Did the black cat that was anesthetized in a scene of a Thai show, "The Empress of Ayodhaya," die? No, that's not true. A video from the director shows that it's still alive. Authorities have also summoned those involved to investigate possible animal abuse.
The claim appeared in a video posted on TikTok on November 12, 2024, no longer available but archived here, and had the following on-screen caption (translated from Thai into English by Lead Stories staff):
The real cat didn't make it because there wasn't immediate help. Doctor warns. Don't let this go quiet.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Nov 14 14:06:30 2024 UTC)
The video is a screen recording of a news talk show from PPTV that aired on November 11, 2024 (archived here), featuring an interview with Phatthanan Satchararom, a veterinarian for WatchDog Thailand Foundation, a non-profit animal welfare group.
In the video, Satchararom talks about the procedure for performing anesthesia for animals, which involves monitoring the animal's conditions in real-time, something she pointed out that didn't take place according to the scene from the Thai show. She also says the intervention window is tiny if something happens to the animal.
The death claim stemmed from a scene from the Thai drama series "The Empress of Ayodhaya" or "Mae Yua" in Thai. It was produced by One 31 and also streamed on Netflix. The scene portrayed the cat being poisoned and suffering convulsions before dying. It has sparked concerns around animal abuse, leading to a boycott on social media.
The cat didn't die, however. After the controversy picked up, show director Sant Srikaewlaw posted on his Facebook page on November 9, 2024, a video showing the scene, confirming that it's still alive and that he will publicize a doctor's note once a whole examination is completed. The post and the video have since been deleted, but it was captured by multiple local news outlets, including Thai PBS, Daily News, and TV Pool News (archived here, here, and here). The post also admitted to the use of anesthesia but stressed professionals monitored it.
One News, a news outlet under One 31, confirmed on November 13, 2024 (archived here) that channel executives, the director, and representatives of the cat's modeling agency turned the cat over to the Department of Livestock Development for an examination. The report said artificial intelligence tools were used to confirm the cat's identity.
Veterinarian Somchuan Rattanamangklanon, director of the DLD, said through the department's Facebook post on November 19, 2024 (archived here) that the examination of the cat's identity by comparing frames resulted in an 80 percent match, leading the department to believe it was "likely" the same cat. The department added that the cat was in normal health, and the x-ray didn't find any abnormalities of the organs in the chest and abdomen. A skin examination didn't find any wounds and the blood test results didn't show any abnormalities of blood cells or liver and kidney function.
The examination took place after Boonyakrit Pinprasong, the DLD's deputy director acting as director, sent a letter (archived here) to the channel executives on November 11, 2024, asking them to turn in evidence and testify for an investigation into possible violations of animal abuse laws.
Additionally, Sorayuth Suthassanachinda, a prominent TV presenter with Channel 3, corroborated the report on his Facebook page (archived here) on November 13, 2024, citing Chaiwalan Tunak, director of Animal Welfare and Veterinary Services Division at DLD, that One 31 executives went in the morning of November 13, 2023, without noticing the press and that the department couldn't publicize the examination results yet.
In the November 19, 2024, Facebook post by the DLD, the department said it had assigned the Animal Welfare and Veterinary Services Division to file a formal complaint to prosecute the cat owner and those involved in the animal cruelty offenses.
