August 20, 2026, by Katja Mocnik and MaryLynn Barnwell, Seward Folly

As autumn approaches, the leaves turn yellow and the days grow cooler and wetter. It’s the perfect season to curl up beside the fire with a good book and a warm, fuzzy companion. Perhaps you’ll pick up “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway, and maybe your companion will be Luna, a polydactyl cat with six toes.

Polydactyl cats, born with extra toes, are sometimes called “Hemingway cats” because the famous author kept a large group of them at his Key West home.

Photo by Katja Mocnik

Nearly 60 descendants of Hemingway’s original six-toed cat, Snowball, are still said to live on the property today. Could Luna be related to this famous feline line?

For sailors, polydactyl cats have long been considered good luck and are valued for their exceptional mousing skills. Luna is a two-year-old female. She’s a bit shy but enjoys being petted and will likely flourish in a caring home. Luna is gentle, quiet, and clean. While her experience with dogs is unknown, she has lived with other cats. She will be spayed soon, and there is an option to foster her before her surgery and adopt her afterward.

Luna offers a little bit of everything: possible famous ancestry, seafaring luck (which could come in handy during this difficult silver salmon year), charm, and great mousing ability.

If you’d like to meet Luna, visit the Seward Animal Shelter at 601 Sea Lion Ave or call 907-422-7150.