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A seven-year-old black cat named Nimis, known as Amsterdam's "police cat," has become a social media sensation, attracting millions of online views and drawing tourists to the houseboat where he lives along the Dutch capital's canals.
Wearing a bright yellow life jacket with a "Police" patch, Nimis regularly catches the attention of residents and visitors, who stop by to pet him, take photographs and watch him play with his 10-month-old feline brother, Boef.
Nimis' owner, Lydia Faber, initially bought the life jacket to protect him from drowning while living on a houseboat, a floating residence moored along Amsterdam's waterways.
After Faber added a "Police" patch to the jacket, neighbors began referring to Nimis as the "neighborhood police officer," a nickname that eventually caught on beyond the local community.
Faber said she originally started sharing videos of Nimis and Boef so that two young relatives living far away could follow their daily activities. However, she had not realized her social media account was public until one of the videos reached 4.5 million views.
As Nimis gained popularity online, tourists from other countries and different parts of the Netherlands began turning up at Faber's houseboat to meet the cats.
Among the visitors was 12-year-old Naomi Nijpels, who traveled approximately 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Etten-Leur after seeing Nimis featured on NOS, the Dutch public broadcaster.
Faber also revealed that a children's book following Nimis' adventures along the canals with his neighbors is currently in development, extending the cat's growing popularity beyond social media.
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