Amsterdam is building tiny staircases to help cats exit its canals

Hundreds of wooden steps will be constructed to stop small animals from drowning

Amsterdam has allocated up to €100,000 to install steps along city centre canals to help cats out of the water.

The tiny wooden staircases aim to save felines and other animals from drowning in areas with high walls.

According to animal welfare organisation Dierenambulance Amsterdam, 19 cats have drowned in the city’s canals in the last six months – six of them in the city centre.

Judith Krom from the Party for the Animals (PvdD) proposed that Amsterdam spend an unused €100,000 fund found in the city’s biodiversity plan to fund the wildlife exit points.

Councillor for animal welfare Zita Pels had already supported the plan but had previously noted that “funding was lacking”, said PvdD.

On 10 July, the Amsterdam City Council voted in favour of Krom’s motion.

Krom said: “A simple measure can prevent enormous animal suffering.

“The adopted motion demonstrates that as a city, we take responsibility for protecting the lives of animals.”

The Dutch capital will work with Dierenambulance to identify areas where cats are most likely to drown before the small animal escape routes are installed.

Steps will then be built at the highest-risk locations later this year to help cats safely climb back onto the shore.

It’s not the only city taking steps to improve canal safety for animals.

In June, Amersfoort, a nearby city in the Netherlands, announced the construction of around 300 cat traps along its quays and canals this year.

Amersfoort councillor Johnas van Lammeren said: “Unfortunately, animals that end up in water in areas with high quays or quay walls can't get out and drown.

“Together with the animal ambulance, a research agency, and residents from Vathorst and other areas, we've mapped out where cat traps are needed. We'll be installing hundreds of them in the coming period, preventing a great deal of animal suffering.”

The municipality plans to install approximately 300 cat stairs per year as part of an animal welfare sub-environmental program that the municipal council adopted in 2024.

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