Cat’s Canine Mother True to Her Nature

The crowds of pilgrims that gathered in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district last week to see the miracle kitten reportedly born of a dog are gone.

And, unfortunately, so is the kitten.

The days-old kitten, who went by the name “Chamroeun,” died Friday afternoon after being bitten by its supposed dog mother, neighbors and the dog’s owner Sok Satha, 12, said Monday.

The cat is now preserved in a jar of fluid, surrounded by incense and flowers in a makeshift shrine at the Sleing village, Chbar Ampou II commune home where Sok Satha lives with five siblings and parents Thay Huot, 53, and Sok Hoeun, 47.

Though several local newspapers featured photos of the kitten curled up next to the black-and-white hound after the birth became public Thursday, the interspecies intimacy was apparently short-lived.

Despite its alleged complicity in the cat’s death, the dog has since been despondent and refuses to eat, neighbors and Sok Satha said.

The miracle kitten attracted “thousands” of curious visitors, Sok Satha said, each of whom gave a small monetary donation.

Although family members and neighbors said Sok Hoeun, who could not be roused from a nap at the family’s home Monday, was saddened by the loss of her son’s pet, Sok Satha was less emotional.

Asked whether he was upset by the kitten’s death, the boy waved his hand ambivalently and said only, “Eh.”

 

Related Stories

Latest News