Employees evacuated

Cat flooded town hall in the Netherlands

Symbolic image(Bild: Ekaterina Kolomeets – stock.adobe)

A cat has flooded the town hall of the municipality of Dokkum in the Netherlands, according to the city council, causing extensive damage. Estimates put the value of the damage at 325,000 euros.

The cat was discovered in the town hall of the Frisian municipality during construction work in May last year, reported the broadcaster Omrop Fryslân on Friday.

As it was not possible to catch the cat, the building was temporarily locked up. The cat then presumably opened a tap, which initially caused water to seep unnoticed into the furniture and walls and also run through the floors into the cellar.

We can now close this cat dossier.

Ratsherr Bert Koonstra

Walls and floors need to be replaced
The damage was so extensive that some of the employees had to work in another building for a while. Some of the walls and floors even had to be replaced.

At the municipal council meeting on Thursday evening, councillor Bert Koonstra presented the final bill. "The insurance company is paying for the damage," he said. "We can now close this cat dossier." It was not possible to prove beyond doubt whether the cat was actually responsible for the open tap.