On his way to Africa, Dan Klein had a stopover in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His aunt knew something he didn’t about the famous city and took advantage of the opportunity. She pressed $20 in his hand before he left and said, “It’s for the cats.”

With the $20 sealed in an envelope, Klein deplaned at the Schiphol Airport and boarded a shuttle for downtown Amsterdam. He had no time for the Van Gogh museum, Anne Frank’s house, the Royal Palace or the flea markets. He headed straight for Central Station, got off the shuttle and began to walk.

Across the Prins-Hendrikkade boulevard, Klein walked about 10 minutes along the shady Singel Canal until he reached his destination. Moored in the calm water across the street from house No. 40 was one of Europe’s most unlikely tourist destinations: a houseboat with a deck entirely encased in a wood frame and chicken wire. It was de Poezenboot: the houseboat for cats.

**Get the October 2007 issue of CAT FANCY to read the full article.**