I’m looking for a cat

Would you like to meet some of our cats? No problem! Just make an appointment for a no-obligation introductory meeting.

Given that you are looking for a companion who will stay with you for many years, you’ll appreciate the care we take in our work, which is why such an introductory meeting is always by appointment only. It ensures that there will always be enough time to properly establish your requirements.

During the introductory meeting, we establish exactly what kind of cat you are looking for. Would you prefer a bundle of energy, for example, or perhaps the feline equivalent of a couch potato? A young gun, or a cat that’s older and wiser? A cat that loves to be stroked, or an “aristocat” that shuns attention?

To make a good match it’s important to know what kind of home the cat will be offered. Will she have to get along with dogs or small children, for example, and will she have to be an indoor or outdoor cat? Finally, will she have to earn her keep as a mouse catcher in your company or perhaps in student accommodation?

Based on the information you give us, we’ll introduce you to a few cats that might fit the bill. Furthermore, we’ll furnish you with as much information as possible and you can, of course, ask us any questions you might have. We’re confident we have a cat here that will win your heart!

AlHaving fallen head over heels for one of our cats, the next step is the adoption. It’s often the case that you’ll be able to take the cat home with you immediately. That said, you might want some time to reconsider your decision, and that’s also possible. To ensure that your new feline friend quickly feels at home, we can offer a few handy tips.

The care we offer doesn’t end with the adoption. If you have any questions or if there are any problems, you can contact our vet or behavioural therapist, free-of-charge, for up to three months after the adoption. Depending on the cat, this can even be for longer.

This is the way to make contented pets and happy owners!

To help you with this choice we have created a special page with useful tips for you.

The kitten “season” runs from about May to September. If kittens are available we post them on the website on the “I'm looking for a cat” page.

Nowadays, because we all lead such busy lives and because cats rarely get to go outside, they often have to spend long periods of time alone in your home. Cats – and this is certainly true of kittens – need social contact and to be played with and kept occupied. Being alone in a quiet house where nothing is going on can lead to boredom, reduced well-being and even behavioural problems. If you have two kittens they can play together and entertain one another.

Cats need exercise and forms of distraction, such as playing or hunting and, in some cats, that need is greater than in others. A small apartment in Amsterdam, for example, will provide very little space for a cat with a high energy level to indulge in is natural behaviour. It will get bored, which can negatively affect its well-being and often lead to behavioural problems such as destructive tendencies, incessant meowing, aggression, apathy, or even self-licking until bald patches appear. Young, energetic male kittens are particularly likely to be unhappy in an apartment. And if the owner has little time to keep the cat occupied, the problem is likely to become more pronounced.

A cat is indeed a solitary hunter, but it also needs social contact. Most people actually want a cat that loves being cuddled and fussed over: in other words, needs social contact. If you always keep your cat indoors, you’ll make her completely dependent on you for social contact and to keep it occupied. A cat sleeps an average of 18 hours a day, which means she’ll want to do something for the remaining six. This can vary from playing to cuddling and from climbing to exploring new things or just watching what’s going on. If you’re hardly at home, this makes it very difficult for her and if she’s not even allowed to accompany you into your bedroom, all the more so.

The sex of a cat usually doesn’t matter; but you should pay particular attention that the companion cat is compatible with you current cat, in terms of character and temperament. A quiet, elderly cat, for example, won’t appreciate a frenetic kitten, and a shy cat will be overshadowed by an extroverted roommate. The most important thing is that both cats are able to get on well with another cat. For example, a cat that’s lived by itself its whole life will find it very difficult to (learn to) live with another cat.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to reserve an animal in advance.

Given that we want you both to enjoy a long and happy time together, we can only reserve an animal for you after you have both gotten to know one another, and providing you are a good match of course! So if you see an animal that you’d like to adopt, we recommend that you make an appointment as soon as you can! These things can sometimes move quite quickly, which is why, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that the animal you want will still be available when you arrive. However, the website is a good indication. If an animal is online, it means that he or she is still looking for an owner!

Unfortunately not.

If you’re not sure whether you have any affinity with a cat you can drop by several times to get better acquainted with the animal. In some cases, we can suggest a trial placement for a misfit with “problematic behaviour”. However, a trial placement like this lasts between one and three months and is supervised by us.

Unfortunately, that’s not possible because we simply don’t have enough people to supervise it all properly. However, you will be more than welcome to participate in one of our guided tours every first and third Saturday of the month. The tour also includes a visit to the kennels. However, it’s not possible to select an animal for adoption during one of these tours. This is because we find it very important that there’s a good match between an animal and its new owner, and this can only be established by appointment.

Surely I'm doing you a favour by adopting a shelter animal?

Thanks to what you pay when you adopt an animal, we can partially recoup some of the costs we incur for taking them in, treating them, training them and keeping them occupied. If we were to give away all our animals, we’d be bankrupt in no time. It’s mainly thanks to your contribution that we can keep helping homeless animals in future.

Incidentally, some of our misfits can be adopted without having to pay an adoption fee. These are usually animals with a serious chronic condition or who are not expected to live very long. It’s because you are giving another chance to an animal in need of additional TLC that we help with the costs.