Pampered Cats The `Princes And Princesses' Of Thailand

BANGKOK - The Asian economic crisis has taken its toll on Thailand, but it hasn't dented the grand lifestyle of one royal family that lives in splendor and lazes about most of the day.

Such decadence at a time of national crisis would probably cause a public outcry if it weren't for one mitigating factor: The 50 members of the family are Siamese cats whose ancestors lived at the palace of Thailand's late, beloved king, Rama V.

At their home - which is actually the home of film producer Namdee Witta - the pure white cats live in teak-paneled rooms and drink bottled spring water from gold- and silver-plated bowls. His daughter, Rasamee, rises at dawn to cook three meals a day - fried mackerel and boiled chicken fillets, along with commercial cat food.

"They are princes and princesses, and they deserve the best," Namdee said. "Their value is beyond price. How valuable? Well, I can tell you, six years ago a monk had a Siamese of this breed and he sold it for 150 million baht (about $4 million) to a very wealthy jeweler. The monk built a temple with the money."

Not surprisingly, Namdee keeps a security guard on duty around the clock at the antique-filled, stilted home. Foreign visitors stop by almost daily to inquire if he'll sell one. Thais know better than to ask.

His Siamese are a variety known as khao manee, or "diamond eyes." Each has eyes of two colors - emerald green and topaz yellow, or blue and diamond-white.

King Rama V was a cat lover. To make sure bloodlines remained pure and the breed would not become extinct, he assigned the cats' care to his son.

The son passed caretaker duties to his daughter, Roengchit Abhakara, who was Namdee's aunt. She didn't care much for cats because they clawed her sofas, so she passed the duty on to Namdee. That was 40 years ago.

"Do I think what I'm doing is unusual? Not at all," said Namdee, 65. "This is the wish of the king. That's what my aunt told me. I want our children to know that Thailand has in these cats a treasure of the nation and the world. They are a royal legacy."

Thais treasure any link to King Rama V - the cats are featured on postage stamps and lottery tickets.

"We are doing something for the next generation," Namdee said. "Maybe by the time they grow up, the elephants will be gone. But the khao manee Siamese will still be here."