Thai university dean accused of pampering stray cats with public resources

A recent social media post by the Home Guard Dog Operation Facebook page stirred up controversy after accusing a female dean of bringing her four cats to live at the Communication Technology Faculty, Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon. The post claimed the dean had her pets living luxuriously, using public electricity, and assigned the building’s staff to care for them, even relocating the public relations department to her office.

The post triggered a wave of sympathy for the cats among social media users, who called for justice for the cats. The story was picked up by the morning news, reporting that Associate Professor Dr Wichaporn Thiapchatturat, the dean, claimed that the cats were strays she found at the Ministry of Education. The security staff asked her to care for the newborn kittens, which were at risk of being eaten by reptiles.

Initially, the staff took turns caring for the kittens at the faculty and their homes. Fearing that the campus’s 3-4 metre long python would eat the kittens, she relocated them to the first-floor public relations room – a closed room awaiting renovation to be transformed into a student activity room or common space.

The accusation of relocating the public relations department to her office was a misunderstanding. Dr Wichaporn clarified that the staff had been relocated to the dean’s office on the third floor months before the cats were moved in.

The claim of using public electricity and air conditioning for the cats all day and night was untrue; the room was closed, and staff took turns bringing food and water for the cats. The faculty staff, who are also cat lovers, voluntarily cleaned the cats’ litter, and there was no coercion involved, reported Sanook.

Dr Wichaporn added that students had expressed interest in adopting two male and two female cats. However, she wanted to ensure the female cats were neutered before they were given away. She reiterated that she didn’t own these cats, instead, she was one of the many cat lovers among the staff who wanted to care for them out of compassion. The Facebook page that posted the original accusation has acknowledged the issue and promised to gather facts from all sides within two days before concluding the story.

In related news, police arrested a 30 year old man for allegedly catching stray cats and torturing them at various hotels in Koh Phi Phi.