Thai drama under fire for drugging cat for real in death scene, allegedly causing it seizures

The quest for realism in Thai drama The Empress of Ayodhaya went too far when a cat was reportedly drugged in a poisoning scene.

In episode five of the show, the character Indravedi (Fern Nopjira Lerkkajornnamkul) suspects her drink has been drugged, so she asks nanny Thongdee (Ja Molywon Phantara) to test it out on the black feline.

The cat can be seen convulsing and retching, and the camera moves to show Indravedi looking concerned, while Thongdee declares that it is dead.

The scene caused public outrage with fears that the cat had actually been killed, and calls to ban the period drama were trending on X.

On Nov 7, a now-deleted X account reportedly belonging to Ja posted: "The cat didn't actually die. We put it under anaesthesia, but while filming, the cat retched and seized."

She and Fern initially thought the cat had actually died while filming and their faces "turned pale", she added.

Director shares video showing cat is alive, apologies made

Cast member Bint Sireethorn Leearamwat, who is also a pharmacist by profession, angered netizens by posting on X that the cat deserves an awards nomination for its acting.

The 30-year-old later apologised and said she should have "thought carefully" before making the comment as she was a pet parent herself.

Both the original post and the apology appear to have been deleted.

The Empress of Ayodhaya director Sant Srikaewlaw shared footage of the cat on Saturday (Nov 9), confirming it was alive. He wrote that it had been administered real anaesthesia during the shoot "but was well taken care of by the owner and experts at every stage".

He added that it had woken up and was "living a normal life", and that the team behind the drama had asked several times after filming for update videos of the cat to monitor its health.

After the uproar, they also asked the cat to be sent for a health check "for everyone's peace of mind".

That post was also deleted and since replaced with an apology posted earlier today.

On Sunday, the broadcaster behind The Empress of Ayodhya, Channel One31, released a statement on social media saying that they are "concerned with the welfare and safety of animals" and that the cat came from an animal modelling company with over 10 years of experience.

They also apologised for the incident causing viewers "to feel uncomfortable".

แถลงการณ์จากช่องวัน31 pic.twitter.com/jKJSeYJewD

— one31thailand (@onehdthailand) November 10, 2024

Fans were dissatisfied with the responses, demanding to know whether the people administering the anaesthesia to the cat were veterinarians.

Thai livestock development department launches probe

According to Bangkok Post, the Thai Animal Guardians Association asked the Department of Livestock Development to conduct an investigation into potential animal cruelty, which it did yesterday.

Deputy director Bunyakrit Pinprasong said that he had asked One31 to identify the "experts" supervising the scene. The department also mandated the cat be brought in for a health check by the end of the week.

Jason Baker, senior vice president of animal welfare organisation Peta, also wrote in a statement: "Anaesthetising a cat when it is medically necessary always comes with a risk, so to do it for a scene in a TV show is reckless, dangerous, and cruel.

"Sant Srikaewlaw should be barred from ever working with animals again. The public is rightly outraged, especially knowing that today, anything is possible with CGI, AI, and animatronics.

"Cruelty has no place in entertainment. If you can't make a TV show without risking the lives of animals, you're in the wrong business."

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drimac@asiaone.com