The first polydactyl cat traditionally associated with Hemingway’s Key West home was Snow White.
According to the longstanding account, Snow White was a white, six-toed cat given to Hemingway by a sea captain. The extra toes are a condition called polydactyly, an inherited anatomical variation that can produce paws resembling mittens. Sailors sometimes considered six-toed cats lucky, which helps explain the story’s maritime connection.
Hemingway’s Key West house later became a museum and remained home to many cats descended from, or associated with, the original colony. The cats are often called Hemingway cats. Although family members and historians have questioned details of the Snow White story and the exact ancestry of every cat, Snow White remains the standard canonical answer in popular accounts.