A city with over one hundred kilometers of canals, its no surprise that Amsterdam is full of houseboats.
However, one such boat in the historic Herengracht district is hiding something peculiar inside.
On any given day its home to about 50 felines!
No, this isnt a hoarding nightmare gone wrong.
The cat boat, or de poezenboot in Dutch, is the worlds only floating cat sanctuary.
One on water, however, is a different story.
For starters, cats and water dont exactly go hand-in-hand.
The residents of de poezenboot seem to love it though.
Why a cat boat though?
Amsterdam has no shortage of buildings on land.
Firstly, life on the water is a big part of the citys history and culture.
An article onWhats Up With Amsterdamstates:
Some of these old ships are over a hundred years old.
After retirement, the shipowner would moor the ship and continue living on it.
After the second world war, these old transport vessels became the answer for the housing shortage in Amsterdam.
Secondly, the cat boat sanctuary did start out on land.
She quickly ran out of space and began to look for a dedicated location to house them.
De poezenboot is open to visitors daily from from 1pm until 3pm except on Wednesdays and Sundays.
There is no entrance charge however donations are highly encouraged.
Its located in central Amsterdam, about ten minutes walking distance from the main station.
you’ve got the option to find directions and a map on theirofficial website.
One point to bear in mind if you are visiting is that this is not a cat cafe.
