Welcome to the Elephant Nature Park! This animal sanctuary in Northern Thailand is home to rescued elephants and many other kinds of animals, including cats. The feline part of the sanctuary is known as the Cat Kingdom, and it has a population of more than 2,000 cats.
The Elephant Nature Park was founded in the 1990s. They describe their mission on their webpage:
“We host elephants, cats, dogs, buffaloes and many other rescued species. We owe them all a duty of care and will do our best to provide the best environment possible.”
The Cat Kingdom certainly does a good job with providing an environment for their cats to thrive. The cats that live in the park are all rescued from situations of abuse, neglect, and natural disasters. Now the workers at the park provide everything for their daily needs, including food, water, shelter, recreation, and attention.
Space and shelter
The cats have plenty of space to roam about the park. Visitors may see them indoors or outdoors in their favorite places to gather, or in other random places like building rooftops, park benches, walkways and stairs. They may even be found hanging out near the elephants.
In addition to lots of wandering space, the cats also have plenty of shelter. There are rooftop overhangs and shade structures that the cats like to gather under, especially in rough weather.
According to a post on the Cat Kingdom Instagram page, on rainy days the cats “mostly stay under cover and seek out extra lap snuggles.”
On hot, sunny days, the cats like to find places with lots of shade to cool down and enjoy each other’s company.
On cold evenings, each cat is dressed up in a nice, warm jumper to wear at night. They are taken off in the morning when the weather warms up.
Two thousand cats equals two thousand jumpers. That’s a lot of work for the people at the Cat Kingdom, and it just demonstrates their love and dedication for these cats!
Love and cuddles
Another service that the workers provide for the cats is daily love and cuddles. Most cats naturally approach workers and volunteers to ask for attention.
Other cats are more distant. But the Cat Kingdom says:
“We believe there is no wrong way to be a cat, and love and respect our beautiful ferals just the way they are!”
These people truly love and respect all the cats in their care. Thanks to the efforts of the amazing workers at the Cat Kingdom in the Elephant Nature Park, thousands of cats can enjoy a life of dignity, comfort, and fun.