Four cats rescued from sinking abandoned ship by Thai navy

The cats were huddled together on a wooden beam to protect themselves from drowning

Four cats were rescued from an abandoned sinking ship that had caught fire in the Andaman Sea by Thailand Navy’s sailors who braved choppy waters to save the felines.

The sailors had gone to check on the ship, which was about 13 kilometres off the paradise island of Koh Adang, after the crew were taken to safety. The sailors, who were trying to ascertain if there was an oil spill, discovered that a few helpless members of the ship were forgotten – four cats.

First-class petty officer Wichit Pukdeelon of Thai navy’s air and coastal defence division said he used his “camera to zoom in to the boat, and saw one or two cats popping their heads out.”

Soon after, a sailor in a life vest swam towards the sinking ship where the four cats were huddled together on a wooden beam trying to protect themselves from drowning.

The pictures and videos of the rescue show the cats being brought back by the sailor on his shoulder and his team pulling him up by the rope.

According to local media reports, the cats are healthy and have no injuries.

The rescuer’s post about the cats on Facebook has already garnered a lot of attention including hundreds of comments that are praising their efforts.

Currently, the cats are being taken care of at the command post of the sailors on Koh Lipe island.

Additional reporting by agencies