Amsterdam Cat Themed Walking Tour?
Amsterdammers are animal lovers. Never have I seen so many different kinds of house pets
than I have in Amsterdam. Besides the usual cats and dogs, people keep all kinds of birds and
even rabbits. And they treat their furry friends like people. It’s not unusual for dogs to be
taken inside a bar or café or for cats to roam around on the countertops in bars. And cats rule
the roost in many of the hidden courtyards around town.
Cats in particular get extra attention in Amsterdam. This is a cat-lovers paradise. Besides the
cat art museum, that I write about in the Small Museums blog here, there is a cat café, where
you can eat your cake and drink your coffee with about 8 resident felines; there is a cat
shelter on a houseboat that you can visit; and lots of cafes and bars keep house cats who are
free to roam about. If you are a cat-person, I suggest to add any or all of these activities to
your Amsterdam attractions list. Maybe I should start a cat-themed walking tour!
Kattencafe Kopjes (Kopjes Cat Café)
In the western part of the city, you will find one of the
first cat cafes in the world. It’s been open for over 10 years now! Owner Lenny saw a cat café
during her trip to Tokyo and she knew that she had to do the same in Amsterdam. Their name
is sort of funny as “kopjes” in Dutch means “little head”, but it also describes the action of
when a cat rubs its head against you. The inside has a clean, white interior with special
furniture and fixtures built around it for its 7 feline residents to walk, sleep and play on. The
place is cozy, but there is plenty of space to sit and interact with the cats. They have a small,
but delicious selection of cakes and sweets and of course, coffee, tea and other cold drinks.
You have to reserve a time and they charge a 6 Euro entrance fee which goes towards the
care of the cats. What a treat to be able to pet, play and eat around a bunch of cats!
Marco Polostraat 211
De Poezenboot (The Cat Boat)
This is the only floating animal sanctuary in the world. Simply,
it’s a shelter for cats located on a houseboat. It started back in 1966 when a woman cared for
a family of stray cats. Soon people in her neighborhood brought her more cats to take in.
After her house was over-run with too many cats, she had the idea to turn a boat into a place
for homeless cats. Over time her operation grew with volunteers and visitors. The boat had to
be replaced with others, and eventually it would reside in the houseboat that there is today.
You can visit the boat during certain visiting hours. The volunteers will show you some of the
cats and let the cats roam around the boat. There is even a fenced in outdoor patio for the
cats to lounge in the sun! Visiting hours are on Tuesdays, Friday and Saturdays between 1 and
3pm. Until September 2025, you need to make a reservation online, after that it will be first
come-first served, with a maximum of 6 people allowed in at one time. If you are interested
in adopting a cat, you can make a special appointment other than during normal visiting
hours. If you cannot get inside, you can take photos of the backside of the shelter from across
the canal on the other side. This is the patio area and there are always cats laying or walking
around. On our walking tours, we often stop here if there are cat-lovers who want to take a
look. Singel 38G
Various Cafes and Bars across the City
Various Cafes and Bars across the City- After living here a few years, I couldn’t help but notice
all of the cats walking around bars and cafes. I started to take notes of which cafes and bars
had house cats and decided that it would be fun to come back to these places and feature the
cats in a special video. I actually like seeing cats in bars, as it’s fun to interact with them. It’s
always a pleasant surprise when you feel one purring up next to your leg or lap while you’re
sipping a cocktail or chugging down a beer. But there are some people who find it odd or un-
hygienic. The owners will disagree and say that having cats around is actually healthier, as
they keep the mice away. In fact that is the main reason they are around in the first place.
At that time, our video served as a guide for cat lovers on where to find some of these house
cats. Now, after some years, some of the same cats may not be there anymore, but I’m sure
these places will still have a cat or two, nevertheless.
To see the Cat Boat, book my Amsterdam walking tour. If you would like to see the bars and
cafés with cats that we visited, please check out my video on our Amsterdam Calling Youtube
channel here: https://youtu.be/0PJGXf6UQUo?si=HhJpPeqYsnMIAReB
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