Only a few days ago, a boat off the coast of Thailand sent out a call for help – a fire had broken out and they were taking on water.
The boat was marooned and wasn’t going to stay afloat much longer.
Once the surrounding boats heard what was happening, they leaped to the rescue.
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A nearby captain swung his own boat around to help the marooned sailors and was able to get each of the eight-man crew to safety without much issue. For all intents and purposes, this was a massive success with no loss of life!
The rescue boats didn’t realize that humans weren’t the only lives that needed saving from the boat wreck.
Not everyone on the boat had gotten to safety that day. The mistake was discovered when the Royal Thai Navy was sent to take a look at the nearly sunk boat. Often, these checks are routine and just a precaution to make sure there aren’t any large oil leaks or remaining people.
When the Navy arrived, there weren’t any people on the boat, but four cats were clinging to the side of the deck, hoping for a savior!
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Once one of the Navy men saw there were cats stuck on the deck of the doomed boat, they knew they had to leap to action to rescue the terrified creatures. The man, Tattaphon Sai, got to work.
Swimming to the boat, he spent some time letting the cats get comfortable with him.
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With a tense air, Tattaphon won each of the cat’s trust. If you’ve ever heard the expression “herding cats,” you can imagine how tricky they can be to cooperate, not to mention they were in the middle of the ocean!
If the cats didn’t trust him when he made the rescue attempt, it wouldn’t end well for either of them.
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After the seconds ticked by on the sinking ship, the cats slowly realized the man was there to help. Finally, one by one, Tattaphon placed a cat on his shoulders and swam back to the Navy boat.
Looking like little wet rags, the soaked cats held on tight as they were transported to safety.
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Incredibly, it seemed like the animals understood that the vessel wasn’t going to last much longer. They knew they needed help. As Tattaphon made each trip, a life was saved, and the cats cooperated.
Like we all knew would happen, the boat gave a final shudder and began to sink under the waves.
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If not for Tattaphon, the cats would have undoubtedly died. Now that the cats are back in safe hands, they are living with the Navy that saved them! Once you go through an ordeal like that, bathtime for a cat might be a bit tougher – at least they are safe enough to take baths!
This rescue wasn’t typical for a trained navy, but they were happy to help. They simply wrote:
“Because every life counts.”
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