Stray cats at the temple have been harmed by a mentally disturbed person.

Two weeks ago, as soon as I walked into the yard in front of the skinny monk’ s lodging, I felt a sharp cold vibe around the area. I wondered if a senior monk had finally ordered someone to get rid of all the cats. The whole place was eerily quiet with no sound of a cat which was very unusual. Normally some cats would come out to greet me when they heard my footsteps. So, I went to the pier to feed some black kittens instead.

When I returned to that place later on, I met the skinny monk and asked him why several cats had disappeared. He told me several days ago that a senior monk would order to have stray cats thrown out of the temple. But he didn’t confirm my suspicion, he said I was mistaken. So, I let things passed without further investigation, though I could notice that almost ten cats and kittens had disappeared from the yard.

A few days ago, the skinny monk told me that I was right: some cats had gone from the temple. Then he proceeded to tell me that a crazy (mentally disturbed) woman had stolen a mother cat and her five kittens to be drowned in the river. He could save a few kittens and took them to see a vet. The vet asked why there’s water in their lungs. Only one kitten survived so the monk took him back to his room. But the kitten died later that evening. He told me that some construction workers saw this crazy woman using string to tie the cats and drop them into the river.

Nobody told her off or interfere with her criminal act, it’s illegal to torture or kill animals in Thailand. People just didn’t want to have the hassle or confront the crazy woman. The skinny monk was told about kittens being drowned so he went to rescue them by the river. The crazy woman was very angry as she was caught red handed. So, she threatened to harm the monk with acid! The vet told the monk that all the cats were poisoned with acid in the food which this woman fed them. So, he warned me to be careful and stay away from this person.

I told him that I wasn’t afraid of this crazy woman and I would like to meet her. The skinny monk sadly concluded he didn’t expect this woman to steal cats and kittens in front of his quarter. He felt guilty for telling me off, as he thought I was blaming him for not looking after those cats properly. In the end he lost eight kittens from drowning and food poisoning, plus a few big cats. There were only two kittens surviving the drowning and poisonous food. One kitten has fully recovered while the other one was still weak.

I had a bad feeling about the small orange kitten, she disappeared four weeks ago. This crazy woman started to visit this temple just over a month ago. I hoped that the truth would come out one day. The whole saga was reported to the Abbot but there was no reaction from high authority. I told the monk that once the crazy woman threw acid at the novices, things would start to heat up and actions had to be taken. During the past week, I was vigilant and tried to spot this woman.

The skinny monk was showing me the photos he secretly took of her at the riverfront two days ago. I heard an elderly Chinese lady on her bicycle shouting about the crazy woman carrying a cat off to the main road. I was shocked so I asked her what had happened in details: how long ago and the colour of the cat. That woman stole my favourite ‘Samsi’ from the front yard of the Buddhist school for novices. No wonder, I couldn’t find Samsi, about an hour earlier, when I went to feed her. The monk told the elderly lady to cycle to take the cat back. But she was afraid of being hurt by that cat stealer.

So, I left all my bags of cat food and asked her to lead me to where the cat was taken. As she was cycling, I had to run after the bicycle, I hoped I was in time to save Samsi before the crazy woman decided to throw the cat on the main road. Temple cats didn’t have the skills of crossing roads and avoiding cars like most stray dogs. My heart was so stressful and full of fear of losing my favourite cat.

My favourite Samsi, one week before being kidnapped.

I could spot a person carrying Samsi on a red bag walking by the wall of the temple. The cyclist stopped at a distance while I ran up to the crazy lady. I asked her to give the cat to me as I had been feeding her since the lockdown. To my surprise, the woman agreed to give me the cat. She handed me Samsi in a red bag, she couldn’t escape easily from this bag. I was surprised how timid and tame this cat was, she just didn’t put up a fight or struggle like other cats.

Ten kittens in two cages. Only two kittens survived the food poisoning and drowning.

Samsi was so glad to see me and she purred loudly when I carried her away from the front gate of the temple. That crazy woman was carrying the cat while pacing along the white wall. I told her I had to bring her back to the school to feed her. Samsi was so glad to be back at her usual place. She ran inside the entrance to keep a safe distance from the front door. It took me a few minutes to persuade her to come to the front of the door to have her food. It was good that she came towards me but she refused to eat. So, I had to feed her inside the school instead. She was very hungry and ate a lot. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be at the right place at the right time to rescue Samsi.

My mind was busy thinking about how to stop this woman from taking Samsi away from the temple. The skinny monk wasn’t around when I came back to see him. He had taken two sick kittens to see the vet. I was rather puzzled by the fact that the crazy woman didn’t behave like a deranged person. She was nice to me and let me have Samsi back without any hassle. In the beginning, I was thinking of how to take her down as quickly as possible if she became violent and in case she had a knife with her. Fortunately, I talked nicely to her and thanked her for her kindness; this had perhaps made the difference. I was told that she was bipolar.

My friend donated money for buying two boxes of wet cat food. The skinny monk was pleased to get some charity.

I surmised that her intention wasn’t good at all as I found a thick elastic band around Samos’s neck which made it difficult for her to breathe and eat her food. I thought that woman was possessed by some dark energy, I saw her holding Samsi to her chest while she paced to and fro along the entrance of the temple. And she appeared to be singing or talking to the cat as if she’s performing a ceremony. I was lucky that she showed me her lighter side. The monk told me she threatened to harm him and other novices. She did use very strong language with violent intent. I’d have to take special precaution and try not to aggravate the situation. I shouldn’t appear as her enemy but a friendly face among those monks. I went back home with anxiety for not knowing what would happen to Samsi and other cats. I hoped and prayed for the safety of all the cats in the temple.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.