Navy sailors in Thailand were dispatched on Tuesday, March 2, to check for any oil spillage on a boat that had caught fire.

Before the navy had arrived, the ship's crew had reportedly "jumped off the sinking vessel".

They had been rescued by a passing fishing ship.

So the navy sailors might have been forgiven for not considering the possibility of a few more stranded passengers.

They were, however, greeted by the sight of four distressed kitties perched precariously on the sinking ship.

First-Class Petty Officer Wichit Pukdeelon of the navy’s air and coastal defence division as quoted by Reuters:

“I used my camera to zoom in to the boat, and I saw one or two cats popping their heads out.”

Here is a navy sailor safely ferrying the frightened felines to safety.

Rescued.

According to The Nation, apart from being dehydrated, the cats are doing fine.