GirlHacker's Random Log

almost daily since 1999

 

Three years ago I posted about the cats at the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. The museum has had an ongoing battle with the U.S. Department of Agriculture since 2003 about the 50 cats on the property. The USDA took issue with the museum not having an animal exhibition license but wouldn’t issue one since they cats weren’t in an enclosure. And they threatened a hefty fine. An independent animal behaviorist (a vet from the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine) was called in to take a look at the situation. A fence has been put around the property so the cats are enclosed and the vet confirmed that they were well-cared for. The museum has reluctantly agreed to operate under an exhibitor’s license so the cats can stay, but intends to fight that necessity in court.