FELINE ATTRACTION

       One bright moonlit night, while hurrying drivers were speeding their cars over Phan Fa Bridge to reach their respective destinations, a tiny life was struggling hard to reach its destination, too. Lost, scared and hungry,he was trying to find his way home.
       Stuck on the pedestrian island, the dirty kitten tried to make itself as noticeable as it could to the pedestrians waiting to cross to the other half of the road by mewing and getting close to their legs.Finally, its efforts to draw attention to itself paid off, but the person who came to its aid was not among the people closest to it.
       Quite unbelievably, the good Samaritan turned out to be a driver who had by chance pulled up his car near it while waiting for the traffic lights to change. In a move to get some fresh air, he wound down his car window. He heard the soft,plaintive, distinctive miaows. Unhesitatingly, he opened the car's door and quickly whisked the small helpless animal into his car before the lights turned green.
       "When I saw it for the first time, I was totally shocked. It was so tiny, and it was in very bad shape indeed. Its scruffy hair was full of lice. In my eyes, it looked like a small ragged doll," recalled Nibondh Songsang, who is now the lucky feline's foster-parent.
       Mr Nibondh named his diminutive cat Phan Fa after the location where he had found it.
       Phan Fa has grown into a very handsome and healthy tomcat. He is now the centre of the Songsang family, and whenever they go out on a family outing, they never leave Phan Fa alone at home.
       "He has been an integral part of our family for a year now. I look after him as if he were my own son. I see no difference between humans and animals when it comes to love, understanding and care. I really do love him, and I believe he loves me, too," said 69-year-old Mr Nibondh.
       What makes Phan Fa stand out lies in the fact that he belongs to one of the most-popular Siamese breeds known as khao manee , which has white fur and blue or yellow eyes, or one blue eye and one yellow eye.
       "Normally, the chances of spotting a stray pure-bred Siamese cat on the streets are practically zero as they are kept by a specialised group of cat devotees. On top of that, they are considered a rare species as their population is far fewer than the foreign breeds that have made their way into Thailand," explained Mr Nibonbh.
       At any pet fair, it is not uncommon to see Mr Nibonbh endearingly carrying his beautiful white cat to join in the activities organised exclusively for animal fans.
       Recently, Phan Fa brought great pride to his owner by winning the prize for the most beautiful and healthiest cat in a contest sponsored by a leading cat-food manufacturer. A vet who was one of the judges on the panel was immensely impressed by Phan Fa's healthy look."Phan Fa is truly a very healthy cat. His nose,eyes and ears are those of a healthy cat.His glossy and smooth fur shows that he is healthy from the inside out," said Dr Danai.
       Many of the owners of the contestants at that particular event marvelled at the fact that Phan Fa had been picked up from along a street instead of being the product of a famous pet-breeding farm.
       "My eyes brimmed with tears as Uncle Nibonbh told all of us at the event how he had rescued Phan Fa from the streets and how happy he was to have had the opportunity to get a pet who has now become his closest and most-loyal friend,"said one of them.
       However, a healthy life doesn't happen by chance. It is the result of healthy food,healthy care, a healthy lifestyle and healthy relationships, and Mr Nibonbh never ignores these cardinal rules. Also, whenever Phan Fa has a cold or a running nose, or sneezes, Mr Nibonbh never waits to see if his cat will get well by itself.
       "I put Phan Fa on a nutritious diet and I bathe him regularly. I make sure that he receives his full and annual shots. If and when he is sick, he is under the care of a vet. At the end of every day, I usually take Phan Fa for a walk in the park. It's vital to play with him from time to time in order to tell him that I love and care for him,"he explained.
       Phan Fa is not the first cat that Mr Nibonbh has adopted, though. Previously,he took in three stray cats that had been dumped in a deserted building.
       "I am willing to keep more cats, but on the condition that they must be strays.My aim is to help homeless animals. I won't buy pet animals from a farm as there are still countless strays waiting for our help and kindness," said the animal lover.
       Mr Nibonbh would like to drive home the important message that love is not enough when it comes to the keeping of pets.
       Responsibility is also crucial because now numerous animals, including cats and dogs, are being dumped on the streets and temple grounds every day, clearly reflecting how irresponsible some animal keepers are.
       "Animals are not like humans. They are helpless, especially young kittens and puppies. Their survival depends solely on the mercy and sympathy of humans.
       "If you want to keep an animal, you must keep it until its last day arrives. But if you are not sure whether you can take care of it throughout its life, don't commit a sin. Don't keep one unless you are fully and truly committed to its well-being,"he recommended.