Every week we search for interesting stories about cats and their owners. And sometimes, very occasionally, we even have conversations with superheroes. Don't believe it? Then quickly read more about the superhero work that Arianne does for the residents of her Cat House.
Beginning of the Katshuisch
Arianne de Jong is the proud caretaker of 26 disabled cats at the Katshuisch in Vinkel. Besides cats, there are also 12 chickens and 4 rabbits living there, and the hedgehogs that visit also get some cat kibble and water every day.
You can imagine that caring for 26 cats involves quite a bit of work. Arianne does all the daily tasks alone; fortunately, she does get help from the board, who assist her with the administrative matters of the foundation established in 2019 and the website. Also, volunteers come from time to time to maintain the grounds and help with the cleaning.
How Arianne came to care for 26 cats? That only started around her 18th birthday; before that, Arianne actually had very little to do with cats. Arianne studied their behavior and learned by doing so. Then came Agnes, the first disabled cat at Arianne's, and this encouraged Arianne to learn even more and find out more. From 2012 onwards, many other cats followed, to whom Arianne devoted her time and space. In 2017, it was time to look for another house, with a large garden and enough space on the ground floor because not all cats can go upstairs anymore. In Vinkel, she found the perfect place, and in 2019 the Katshuisch was born!
By now, the cats come from everywhere, from Greece and Turkey but also from fellow foundations within The Netherlands (NL) and private individuals.
Thanks to them, I can do even better what I want, which is to give all cats the care they need
Care for the disabled
Because all the cats at the Cat House are disabled, most of them need extra or special care. That starts early, because around 7:00 AM cat Hans is already loudly meowing because he is hungry. As soon as Arianne comes downstairs, she soothes the first hungry cats and quickly lets the kittens pee. Then she takes care of the rest of the food and medicine, lets the cat brigade outside, and then she scoops the litter boxes that are hidden everywhere. About 2 hours later, it's Arianne's turn to get ready for the day.
Because Arianne, besides caring for all the sweet animals, also works 3 days, she schedules appointments with the vet on her days off. During these days off, Arianne is busy cleaning and grooming the coats. “Erik and Maarten often fall into their own feces,” Arianne tells us, “So I take care of that and clean them as much as possible.” In addition, the groomer also visits regularly.
Before you know it, it's already 3:00 PM, time to let the little ones pee again and then provide everyone with wet food. An hour and a half later, the medicines follow again, and Arianne knows exactly who needs what per cat, and how! Because one wants it in the milk, and the other in a liquid snack. Before going to sleep, Fiona gets the last medicines, and then it's time to rest. Until Hans makes himself heard again the next morning!
And so the days fly by in the Katshuisch.
Disabled cats can lead a wonderful life if they receive the right care, and I consider it an honor to be able to contribute to that!
Proud of Koosje
Koosje is the success story of the Katshuisch! As a kitten, Koosje came to Arianne with the most crooked hind legs she had ever seen. They literally bent at a 90-degree angle. Because he was so sweet and happy, Arianne naturally wanted to help him. But something had to be done quickly, because Koosje soon got wounds on his paws from walking on pieces of bone and skin that were totally not made for that.
Arianne's mission was to keep Koosje alive until he had grown enough to be operated on. With the help of quite a few antibiotics, because he had severe wounds. When Koosje was 10 months old, Arianne saw that it could no longer continue like this and contacted the doctor who was going to operate on him. Arianne received shocking and heartbreaking news; the doctor no longer dared to perform the operation on Koosje.
By then, Arianne had grown so incredibly fond of him that this news did not bring her down. She did not want to lose Koosje, so she continued her mission and came across Bouvien Brocks, who fortunately dared to take it on!
Meanwhile, Koosje was still his cheerful self, and he did perfectly throughout the entire process that followed. After more than a year, Koosje was walking on two beautiful straight legs, and he was no longer in life-threatening condition. Arianne is very proud of Koosje: "Beautiful cat! So proud of him. Not every cat can handle such a process, but he can. And it is a joy to see him run every day!"
Want to contribute too? You can do so by, for example, making a monthly donation and become a sugar aunt or sugar uncle of the Katshuisch! Donating, or ordering something, is of course also possible on the website of the Katschuisch!
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