Lily Jackson ‘28, Feature Editor
Recently in Europe there has been a dramatic increase in feline deaths, attributed to the large amount of canals in busy cities. Feral and domestic cats have been seen slipping and falling into rivers and drowning with no chance of escape. From July to August 2025 in Amsterdam, there were a reported 19 cat deaths. Although this number may seem on the smaller side, especially in a global culture where news of death and destruction seems to come every day, Amsterdam has still dedicated around €100,000 (about $116,400) to building staircases to save these cats.
Judy Krom from The Party for the Animals (PvdD) made this proposal supporting that Amsterdam should allocate €100,000 to help fund the staircase project and limit the amount of feline— and other animal— fatalities. Zita Pels, counselor for PvdD publicly backed this project but commented that “funding was lacking.” Despite some doubt, in July the proposal was called into effect by the Amsterdam City Council.
The next steps for PvdD is locating areas where cats are at high risk for drowning and building the staircases. Areas where currents are tall and swift are most hazardous and risky for cats and other animals. Albeit heartwarming, this concept of pet-friendly infrastructure is not new. Originating from Swiss culture and kindness towards animals, pet ladders and cat canals began in the early 2000s. The most recent canal was constructed in early 2026 and amassed lots of media attention. Sylvia Hindley, a sophomore at SLHS interested in zoology with a passion for animals commented, “I wish the United States would focus more on projects that improve safety for animals in our major cities.” Although no cat canals have been created in the U.S, other animal safety projects like animal highways in California have been put into place. Many advocates for animal safety have found inspiration in European cat canals, Junior Jacob Kirshman said, “I really love cats, and I’m glad they are finally being taken care of in other countries.”
Many countries in Europe have been the first to advocate and work towards more pet-friendly laws and infrastructure, and hopefully others will follow, and animal safety can be prioritized in the future.
Lyon Life 