ABOVE: Internet cat community ‘Kingdom of Tigers’ held a party to celebrate its 2 million Facebook likes on June 20 at Gateway Ekamai. Photo: Kingdom of Tigers
You know what’s big in Bangkok? Pets are big in Bangkok. Hell, pets are a big enough thing that we’ve got stories about cat art parties and the country’s top dog names, not to mention the explosion of online pet e-celebs.
But what is the state of pet culture? How much could it rival the insane level of devotion Westerners lavish on their familiars? Quite a bit, it turns out.
As ownership and awareness of animal welfare increases a lot of attitudes are changing, and although it’s far from what the most devout might consider ideal, Bangkok and to a lesser degree Thailand are becoming better places for our nonhuman friends.
While there are still a few sour notes regarding abuse and exploitation, a growing industry to support the kind of crazy common to people with money and pets, has seen their outlook improve.
A boom for pet goods and services, a bust for wallets
People in the Land of Smiles keep all sorts of animals as their personal companions. In addition to the traditional cats, dogs, fish, rabbits, the usual rodents and birds, there are also ferrets, sugar gliders, cavies, squirrels, chinchillas, hedgehogs, fennec foxes, small-clawed otters, slow lorises, marmosets, prairie dogs, snakes, turtles and tortoises, lizards, and even larger creatures like deers, lions, tigers, and in one case I’ve heard, a bear (oh my!).
An increasing number of Thais are turning to pets for companionship, according to a Euromonitor report, which may relate to the fact people are also pushing back plans for marriage and/or children. With this comes a greater willingness to invest in premium pet care products for the sake of their animal companions and the desire to be big spenders.
One effect of rising pet profile are the pet cafes and other animal-friendly locations. Pet cafes such as Caturday, Cataholic Café, and the Purr Cat Café Club allow visitors to meet furry feline friends while The Bark Yard just off Soi Sukhumvit 26 provides an upscale hangout park/mall for dog owners to play, shop and eat together. If you like the idea of dining along with your pet, there are places such as Wagging Tail Bakery and Doggie-licious. For other spots animals can stretch their legs, there are places like Pet Paradise Park, the Summer Dog Pool, and Ozono. Swank accommodations are on the rise also with places like Doggiedoo, which also offers a recreational program for dogs.
And commercial enterprise is ready to service this growing fondness (madness?) for animals with regular pet shows and expos. May’s Pet Expo Thailand featured pet products, services, and activities for pets and their owners both. It was followed by this past weekend’s Thailand International Dog Show, which stated its mission as educating dog owners on proper care, providing a stage for competition and connecting exhibitors directly to consumers to sell all the stuff and services your buddy needs.
Some petlovers will find these events a little on the exploitative side, with people raising their own fortunes by parading around their internet celebrity cats in stupid outfits in front of large, loud crowds. Way out of kitty’s comfort zone.
Crowds swarm an internet celebrity cat a party to celebrate Kingdom of Tigers’ 2 million Facebook likes on June 20 at Gateway Ekamai. Photo: Kingdom of Tigers
Still a long way to go
Of course this newfound love for having animals doesn’t always come with considering the animals’ best interests. North of Bangkok, puppy and kitten mills crank out little bodies under awful conditions to crowd Chatuchak Weekend Market and pet shops with desirably cute “breeds” of animals that are shopped for in the same way one hunts for the right brands at the mall. But a growing number of people are considering adoptions from the few rescue groups out there.
What about all the animals on the streets? It’s a rough life but, if you’re not sold for dogmeat, may not be as bad as elsewhere.
Cultural attitudes toward animals are usually compassionate, and apart from some unfortunate cases of abject cruelty, stray animals are mostly left to their own devices and often fed by the people around them. At the many temples, they are often attended to by monks without fear of being put to sleep as they probably would be in Western “shelters.” The downside toward these spirituality-based values is a reluctance to sterilize them. So they breed unchecked.
The problems with un-neutered dogs goes beyond those in the soi. Large and imposing un-neutered male dogs are seen as status symbols by some owners who see it as an extension of their own virility.
Veterinarians are routinely untrained in proper surgical procedures, so seek advice on where to get your pet spayed or neutered from groups such as Pet Animal Welfare Society, Rak Maew, Dog Nation, Nida Save our Strays or Soi Dog Foundation. Some relatively low-cost services are available.
There Oughta be a Law
The public’s rising regard for animals has been reflected by the state. In November the military government passed an animal welfare law affording much greater legal protection to animals in the kingdom. It protects domestic pets, farm animals, labor animals and those kept for entertainment or captivity, or any under human care, by empowering police to enter homes and businesses to investigate claims of animal abuse and neglect. Violations are punishable by fines up to THB40,000 and/or a maximum of two years in jail. Of course like other sections of the criminal code, it’s only as good as the enforcement.
A soi dog found half-buried and force-fed coconut milk to sweeten his meat for barbecue was recovering earlier this month after being rescued by government workers. Photo: Soi Dog Foundation
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