137:
around the Nieuwe Rijn, the city's historic central district. While some business owners didn't approve of his presence, others welcomed him. Bledder became a "regular" at the Cafe Jantje van Leiden, a brown bar, De Twee
Spieghels, a jazz cafe, De Bierwinkel Leiden, a shop that specializes in imported beers, and Velvet, a record store. The cat was given many nicknames in the months that followed by various clerks, restaurateurs, neighbors and customers. Among them: Danger Cat, Chardonnay, Prinsje, Roof Cat and Sweetheart, in addition to Jacco, his "real" name.
145:
retrieved from a canal with a field hockey stick one afternoon and often ran around in the rain gutter on the roof of the student house whenever he could sneak out a window on the top floor. In the autumn of 2012, he became trapped up there after the window swung shut behind him. His owners were away on a weekend retreat and the cat spent the night on the roof and endured a fierce thunderstorm. He was rescued the following morning by the Leiden Fire
Department after neighbors heard him meowing.
24:
149:
156:
Bledder went missing in
January 2013, causing many of his fans to worry and speculate over his whereabouts. He was returned to his owners three weeks later. A couple who lived in a house a few blocks away had discovered Bledder, assumed he was a stray and adopted him. A friend later informed them of
140:
In
September 2012, a clerk at Velvet created a Facebook fanpage in honor of the cat and, not knowing his real name or where he lived, dubbed him "Buurtpoes Bledder." This nickname, which would go on to become the cat's best known moniker, combines a mix of Dutch words and regional terms. "Buurtpoes"
136:
Bledder was adopted by the residents of a student house in Leiden in the spring of 2012. They named him Jacco. The following summer, they began allowing him to roam the neighborhood. The cat's curiosity and love for human company encouraged him to explore the many cafes, shops, bars and offices
144:
The
Facebook page quickly drew seven hundred followers and reached an eventual peak of around 1,300 followers in 2015, many of whom posted anecdotes and photos of the cat's adventures around Leiden. Bledder's insatiable curiosity got him into plenty of trouble during his short lifetime. He was
194:
the city's daily newspaper, to create an editorial cartoon mocking his postmortem popularity. It was published on
Saturday, August 17, 2013. Eventually, the decision was made by his owners to have him stuffed and placed on display in their house on the Hartesteeg. On the fifth anniversary of
189:
There was public discussion over what to do with his remains. His owners considered the possibility of having the cat stuffed and placed on permanent display at the Cafe van Jantje. The media attention and debate over
Bledder's final resting place led an artist at the
128:'s central district. His exploits became the subject of several news reports and inspired a Facebook fan page that attracted over 1,300 followers from around the world. Bledder died after being struck by an unknown motorist near his home in Leiden.
141:
translates as "neighborhood cat" but "Bledder" has multiple definitions. The clerk included "Bledder" because of the cat's white and black coloring, which made him resemble a soccer ball. This word means "ball" or "bald."
165:
On the night of August 7, 2013, Bledder was hit and killed by an unknown motorist. Local residents built a memorial for him outside the Cafe van Jantje. The cat's death was covered by several media outlets, including the
383:
294:
463:
482:
223:
440:
577:
272:
406:
182:, a national television station. Bledder's Facebook page also received hundreds of condolences from his fans. "Buurtpoes" was declared the Word of the Year by
375:
298:
562:
467:
567:
432:
537:
410:
264:
507:
331:
247:
582:
557:
215:
552:
572:
251:
168:
546:
195:
Bledder's death, he was briefly moved to the Velvet record shop along the Oude Rijn.
84:
174:
152:
A small memorial for
Buurtpoes Bledder at the Cafe Jantje van Leiden, August 2013
121:
23:
148:
532:
323:
244:
45:
125:
80:
179:
147:
117:
51:
353:
376:"What to Do When Your Pet Goes Missing in the Netherlands"
124:
after becoming a regular fixture at various businesses in
99:
91:
74:
66:
58:
44:
33:
157:the cat's Facebook page and they took him home.
318:
316:
120:who attracted national media attention in the
508:"Herdenking voor populaire buurtpoes Bledder"
464:"'Buurtpoes' is regionaal woord van het jaar"
8:
265:"Dode Leidse buurtkat Bledder wordt opgezet"
16:
210:
208:
15:
483:"Bekende Buurtpoes Bledder Wordt Opgezet"
216:"Dood van Bledder dompelt Leiden in rouw"
254:, facebook.com, accessed 24 January 2020
116:2011 – August 7, 2013) was a male
578:Road incident deaths in the Netherlands
204:
386:from the original on December 20, 2013
334:from the original on November 3, 2015
7:
538:An Obituary For an Extraordinary Cat
443:from the original on August 25, 2013
275:from the original on August 14, 2013
226:from the original on October 4, 2013
481:Docter, Suzanne (August 14, 2013).
40:Jacco, Chardonnay, Danger Cat, etc.
14:
354:"Leidse woorden en uitdrukkingen"
433:"Populaire Leidse kat overleden"
405:Beijen, Frank (August 9, 2013).
297:. August 8, 2013. Archived from
103:Minerva Student House Hartesteeg
22:
28:Buurtpoes Bledder in April 2013
1:
113:
462:Docter (December 31, 2013).
374:H, Brandon (March 1, 2012).
172:, the national daily paper
599:
21:
563:2010s in the Netherlands
568:2012 in the Netherlands
153:
151:
324:"Buurtpoes Bledder"
18:
583:2011 animal births
558:2013 animal deaths
439:. August 9, 2013.
330:. September 2012.
301:on August 11, 2013
271:. August 9, 2013.
250:2015-11-03 at the
222:. August 9, 2013.
186:in December 2013.
154:
413:on August 9, 2013
407:"Bye Bye Bledder"
110:Buurtpoes Bledder
107:
106:
87:, The Netherlands
17:Buurtpoes Bledder
590:
520:
519:
517:
515:
510:. August 7, 2018
504:
498:
497:
495:
493:
478:
472:
471:
466:. Archived from
459:
453:
452:
450:
448:
429:
423:
422:
420:
418:
409:. Archived from
402:
396:
395:
393:
391:
371:
365:
364:
362:
360:
350:
344:
343:
341:
339:
320:
311:
310:
308:
306:
295:"Leidse Glibber"
291:
285:
284:
282:
280:
261:
255:
245:BuurtpoesBledder
242:
236:
235:
233:
231:
212:
192:Leidsch Dagblad,
115:
37:
26:
19:
598:
597:
593:
592:
591:
589:
588:
587:
553:Individual cats
543:
542:
529:
524:
523:
513:
511:
506:
505:
501:
491:
489:
480:
479:
475:
461:
460:
456:
446:
444:
431:
430:
426:
416:
414:
404:
403:
399:
389:
387:
373:
372:
368:
358:
356:
352:
351:
347:
337:
335:
322:
321:
314:
304:
302:
293:
292:
288:
278:
276:
263:
262:
258:
252:Wayback Machine
243:
239:
229:
227:
214:
213:
206:
201:
184:Leidsch Dagblad
169:Leidsch Dagblad
163:
134:
79:
35:
29:
12:
11:
5:
596:
594:
586:
585:
580:
575:
570:
565:
560:
555:
545:
544:
541:
540:
535:
528:
527:External links
525:
522:
521:
499:
473:
470:on 2014-01-07.
454:
424:
397:
366:
345:
312:
286:
256:
237:
203:
202:
200:
197:
162:
159:
133:
130:
105:
104:
101:
97:
96:
93:
89:
88:
78:August 7, 2013
76:
72:
71:
68:
64:
63:
60:
56:
55:
48:
42:
41:
38:
31:
30:
27:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
595:
584:
581:
579:
576:
574:
571:
569:
566:
564:
561:
559:
556:
554:
551:
550:
548:
539:
536:
534:
533:Facebook Page
531:
530:
526:
509:
503:
500:
488:
484:
477:
474:
469:
465:
458:
455:
442:
438:
434:
428:
425:
412:
408:
401:
398:
385:
381:
377:
370:
367:
355:
349:
346:
333:
329:
325:
319:
317:
313:
300:
296:
290:
287:
274:
270:
266:
260:
257:
253:
249:
246:
241:
238:
225:
221:
217:
211:
209:
205:
198:
196:
193:
187:
185:
181:
177:
176:
171:
170:
160:
158:
150:
146:
142:
138:
131:
129:
127:
123:
119:
111:
102:
98:
94:
90:
86:
85:South Holland
82:
77:
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
54:
53:
49:
47:
43:
39:
32:
25:
20:
512:. Retrieved
502:
490:. Retrieved
486:
476:
468:the original
457:
445:. Retrieved
436:
427:
415:. Retrieved
411:the original
400:
388:. Retrieved
379:
369:
357:. Retrieved
348:
336:. Retrieved
327:
303:. Retrieved
299:the original
289:
277:. Retrieved
268:
259:
240:
228:. Retrieved
220:De Telegraaf
219:
191:
188:
183:
175:De Telegraaf
173:
167:
164:
155:
143:
139:
135:
118:domestic cat
109:
108:
92:Years active
50:
514:January 27,
380:iamexpat.nl
269:Omroep West
122:Netherlands
52:Felis catus
547:Categories
199:References
447:August 9,
417:August 9,
390:August 9,
338:August 9,
305:August 9,
279:August 9,
230:August 9,
132:Biography
95:2012–2013
441:Archived
384:Archived
359:June 11,
332:Archived
328:FaceBook
273:Archived
248:Archived
224:Archived
46:Species
36:name(s)
573:Leiden
492:8 June
126:Leiden
81:Leiden
34:Other
180:SBS 6
161:Death
100:Owner
516:2020
494:2020
449:2013
437:HVNL
419:2013
392:2013
361:2020
340:2013
307:2013
281:2013
232:2013
178:and
75:Died
70:2011
67:Born
62:Male
59:Sex
549::
487:AD
485:.
435:.
382:.
378:.
326:.
315:^
267:.
218:.
207:^
114:c.
83:,
518:.
496:.
451:.
421:.
394:.
363:.
342:.
309:.
283:.
234:.
112:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
