats get routine vet checks every month. Every month! They are selectively bred, cats not considered to be prime candidates for mating will be altered. The cats are cared for better than most cats are. the kittens and the mom cat are isolated for three months after birth to protect them until they can be vaccinated. The government is campaigning to put them in cages, stipulating that the cat proof fence that runs around the grounds isn't good enough. Do some cats slip through from time-to time? Yes, but they are quickly recovered.

it is interesting to note that in the area where these cats are housed, you can walk down the street and see feral chickens everywhere. They peck at your feet, leave droppings everywhere and are a true health issue, these Hemingway cats are not a health issue. Surely, the government has bigger fish to fry elsewhere?
well then there ya go!!!
they take care of the cats and are aware of the goings on of the cats so....whats the big deal? I'm with the Hemingway house! So is my Mikey lol!
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post #10 of 19
12/26/06 at 7:47pm
I think all they really need to do is have Ivan neutered. It sounds like he is the main one that is causing problems and I am sure that his genes have already been passed on within the group of Hemingway cats.
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post #11 of 19
12/27/06 at 9:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy View Post
These cats get routine vet checks every month. Every month! They are selectively bred, cats not considered to be prime candidates for mating will be altered. The cats are cared for better than most cats are. the kittens and the mom cat are isolated for three months after birth to protect them until they can be vaccinated. The government is campaigning to put them in cages, stipulating that the cat proof fence that runs around the grounds isn't good enough. Do some cats slip through from time-to time? Yes, but they are quickly recovered.

it is interesting to note that in the area where these cats are housed, you can walk down the street and see feral chickens everywhere. They peck at your feet, leave droppings everywhere and are a true health issue, these Hemingway cats are not a health issue. Surely, the government has bigger fish to fry elsewhere?
Hissy....I can respect your viewpoint....but something must be done regarding the cat that keeps getting out. If this was a housecat that kept getting out and was intact, we would want something to be done. I think that the museum should neuter Ivan and any other cat that wanders off the property.

Katie
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post #12 of 19
12/27/06 at 9:35am
I have also been to Hemmingways and thoes cats are very well cared for. I beleive the gentleman I spoke with even mentioned being fed Eukaneuba (sp?) when someone asked how much food they go through in a week. He also told of thier vet care, sputering, etc that MA mentioned. The cats were all very social and healthy. They have watering and feeding stations and shelters for them all over the property. I was able to pet several of the cats and spent quite a while roaming the grounds myself. I did not see anything that would cause me concern for the cats.

The article posted doesn't give much detail about how the woman who initally began this all came to bringing the cats herself to be spayed/neutered. It says that she consulted with a museum official, but it doesn't say whether the museum knew which cats she was taking, etc. Without that information, it seems as if this woman was offended and is seeking revenge. This article also does not state what exactly they found wrong with the care of these cats.
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post #13 of 19
12/27/06 at 2:24pm
A very interesting story. I side with the museum, and agree with Hissy, commonsense should win out!!
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post #14 of 19
12/27/06 at 2:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoochNNoodles View Post

The article posted doesn't give much detail about how the woman who initally began this all came to bringing the cats herself to be spayed/neutered. It says that she consulted with a museum official, but it doesn't say whether the museum knew which cats she was taking, etc. Without that information, it seems as if this woman was offended and is seeking revenge. This article also does not state what exactly they found wrong with the care of these cats.
If I was a caretaker for a colony of cats and was frequently finding one of these cats outside the museum and attacking the colony that I am caring for...I would probably request that something be done as well. I don't think of it as revenge..I think this woman is genuinely concerned due to the fact that these cats are not "secured". Heck, if it were me, I would have neutered Ivan myself if I kept seeing him.

Katie
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post #15 of 19
12/27/06 at 3:02pm
Unless I missed something, the cats are not purebreds so therefor should be speutered.

Something needs to be done so that Ivan and others can't escape.
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post #16 of 19
12/28/06 at 9:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by missymotus View Post
Unless I missed something, the cats are not purebreds so therefor should be speutered.

Something needs to be done so that Ivan and others can't escape.
that's what I was thinking? Is there anything special about these cats other than the fact that an author owned their great great great great grandmother??? If that's the only reason they are allowing these cats to breed, it sounds crazy to me.... That would mean it's ok for George Bush to let his cats breed on forever just cause they were decendants of George Bush's cat? Please someone explain this to me....maybe I am not getting something....is this a rare breed of cat or something?
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post #17 of 19
12/28/06 at 9:27am
Thread Starter 
These polydactyls are rare in that these carry the gene naturally, not from inbreeding. I would say that since they are all descendants of the original Hemingway cat, some value should be placed on their line being carried on. After all, the polydactyls are nicknamed "Hemingway Cats" after these.

This link has some really good information on the cats: http://www.hemingwayhome.com/HTML/our_cats.htm
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post #18 of 19
12/28/06 at 10:28am
I think they've sort of become an unofficial breed over time. I mean, if you look on petfinder in the breeds list they refer to multiple toed cats as "Hemingway Polydactyl"
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post #19 of 19
12/28/06 at 10:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by neetanddave View Post
These polydactyls are rare in that these carry the gene naturally, not from inbreeding. I would say that since they are all descendants of the original Hemingway cat, some value should be placed on their line being carried on. After all, the polydactyls are nicknamed "Hemingway Cats" after these.

This link has some really good information on the cats: http://www.hemingwayhome.com/HTML/our_cats.htm
Neet! That's a great link! Thanks for the info! I guess, I have seen a different side, and now armed with more info, I'd side with the museum. However, I can see the law enforcing Mr. Ivan trouble maker become neutered based on his behavior alone.
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