Every week, we seek out interesting stories from cats and their owners. And sometimes, just sometimes, we even engage with superheroes. Don't believe it? Then quickly read more about the superhero work Arianne does for the residents of her Katshuisch.
Beginnings of Katshuisch
Arianne de Jong is the proud caretaker of 26 disabled cats
in the Katshuisch in Vinkel. In addition to cats, there are also 12 chickens
and 4 rabbits and the hedgehogs that come by also get some cat food and water
every day.
You can imagine that taking care of 26 cats involves a lot
of work. Arianne does all the daily work alone, fortunately she also gets help
from the board who helps her with administrative matters of the foundation that
was established in 2019 and the website. Volunteers also come once in a while
to maintain the plot and help with the cleaning work.
How Arianne got to take care of 26 cats? That only started
around the age of 18, before that Arianne actually had very little to do with
cats. Arianne studied their behavior, and learned from it as she went along.
Then Agnes, the first disabled cat came to Arianne and this stimulated Arianne
to learn and find out even more. From 2012 onwards, many other cats followed,
for which Arianne invested 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. She found the perfect place in Vinkel and
in 2019 the Katshuisch was created!
Meanwhile, the cats come from everywhere, from Greece and
Turkey, but also from fellow foundations within the Netherlands and private
individuals.
Thanks to them, I am even better able to do what I want to do, and that is to give all the cats the care they need
Disability care
Because all cats at the Katshuisch are disabled, most of
them need extra or special care. That starts early, because around 07:00 cat
Hans is already meowing loudly because he is hungry. As soon as Arianne comes
downstairs, she quiets the first hungry cats and lets the kittens pee quickly.
Then she takes care of the rest of the food and medicines, lets the cat bridage
outside and then she empties the litter boxes that are hidden everywhere. About
2 hours later, it is Arianne's turn to get ready for the day.
Because Arianne works 3 days in addition to taking care of
all the sweet animals, she schedules the appointments with the vet on her days
off. During these days off, Arianne is busy brushing and taking care of the
coats. "Erik and Maarten often fall into their own stool" Arianne
tells us, "So I do that care, and clean them as much as possible". In
addition, the groomer also comes by 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 medication follows again, and Arianne knows exactly who should
get what for each 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 medication, 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 live a wonderful life if given the right care, and I am honoured 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
were literally 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 legs from walking on pieces of bone and skin that
were not made for that at all.
Arianne's mission was to keep Koosje alive until he had
grown up so that he could be operated on. With the help of a lot of
antibiotics, because he had serious wounds. When Koosje was 10 months old,
Arianne saw that it couldn't go on like this and contacted the doctor who was
going to operate on him. Arianne was told shocking and heartbreaking news; the
doctor no longer dared to have the operation with Koosje.
Arianne had come to love him so much that this news did not
change her. She didn't want to lose Koosje, so she continued with her mission
and came across Bouvien Brocks, luckily she dared to do it!
Meanwhile, Koosje was still his happy self, and he did a
perfect job in the whole process that followed. After more than a year, Koosje
walked on two beautiful straight legs, and he is no longer in danger of death.
Arianne is therefore 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 pleasure to
see him run every day!".
Want to contribute? This can be done, for example, by
making a monthly contribution and becoming a sugar aunt or sugar daddy of the
Katshuisch! Donating, or ordering something is of course also possible on the
website of the Katschuisch!
Also want to be interviewed?
We are constantly looking for new furry friends! Would you also like to read your story here? Then don't hesitate to let us know, who knows, we might even send you a message.
We can hardly wait! Click on the link below and fill in the questions!
Lesen Sie den nächsten Artikel
Adventurous Bengal
21.10.2022
Every week we look for interesting stories of cats and their owners. This week we ended up in Finland, with Johanna and her two Bengal cats. This cat breed suits Johanna and her family well, active as they are and they all like to get outside. As a result, Johanna knew that the brother and sister needed a scratching post to suit their needs!
