[4] The cat procession is lively and animated like the Trot dance[2] by a musical band consisting of drums, gongs, cymbals and claves.
"[5] While this procession is still done as such in Cambodia, in Thailand, the "curious tradition"[6] has been updated to avoid what could be interpreted as animal torture, cats being notoriously afraid of water.
[10][11] According to Thai anthropologist Phraya Anuman Rajadhon, cats dislike being wet and have since olden days been associated with causing droughts.
[3] Similar to medieval European propitiatory rites such as Kattenstoet, the hope in performing this procession is that it would once again "rain cats and dogs".
This hae nang maew helps build their confidence that it will rain, and it brings the unification of those in the village due to the required work from the community.