A boss whose depression was cured by rescuing a stray kitten during a storm has now adopted 10 cats - who all live in his company's workplace.
Chailert Soncharoen, 30, was struggling with his mental health due to the turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangkok, Thailand.
However, during a driving rainstorm, he had a sudden epiphany when he saw a lost kitten outside his office window that was being battered by the weather.
Chailert rushed outside to save the moggy and found that over the coming days, he had developed a sense of purpose and happiness.
His workplace at Play Group Marketing Company Limited has now become a cat office after their MD adopted ten other cats to live with the team.
Aside from computers, desks, and tables, cat litter boxes are now also found on the workplace floor.
Chailert said: "I have to tell you that I have been diagnosed with depression. After covid happened everything has been messed up for me.
"One day I realised that this is it, my life’s rock bottom. I looked out the window and saw a kitten sitting under the pouring rain.
"That was when I started to change my thinking. I thought to myself 'My life is probably better than this cat' and maybe if I adopted this cat, I might save its life.
"So I climbed out the window and adopted it. When I was in a bad position with stress, seeing the cat walk in felt like my feelings had been replaced with happiness."
The cat-loving boss added that he noticed positive changes in his mod after having a furry friend in the office. He then decided to bring in more felines - with 10 now living in the office.
He said: "Ever since I have cats in my life, I felt like I work better. I start hearing staff asking for my permission to have the cats sit on their lap while working.
"Since that day, it became a culture in our office. It felt like in exchange for care, the cats brought us happiness."
However, Chailert added that having pets in the office has cons, but the pros outweigh them all.
He said: "The cat sometimes makes me finish work late because I keep on playing with it and feeding it like this.
"Sometimes when I’m stressed I go pet the cats and play with their tummy and feed them."
Thailand has had some of the strangest and most prolonged restrictions in the world in response to the virus, which spread from neighbouring China in early 2020.
A boss whose depression was cured by rescuing a stray kitten during a storm has now adopted 10 cats - who all live in his company's workplace.
Chailert Soncharoen, 30, was struggling with his mental health due to the turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangkok, Thailand.
However, during a driving rainstorm, he had a sudden epiphany when he saw a lost kitten outside his office window that was being battered by the weather.
Chailert rushed outside to save the moggy and found that over the coming days, he had developed a sense of puprose and happiness.
His workplace at Play Group Marketing Company Limited has now become a ‘cat office’ after their MD adopted ten other cats to live with the team.
Aside from computers, desks, and tables, cat litter boxes are now also found on the workplace floor.
Chailert said: ‘I have to tell you that I have been diagnosed with depression. After covid happened everything has been messed up for me.
‘One day I realised that this is it, my life’s rock bottom. I looked out the window and saw a kitten sitting under the pouring rain.
‘That was when I started to change my thinking. I thought to myself 'My life is probably better than this cat' and maybe if I adopted this cat, I might save its life.
‘So I climbed out the window and adopted it. When I was in a bad position with stress, seeing the cat walk in felt like my feelings had been replaced with happiness.’
The cat-loving boss added that he noticed positive changes in his mod after having a furry friend in the office. He then decided to bring in more felines - with 10 now living in the office.
He said: 'Ever since I have cats in my life, I felt like I work better. I start hearing staff asking for my permission to have the cats sit on their lap while working.
'Since that day, it became a culture in our office. It felt like in exchange for care, the cats brought us happiness.’
However, Chailert added that having pets in the office has cons, but the pros outweigh them all.
He said: ‘The cat sometimes makes me finish work late because I keep on playing with it and feeding it like this.
‘Sometimes when I’m stressed I go pet the cats and play with their tummy and feed them.’
Thailand has had some of the strangest and most prolonged restrictions in the world in response to the virus, which spread from neighbouring China in early 2020.
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
2.02 Hello my name is Dr. Chailert Soncharoen I am the managing director of Play Group Marketing Company Limited
2.10 I am also the owner of the page ‘Maew-Office’
2.14 I have to tell you that I have been diagnosed with depression. After covid happened everything has been messed up for me.
2.23 One day I realised that this is it my life’s rock bottom. I looked out the window and saw a kitten sitting under the pouring rain
2.29 That was when I started to change my thinking. I thought to myself “My life is probably better than this cat” and maybe if I adopted this cat, I might save its life
2.37 So I climbed out the window and adopted it. When I was in a bad position and stress, seeing the cat walked in felt like my feelings have been replaced with happiness.
2.46 There are about 10 cats in the office and all of them did not have a comfortable life. Some of them have been abandoned by their mother or have been tortured by human or has just recover from an accident.
3.03 Ever since I have cats in my life, I felt like I work better. I start hearing staff asking for my permission to have the cats sit on their lap while working
3.14 Since that day, it became a culture in our office. It felt like in exchange for care, the cats brought us happiness.
3.33 It’s fun. But they come with pros and cons
3.42 The cat sometimes make me finish work late because I keep on playing with it and feeding it like this.
3.50 Sometimes when I’m stressed I go pet the cats and play with their tummy and feed them.
4.00 This cat here is very playful. When I stress it always come around and helped me feel better
4.10 The employee’s competency from being stressed and bored all change when the cats came. They used to complain about coming to work but now they felt the need to because they want to see the cats
4.18 They want to see the cat that they take care and it made the relationship in the office better. The staff competency improved and it boost up the result
4.28 “Maew-Office” is about cat and office so this means that it is about the staff and the cats.
4.36 When we first started we wanted to collect good memories and the cats has been part of our organisation when they are small and they will grow.
4.44 New staff will know where these cats came from and will feel the same love and affection we feel for these cats
4.54 One of the best impact since starting the ‘Maew -Office’ page is that it raise awareness to the public to adopt animals instead of buying. In this way happiness is shared with the animals too.
