Retired Californian Feeds Bangkok's Stray Cats Every Day

Steve Appleton wakes up at 2 am every single day, not for work or exercise, but to feed the hundreds of stray cats living in Bangkok's Lumphini Park.

The retired Californian has made this commitment every morning for two years, arriving before sunrise with a cart full of roasted chicken, tuna, and kitten food. By 4:30 am, when most of Bangkok is still sleeping, Steve is already working his way through the park, calling cats by name and knowing exactly which ones prefer chicken over tuna.

His journey started with grief. Three years ago, Steve lost his beloved wife to cancer, and when he moved to Thailand, he noticed the park's growing stray cat population. "I've always been feeding strays when I could," he says. "So I came back with a bag of food, then with another bag, and now it has evolved into a cart of food every day."

What began as simple kindness became his new life purpose. "Part of this is my need to be a caretaker," Steve reflects. "I took care of her; now I take care of them."

The problem is bigger than most people realize. Despite a 2014 law banning animal abandonment, people continue leaving unwanted pets in Lumphini Park, where the cats face hunger, disease, and uncontrolled breeding. Steve's early morning timing means the cats can eat in peace, away from competing crows and daytime crowds.

After a year of solo feeding, Steve launched the Bangkok Street Cat Project, a nonprofit connecting volunteers and accepting donations. The work takes 30 hours a week between preparation, feeding, and cleanup, but Steve says the love he receives makes it worthwhile.

Sunny's Take

Steve knows most of the park's cats by name and personality. He remembers Jeannie, a scared calico who took months to trust him but eventually climbed into his lap to purr. When cats like Jeannie disappear, it breaks his heart, but he accepts it as "part of the deal."

His biggest challenge came when he found a cat with sporotrichosis, a deadly fungal infection causing facial tissue to rot away. Despite reaching out to multiple animal hospitals and rescue groups, most only cared about money or referred him elsewhere. The experience disappointed him but strengthened his resolve.

Now Steve partners with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, which recently began surveying the park to identify unsterilized cats for on-site sterilization procedures. Progress is happening, even if it feels slow.

Steve believes these abandoned cats deserve better than the life humans forced upon them. He hopes more people will step up to help creatures who were once beloved pets, now forgotten and struggling to survive.

Every morning before dawn, Steve proves that one person's commitment can make hundreds of small lives better.