Drought-hit Thai farmers ditch real cats for Doraemon or Hello Kitty to summon rain in anti-animal cruelty move
- Old custom after dry spell sees real cats splashed with water to bring rain
- Flood of support as farmers switch to Japanese cartoon characters
Villagers in Thailand are using plush toy versions of the Japanese cartoon character Doraemon instead of live cats in rain-calling rituals amid a series of severe heatwaves.
The change to the tradition has attracted supportive and amused reactions from online observers in Japan and China.
On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, one person said that the Doraemon ritual let her see that we live in “a kind world”.
“They are seeking help from the right kind of cat, as Doraemon has all kinds of magical gadgets in his four-dimensional pocket,” said another.
The world-famous Japanese manga and anime character was created in 1969 by the artist duo Fujiko Fujio. It is a blue robot cat sent to the past from the 22nd century to help a boy solve problems.
Some 200 villagers in Thailand’s lower northern province of Nakhon Sawan held the ritual, known as hae nang maew, or “lady cat parade”, at the end of April following a long dry spell.