Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
KEY WEST, Fla., Dec 26, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has told the Hemingway House and Museum in Key West, Fla., to cage its 50 feline occupants or face significant fines.
USA Today reported that the facility previously had been cited for not caging the feline descendants of author Ernest Hemingway's cat and now faces fines if it doesn't change its habits.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and his wife, Pauline, used to reside at the house along with their prized six-toed cat named Snowball.
By allowing the approximately 50 cats to run free on its grounds, the Hemingway House is in direct violation of a 1966 federal animal welfare law and the museum's officials have done little to conform to the government guidelines, the newspaper said.
The museum even took its case to federal court last July, but had its case dismissed by the presiding judge, who recommended it seek administrative remedies instead.
USA Today said that next in line for the USDA is a court hearing before an administrative law judge.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
