Lucky four-eared feline catnapped

PATHUM THANI: The owners of a four-eared cat fear that their pet has been kidnapped, after the feline mysteriously disappeared following a story in a national newspaper highlighting the luck the homeless kitty had brought its owners after they rescued it from the side of the road.

The missing cat, named Jao Chom Jan (“the one who admires the moon”), has not been seen by its owners, husband and wife Prasert and Maratee Unphetch, since February 18.

The couple, avid animal lovers who currently own more than 20 cats and dogs, noticed the cat lying by the side of the road last year.

When they looked closer, they saw that the mysterious moggy had four ears, the front pair black, the back pair smaller and flesh colored.

The little female cat was very thin and sickly, but with a bit of tender loving care soon made a full recovery.

Before long it became the cheerful playmate of the couple’s young son.

K. Maratee said that after taking in the little cat in, the family had an extraordinary run of good luck.

They won the lottery three times in a row. Business at their shop, where they sell plastic buckets, suddenly increased.

News of the extraordinary cat and the Unphetch’s run of good luck soon got out and in January, Thai-language newspaper Khao Sod (“fresh news”) ran a story on the auspicious animal.

“Jao Chom Jan is not like other cats,” K. Prasert said.

“She has two ears on each side of her head that stick out and look very pretty, she looks a bit like Heng Jia [the monkey god born from an egg in Chinese mythology].”

Then, on February 18, Jao Chom Jan suddenly disappeared. K. Prasert at first thought the cat had just wandered off or perhaps gone for a long nap somewhere near the house. But after scouring the neighborhood, they could find no trace of their beloved pet.

As it was out of character for Jao Chom Jan to wander off, K. Prasert concluded that she must have been catnapped.

K. Prasert, however, was not bitter about the loss of such a powerful talisman. His only worry was that Jao Chom Jan might come to harm.

“When we took Jao Chom Jan in to look after, we weren’t thinking about her bringing us luck. We love her. Our fates must be aligned; that’s why we were so lucky.

“However, I don’t know whether the fortune of the person who stole her will be so in line with that of Jao Chom Jan. Probably not, I would think,” K. Prasert explained.

“But if Jao Chom Jan does bring luck to the person who stole her, then that’s OK.

“I only ask that they look after her well and don’t throw her back on the street, where she could be hit by a car. If the thief doesn’t get any luck, then I ask for them to bring her back to us,” K. Prasert said.