While fishing miles off the coast of Thailand, a ship caught fire and started taking on water. Crew put out an emergency call, and soon, another nearby vessel arrived at the scene, rescuing the fishermen.
The eight-person crew made it off the ship and it seemed everyone aboard the burning, sinking fishing vessel would be alright.
But the humans weren’t the only ones on the boat.
The boat that still sat miles off the Thai coast, flooding with water and starting to sink.
Stranded Souls Spotted by Sailor
The Royal Thai Navy sailed onto the scene to investigate the ship and discovered a surprise. The boat was nearly submerged, but terrified and clinging to whatever still jutted above the ocean’s surface were four cats.
Reports weren’t clear whether the cats had been left behind or if they were stowaways the crew knew nothing about. However they had found their way onto the boat, before the fire, these cats were probably eating like royalty. But now the seafood buffet was over and these four felines were in deep peril.
Luckily, Navy sailors are brave heroes who don’t discriminate when they see a soul in need of rescue.
Sailor Tattaphon Sai didn’t hesitate to dive into the water and swim to the scared cats. They were surely relieved to see him, and one-by-one, they hitched a ride on Sai’s back to the Navy vessel. Luckily, Sai wore a thick life preserver for the cats to dig their claws into for dear life!
Once the cats were safe and dry on the Navy ship, they were given food and water—and probably lots of love and pats from the sailors, too. The cats were checked out for any health problems and injuries, but they were in tip-top shape considering their high seas peril.
Safe, Dry, and Fed
Though the cats’ past stands in mystery, their future is looking bright in the care of Royal Thai Navy sailors. Pictured with Sai and lots of yummy eats, the cats were looking calm and full!
Adorable fan art shows another depiction of the cats’ new life as spoiled companions of the soldiers who rescued them.
Sharing news of the rescue tale on social media, the Royal Thai Navy said it right, “Because every life counts.”
While cats and the ocean don’t seem to go together, shockingly, cats are excellent sailors. Check out Artie’s high seas ordeal and how he handled it. Or even the fish tale about the man who caught a kitten in the sea!
H/T: www.thedodo.com
Feature Image: Royal Thai Navy Fanpage/Facebook