Ahoy there! Have you ever heard of the Cat Boat in Amsterdam?
It’s one of the city’s most peculiar and paw-some attractions!
The Cat Boat is a sanctuary for cats, but it’s not your usual shelter. What makes it special is that the rescued cats live on a quaint little houseboat that floats along the Herengracht canal.
Yes, you read that right – it’s a floating cat hotel!
The origins of the Cat Boat can be traced back to 1966 when a kind woman named Henriette van Weelde took pity on a stray cat and her kittens and allowed them to stay at her home.
People in the neighborhood started to drop off rescued cats at her doorstep, and she would never turn one away.
After two years, she didn’t have enough room to house any more cats, so she came up with a great solution – she put them all on an unused houseboat on the Herengracht canal.
For two decades, the cat sanctuary was like a ‘pirate’ ship, operating without the knowledge of the authorities.
But in 1987, it finally obtained a permit and was officially christened ‘de Poezenboot’ (the Cat Boat). Henriette cared for the cats until her death in 2005. Now, the boat is run with the help of a small staff and just a few local volunteers.
On any given day, you can find around 50 cats hanging out around the ‘world’s only floating cat hospital,’ of which at least 14 are permanent residents.
The other cats may be adopted.
Most of the permanent residents started out as feral cats who can never be fully socialized. “They will never be ‘normal’ cats and will always distrust people. Some you can pet, but don’t try to pick them up,” explained Judith Gobets, a staff member on Cat Boat.
Each and every new cat is quarantined in cages for a small period of time, during which they are neutered and implanted with microchips to minimize the feral cat population and prevent any adopted cats from running away or being abandoned.
Later, the ‘adoptable’ cats are allowed to roam freely on the boat. However, the Cat Boat is very selective about adoptions.
“We are very picky about adoptions,” said Judith. “We really have to have the feeling that the match is perfect. Otherwise, the chance is too big that the re-homing will fail.”
While they’re waiting to be adopted, the cats have plenty of things to do to keep themselves amused.
They can watch the families of ducks, swans, and gulls that paddle by on the canal.
“Some of our cats like to peer through the fence at the ducks, dreaming of ways to pounce,” said Judith.
Of course, a boat full of cats must have a CAT-ptain!
That title belongs to one of the male cats named Koeienkat (cowcat).
“He is a dominant male and needs to be fed first or separately, otherwise, others wouldn’t get any food! He mostly sits next to the door where the visitors come in and looks like he would like to be petted.
But that’s only appearance; he will scratch when they try to do that. He is well known and loved in spite of – or maybe because of – his character,” said Sarah, one of the volunteers.
Visiting the Cat Boat is free of charge, but most tourists do tend to make generous donations when they come to know that it does not receive government support.
Cat lovers from across the world also make online donations to help support this boat’s permanent residents.
So, if you are ever in Amsterdam and missing your furry friend, make sure to visit the Cat Boat! It’s the purrfect activity!
