Judging from Mom’s poem below, I’m guessing she and Dad had just returned from a trip to The Hemingway Home in Key West, Florida, when she wrote this:

Picasso’s Cat

whichever life it was
discarded broken to the box
the nine were not exhausted

in Hemingway’s house
the cat Picasso made
emerges whole on the high chest
out of Mexico
he tops it like a santo
the house guides and the garden cats below pay homage

~ joan vayo ~ January 31, 1996

There are numerous stories about the cat statue that sits high up on an armoire in Hemingway’s home.

In fact, you can purchase a copy of this print online:

Something else I just learned: Ernest Hemingway was gifted a six-toed white cat in the 1930s. Since his home was (and is) on an island, it is believed most of the extra-toed felines who live there are related to that original polydactyl kitty. In fact, six-toed cats are often referred to affectionately as Hemingway Cats.

But that’s not the end of our art lesson today. Look what James‘s girlfriend, Joanna, made for us!

Hemingway should be so lucky!

This handmade version of our Yow-Yow Kitty (whom Joanna met over Thanksgiving) even includes his white-tipped tail. A true work of art!

But what to call this cuddly crocheted cat? Yow-Yow-Yarn Kitty? Or —

Suddenly, after decades, I remembered my favorite stuffed animal from childhood – Peppermint – was a tuxedo cat! (I dug around for a photo; no luck yet.)

The name came from a book I loved. (Also dug around to see if I still have it; again, no luck.)

And then today I remembered a British cartoon series from the 1980s: James the Cat.

It was such a funky story – an abandoned tuxedo cat makes his way in the great outdoors (or, rather, backyard) of his old manor house.

Here’s the link to a sample of James the Cat. You won’t regret at least a quick listen to his quirky theme song.

Whether we decide to call our handmade kitty Peppermint Picasso, Hand-Stitched Hemingway, or simply James the Cat, I think you’ll agree he’s adorable.

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“Picasso’s Cat” ©1996  Joan Vayo. All rights reserved.

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