Back in 1966, animal lover Henriette van Weelde found a family of cats sheltering under a tree next to her house. She decided to take them in. Soon enough, another stray feline joined. Then another one. And another… Before she knew it, Henriette became known as “the cat lady.” People started bringing her cats that they could no longer care for, so naturally, her home space became too small for all the furry friends there. That’s how Henriette came up with the idea of a cat boat. As her house was facing a canal, she bought a Dutch sailing barge in 1968 and made its interior feline-friendly.