He might be cute and cuddly, but this cat has claws. Nimis, a black cat who lives with his family on a houseboat in Amsterdam, recently shot to stardom after videos of him wearing a frankly adorable police vest went viral on TikTok. 

The highs and lows of life as a cat on the Amsterdam canals

Under the account name police_cat_amsterdam, Nimis and his fellow feline friend Tommy have managed to rack up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok with their videos of life on the canals in the Dutch capital. These clips - as well as the photos shared to the Instagram page under the same name - provide a fun glimpse into the life Tommy and Nimis enjoy on their houseboat as they make friends, fight crime, and occasionally indulge in a little bit of catnip (but never when on the clock, of course). 

Nimis the police cat has fans around the world

The accounts were started by Lydia Faber, who is proud to be able to call Nimis (and Tommy) her pets. Talking to Het Parool, Faber explained that she’s started the TikTok account as a way to share clips of her cats with her nieces: “They are on TikTok all day long... I made the @police_cat_amsterdam account and within three days I had 20.000 followers.” 

There’s no denying that Nimis looks pretty suave in his police vest, but what inspired Faber to kit out her cat? “I live on a houseboat and my oldest cat knows what to do if it ends up in the water, but I bought a yellow life jacket for the youngest,” she explained to Het Parool. “Neighbours then shouted: “The neighbourhood police officer is back at work!” So after a while, I ironed a badge with “Police” on his life jacket. There are regular officers who take a picture of him.”

It’s true; while Nimis might not be an official member of the Dutch police force, he does have a couple of fans in uniform.

Thumb: mathieuvandenberk via Shutterstock.com.