Cat Hotel Tompoes

Caribbean cats

Michelle herself has 4 cats, Isa, Evi, Nia, and Noa, and they all have a special background. To start at the beginning, Michelle moved a few years ago with her husband from The Netherlands (NL) to Curaçao. They then had two cats, Isa and Fay (unfortunately now deceased), who of course went along to the Caribbean island.

In total, Michelle and her husband lived for 4 years in Curaçao and Aruba. Both islands have a serious stray animal problem. And through a foundation, Michelle took in several stray dogs and cats. The stray animals were then placed in her home to recover and socialize so they could be adopted into a nice new home again.

Besides their own work and the volunteer work they did for the Foundation, Michelle also took in about 25 stray cats in her own backyard and had them neutered or spayed. Of all those stray cats that Michelle and her husband helped, they of course kept a few. Evi is a Yu du Korsou (child of Curaçao) and Nia and Noa are Arubiano's as Michelle herself calls them.

Caring for missing animals

When they all moved back to The Netherlands (NL), Michelle mainly did marketing work for tourist companies. But over time, she could no longer find her place here because the lack of caring for animals became too great. After all, this is her passion. That is why she decided to open her own Cat Hotel Tompoes!

To make her dream come true, she completed the training for the certificate of professional competence for the dog and cat decision in 2019, applied for a permit from the municipality, and thanks to the help of her husband and stepfather, the Cat Hotel was built and meets all legal requirements. In addition, the Cat Hotel is equipped with all the luxury and comfort that cats also have at home. Michelle keeps her knowledge up-to-date regarding cat behavior, for example with the Bootcamp Pro course by Anneleen Bru from the well-known Happy Cats books!

That she was able to realize the Cat Hotel next to her own home and can now call herself a true cat professional is a dream come true for her.

The nicest guests

That Michelle gets to welcome the nicest visitors to her hotel is the biggest advantage of her job. Her guests come from all over the country and even beyond, as she has hosted cats from Spain, Australia, and Romania. Last year, there were 5 cats from China who were brought by the animal taxi from Schiphol and stayed with her for a few weeks. Their owner later flew back to The Netherlands (NL) with her other 2 cats. During Corona, there were even cats who stayed with her for months because their owners couldn't fly back to The Netherlands (NL).

Although it is a lot of work, involving a lot of care and sometimes special attention, Michelle does it all with love. She enjoys her guests who have a good time in her cat paradise. She takes everything into account; when cats need special care or food, Michelle has a separate room for this.

When Michelle goes to give wet food, it is always a fun sight. "Together with a whole bunch of cats coming from all corners and holes to the kitchen, I stand like crazy filling all the food bowls to satisfy all the gourmets!" she says. 

The cats can eat all day long, because there are bowls with food everywhere. They also get tasty treats every day. So they stay on an all-inclusive basis, they can almost order room service 😹

High season

The peak season at the Cat Hotel is during the summer holidays. They are then fully booked, and generally, the cats all get along well with each other. This is because they are not in their own territory, so the defensive instinct disappears. Still, the cats quickly feel at home, thanks to the design of the Cat Hotel. There is a cozy living room feeling, with a sofa and lots of soft sleeping spots and nice Cat trees.

How does the Cat Hotel stand out? "Everything is luxuriously furnished and it is small-scale in design. There is more attention, space, and time for the cats. No cages where they have to stay all day, which you often see in boarding facilities. Often everything there is designed to be easy to clean, resulting in a sterile and impersonal appearance. At my place, all cats are always free to roam, even at night, and can go wherever they want and do whatever they want. They can also always go outside in the covered outdoor run," explains Michelle. Excited about the Cat Hotel Tompoes and considering leaving your cat here? You can always get a tour beforehand to see and experience how things work in the hotel and bring your cat with peace of mind. Michelle also sends fun photos and videos of the cats to the owners every other day via app, so they can see that everything is going well and they don't have to miss their cats too much.