Napping cats take over northern Thailand rice paddies

Sleeping cats have emerged in the rice paddies in northern Thailand in recent weeks, spread out over an area a little less than a hectare in size. The three felines belong to Tanyapong Kaikham, a full-time factory worker and now a part-time farmer who is tackling a pet project that turns rice paddies into art. Since October, he’s been spending his weekends in his hometown of Ban Khon Sung, in Chiang Rai, Thailand’s northernmost region planning and implementing his agricultural experiment using Rainbow rice, or rice cultivars that have leaves ranging from dark purple to yellow. He worked with an artist who is also the owner of Cooper, to create a sketch of the sleeping cat. Then, he and around 200 helpers using a drone and GPS, “drew“ the cat sleeping and holding a fish on the paddy field. The next step was to plant Rainbow rice seedlings. The planting was traditionally done by hand to make sure each section had the correct rice colour and harvest is expected 145 days after the planting. Tanyapong says he was inspired by Japan’s Tambo art, or rice paddy art, which is known for its detailed designs created in rice fields using rice with different leaf colors. With the planting done and rice growing steadily, his creation is currently being showcased at a local art festival to promote tourism. Tanyapong is now building a viewing tower for visitors ahead of December 30 when the artwork will be opened to the public. ---------------------------------- #NST #NSTTV visit us at our Facebook more news at and also