Hemingway’s six-toed cats survive Hurricane Irma, still have nine lives

Hurricane Irma may have wreaked devastation to the Florida Keys islands, but, much to everyone’s relief, a colony of six-toed cats who are descended from a pet owned by Ernest Hemingway have survived without a scratch.

Stern orders to evacuate, dire warnings of the doom that inevitably awaited and the desperate pleas of the legendary writer’s granddaughter weren’t enough to budge the caretakers of the historic house – who decided to place their faith in the building’s thick limestone walls and ride out the monster storm with their 54 feline friends.

“We took them inside that fortress with us and we had 10 employees stay here on site,” Dave Gonzales, curator of the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum on the island of Key West told broadcaster NBC.

“We’re comfortable with them; they’re comfortable with us. We love them. They love us. We all hung out last night together,” he added.

As the hurricane approached, packing gusts of 200km/h, many grew worried and urged the staff to reconsider their decision.