Cats and canals don’t mix. That’s something Amsterdam has learned the hard way—especially in the past six months, when at least 19 cats have drowned in the city’s waterways, according to Dierenambulance Amsterdam. Six of them were pulled from the central canal zone alone.

The city is famous for its winding canals, which are beautiful and seriously impractical if you’re a small animal that panicked and slipped. Narrow ledges and steep brick walls leave little room for escape. So, in a move that sounds both whimsical and necessary, Amsterdam is now installing dozens of tiny wooden staircases along the canal edges.

Judith Krom of the Party proposed the initiative for the Animals, who pointed out that an unused €100,000 (around $116,000) in the city’s biodiversity fund could be reallocated t

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