Cat lovers have flocked to a pet clinic's Facebook page, all hoping to adopt a small cat found alive by a sniffer dog amid the devastation of the collapsed State Audit Office building.
The Wipawadee Pet Clinic announced on Monday it was looking for a new home for the young female, aged about two months.
The little feline was found about 8pm on Sunday by Naree, a sniffer dog. The cat had survived inside the rubble of the earthquake-struck 30-storey building for 10 days before being found by the rescue dog, part of the search and rescue operation.
The cat was immediately sent to Wipawadee Pet Clinic for treatment.
Veterinarian Wipawadee Pathom-rapeepong, who runs the clinic, was among those who volunteered to help any animals found trapped inside the crumbled building.
She initially dubbed the cat "satong", close to the English word "strong", because it had such a strong will to survive. In Thai script the word is spelled exactly the same way as the Thai abbreviation of the State Audit Office, but pronounced differently.
"The orange cat found by K9 Naree last night is with me. Anybody who wants to adopt her can take her free of charge," the vet said on Facebook.
"The cat will grow up strong, that's for sure," she added.
"Satong" was given another health examination on Monday. She was found to have a fever and be infected with a corona virus, among other illnesses.
The young cat will be treated until she is healthy, and the clinic has promised her, "We will find you a new home".
Cat lovers posting on the clinic's page all agreed she was very cute and many expected to be her new owner.
Pojana Manotham posted on the clinic's page that "satong" was a star now, and would definitely be warmly welcomed into a new home.
"I just hope the new home will not be a condo. I'm a bit worried about that," she said, echoing fears about the safety of Bangkok highrise buildings during an earhquake.
Vet Wipawadee took the opportunity to remind the clinc's followers that "satong" was not the only animal in need of a new home.
"I have many more cats waiting for free adoption, not only satong," she wrote.
