This is the adorable moment a kitten tried to distract a Buddhist monk while he was performing religious rituals.

The monk was praying at the temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand when the cat hopped in on the monk's lap.

In front of the monk were several devotees who had made donations laid out on the ground in front of the monk.

Temple visitor Arada Patmee said the cat brushed its fur on the monk for attention, but he kept his focus and continued chanting.

She said: "It was pestering the monk while he was busy. It was both hilarious and cute to watch it."

The cat eventually fell asleep on his lap until the religious service was finished. It walked up with the monk and followed him when he left the room.

Thailand is largely a Buddhist country, with 95 per cent of its population following the religion.

It has the third largest Buddhist population in the world, after China and Japan, with approximately 64 million Buddhists.