Thai man goes viral for traveling with his 11 cats in a sidecar motorcycle
By Ines Shin
Choowong Thepkoh, a 65-year-old man from Thailand, recently embarked on a nearly five-hour journey with his 11 cats using a sidecar motorcycle.
On Friday, “Kingdom of Tigers,” a popular Thai cat Facebook page, asked its followers to donate cat food to Thepkoh, affectionately known as Uncle Samsen, as he was about to embark on a 300-kilometer (approximately 186 miles) road trip from Bangkok to Korat with his feline friends, reported The Thaiger.
The page also encouraged Facebook users to assist Thepkoh if they ever encountered him during his journey. A rescue team in Korat reportedly accompanied him and his cats to their destination, which they reached on Sunday afternoon.
Many Thai TikTok users posted videos of Thepkoh and his pets after spotting them on their journey.
One user uploaded a video with the caption, “Have a safe trip, children,” highlighting the bond the man shares with his cats.
The short clip notably features his decorated sidecar motorcycle, which the “Kingdom of Tigers” page helped him raise funds for.
Back in September 2022, a video of Thepkoh and his cats traveling around with the sidecar motorcycle went viral, amassing over 241,000 views and 16,000 likes.
During an interview with Amarin TV, Thepkoh shared that he went to Korat to sell goods at an annual flea market and to bring his cats to see his birthplace.
Thepkoh was reportedly compelled to leave his hometown over two decades ago when his construction company went bankrupt in 1997. He relocated to Bangkok and sold whatever he could find to make ends meet and feed himself and his cats. He now sells knickknacks at flea markets and sells recycled trash to a recycling factory in Bangkok.
Despite facing financial difficulties, Thepkoh shared that he made a promise to himself to never sell his cats. He would sometimes go without food to ensure that his cats were fed.
The man’s pets were all stray cats before he took them under his wing. Some of their names include Thong Kwak, Thong Ek, Thong K, Thong Daeng, Thong Kam and Thong Heng. Now, wherever he goes, his cats are sure to follow.
“Someone once offered to buy Thong Kwak for 20,000 baht, but I refused to sell him, fearing that the person would become bored of taking care of him and abandon him,” Thepkoh revealed, according to The Thaiger. “I want to take care of him until the day he dies.”
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