Key West Hemmingway Cats

As related to Sherrals pics on another thread...http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=18132

Here is a pic I took in Key West. These are ferral cats that live in a colony in Key West. They all have 6 toes on each foot. They are decendants of Ernest Hemmingways cat's. They are very well cared for and loved by all on the island. And so cute!!!

Another closeup of the Key West cats...Notice the cat food and money jar in the background. There is outpour of support from the tourists who give money to buy needed supplies for the cats.

I know they are well taken care of, but I feel sorry for them. It would be so much better if people adopted them and gave them some a good home and loving. I guess that why I have a hard time going to the Humane Society. I want to take all of them home and love them. Unfortunately, I can only afford one.

Judging by the pictures, those cats probably are "adoptable", since they don't spurn human contact. We had a feral colony of over 30 cats in our small town. When the local authorities decided the colony had to be "dissolved" it was a real problem. We took in a roughly 8-year-old male that wanted NO contact with people at first. It took him several months to get up the nerve to approach me, a year before he would rub up against my legs when I was giving him food, and three years before I could pet him (on his head only). He always watched my husband from a safe distance. The funniest thing about him was that he would steal food around the neighborhood and bring it to us (cheese sandwiches, meat from the butcher shop, guinea pigs, kois). JC's mother was also trapped at a feeding station for ferals, and found a foster home where she could have her babies. It makes me so mad that people abandon pets, and/or don't bother to get them neutered.

The cats in key west are in no danger (as far as I know) of being rounded up. They are somewhat of a celebrity on the island. The Hemingway house is near the spot that the picture was taken and the cats are as much a part of the tour as the house is.
Another note is that chickens are sacred on the island, it's illegal to kill one (for some reason or other), so along with the cats there are wild chickens roaming around too! They probably make good meals for the cats

Ginger