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Hemingway's 54 six-toed cats survive Hurricane Irma inside the museum

Descendants of Ernest Hemingway

Many six-toed cats reside at the museum home of author Ernest Hemingway in Key West, Florida. The Hemingway Home Museum has reported the cats are safe.

The Florida Keys' most popular six-toed felines are safe, the Hemingway Home Museum reports.

Nearly 55 cats with the polydactyl (six-toed) gene have been accounted for after Hurricane Irma slammed the Keys as a Category 4 storm. Saturday, the museum posted photos of cats and dedicated staff members (10 stayed on the property) who survived the storm.

Dave Gonzales, curator at the museum, told NBC that when employees went to round up the 54 cats before Irma hit, some of the felines actually ran inside.

"Sometimes I think they're smarter than the human beings," Gonzales told NBC.

Irma took out electricity, water, and cable and telephone lines, Gonzales said. The staff was using three power generators to preserve food.

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Some of the cats are descendants of a white six-toed cat that was gifted to Ernest Hemingway by a ship’s captain.

Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets

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