De Poezenboot is an Amsterdam cat sanctuary aboard a houseboat on the Singel. Founded by Henriette van Weelde after she began taking in stray cats in 1966, it provides veterinary care and refuge, including long-term shelter for cats not suited to rehoming. Volunteers and donations sustain its work.
Quick facts
Henriette van Weelde began caring for a mother cat and kittens she found near her home on the Herengracht in 1966.
The first Poezenboot, an old Dutch sailing barge adapted for cats, was acquired in 1968; a second boat followed in 1971.
The shelter moved to a new boat in 2023 after the previous vessel developed serious maintenance problems.
Get directions to De Poezenboot. Confirm the visitor entrance and current access with the venue before travelling.
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Guide
At Singel 38G, the most distinctive thing about De Poezenboot is also its practical answer to a problem: this Amsterdam cat sanctuary is housed on a boat. Its history began not with a plan for a tourist attraction, but with one rescued family. In 1966, Henriette van Weelde found a mother cat and kittens near a tree opposite her home on the Herengracht. She took them in.
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