Cuddling with cats

Theo has been volunteering at the Amsterdam Stray Cats Foundation (SAZ) for 2.5 years. Here, all kinds of cats are taken in, such as stray cats, but also cats whose owners pass away. “We socialize the cats, but the cats definitely socialize us as well. I was becoming a grumpy old man, and that is completely gone. Sometimes you have those crossroads in your life, and this has certainly been one. Beautiful, that’s the only thing I can say about it.”Voluntary, but not optional, that’s how Theo describes the work at Stichting Amsterdamse Zwerfkatten (SAZ). “You work with living beings and the cats need to be fed. We take in stray cats that roam outside, but we also take in cats that end up without a home. Sometimes people lose their jobs and barely have enough money left to feed and care for their cat, they can also come to us for help. This way, the cats don’t have to be taken away from their owners. Especially in recent months, we have been receiving more and more requests for food.”

More and more tasks

“I started here socializing cats. It’s very extensive; I myself am very much into touching, picking up, and cuddling cats so they get used to humans again. There are fearful cats that haven’t been touched for months, where you see a turning point. I still get goosebumps from that. But, while I was just cuddling with the cats, I saw that my colleagues in the office and warehouse were very busy – eventually, I started by asking who wanted coffee or tea, then I also started answering the phone. By now, I have also become an assistant manager of a database program, I sometimes work in the field, and when everyone is gone, I don’t mind cleaning the toilets.”

For no money, that doesn’t exist, right?

“I work on Monday and Thursday from 12:00 to 22:00 and no one is forcing me to do that. I come home with energy and I can’t explain it. It’s very versatile here and you can develop in all directions. Some things keep you alert, but cleaning toilets keeps you grounded. It’s very fulfilling for me here. On average, I spend thirty hours a week on SAZ. If someone had told me that three years ago, I would have really thought they were crazy: ‘Come on, I’m not going to do that for any amount of money! That’s impossible!'”

My dream: a nursing home for cats

“I have always had a dream: a nursing home for cats, a kind of shelter where they can stay until the end of their lives. Could I do that? Would I even like it? In my research, I came across SAZ. The website was a bit amateurish, which suited me. I sent an email and then I got a reply that I could go along with someone to see if it was something for me. From day one, it was a match. Now, 2.5 years later, I also realize that I could definitely run a shelter and it’s nice to discover and develop that here. Without this experience, it would have been a complete disaster, you gain so many experiences.”(story continues below the photo)

Chit-chat

Besides this dream, there was something else at play. Theo has been fully disabled after a long history of multiple hernias. “I was very angry at first, every time you take a step forward, you get thrown back down. I really had to switch gears. I didn’t do anything official for a few years. What I enjoy the most now is the camaraderie. I think the social aspect of work is highly underestimated. I had lost this for a few years. I missed it a lot, I love chatting and being with my colleagues. Since I’ve been back here, I feel clearer and my speech has improved. I get so much in return. I used to hear around me that you get paid in a different way than money, but I never understood that. Now I do. You get so much satisfaction, respect, and appreciation from people here. You get to see a nice part of humanity.”

Crossroads in your life

“I have never had a job for longer than a year because once I had learned everything, I would get bored. But I have been in this one for 2.5 years and I always find something new here. It’s truly a mutual interaction, we socialize the cats, but the cats definitely socialize us as well. I was turning into a grumpy old man and that has completely disappeared. Sometimes you have those crossroads in your life and this has definitely been one. Beautiful, that’s the only thing I can say about it.”Interview: Kiki Dusebout
Photo: Jackie MulderTheo was also a guest on our podcast People Make Mokum,listen to the episode here

Want to become a volunteer?

Do you think it would be fun to start doing volunteer work as well?

1. Make an appointmentfor a mediation meeting at one of the consultation hours in the city.
2. Find a suitable job yourselfon the volunteer vacancy board (around 1000 possibilities)