The last time I saw Priscilla, she was in fine, somewhat feisty form. Although most nights she’d simply find a comfortable cushion and take a nap, on Thursday she was full of beans.
She was clearly in a playful mood when she followed her family to the beach to float their lit loi krathong baskets in the ocean — an annual Buddhist ritual symbolising the letting go of hatred, anger and defilement. The next morning, she was dead.
I don’t know the details, but I’m told that Priscilla, also known as Sai Sai, was hit by a car.
It’s sad for her owners, the family who run a small resort and bar next to where I am staying along Mae Ramphueng Beach in Rayong, Thailand, and for those of us who enjoyed her company.
I know that cats get run over all the time, and that’s a simple fact of life. My family pet Gus, a black cat barely out of kittenhood, left this world the same way about 15 years ago.
The consolation is that Priscilla’s death was preceded by a far better life than that endured by most cats and dogs in Thailand.
She and her kittens were found by a security guard, who took her to “cat lady” Michelle Coote.
Priscilla was later adopted by caring owners, and she brought a lot of joy to them and to the grumpy old members of the “boys’ club” who gather most nights at the bar.
Although she was in a frisky mood the night before she died, hers was generally a calming presence, and she rarely complained when she was scooped up from one of her favourite cushioned chairs to allow a human to sit down.
I’m shedding a tear for Priscilla as I write this, because she’s been a memorable part of my five-month adventure in Rayong. I will be returning to Brisbane in a few days, and it’s sad to think that she won’t be here when I return.
But I’m also glad that she had a good life. Like so many strays, her existence would have been very bleak had she not been rescued and adopted.
And I’m reminded of my friend Michelle, who works tirelessly to feed, sterilise, provide veterinary care and find “forever homes” for animals dumped on the beach and at the nearby Nai Rai Temple, as she did with Priscilla.
If you want to know more about her work, please visit her Facebook page.
Updated 25 November, 2018
