Stowaway cat Pharaoh survives two-week voyage to Britain from Egypt

Pharoah the cat has survived after stowing away in a container on a merchant ship that arrived at the British port of Felixstowe after a 3,000 mile journey from Egypt.

Published: 2:50PM GMT 21 Nov 2009

The hungry animal was found in a container after two weeks on board the MV Maersk Batam which travelled from the Port Said in Egypt to the Suffolk port.

John Biscoe, of GMA Freight, said: "We opened this container that had just arrived from Egypt to ensure that it was all in order and I was with the forklift operator and became aware there was something in there.

"It was a container with wire coils and I said there was a cat in there.

"The other chap wondered if it was a lion or something but then this little thing jumped out and started rubbing around my legs."

Two RSPCA officers collected Pharaoh and he is now being looked after a quarantine cattery near Colchester, Essex.

"He was very scrawny and we gave him a bowl of water and one of my colleagues gave him his sandwich ~ he ate the meat very quickly," said Mr Biscoe.

"He must have been someone's pet in Egypt – he was very happy to see us."

Pharaoh will be kept at the cattery for five and a half months because of rabies quarantine regulations.

A Suffolk County Council spokeswoman said it had been "touch and go" for the cat when it was found two weeks ago.

She said: "He was not in a very good state and at first it was thought he might not survive.

"He has been taken to a quarantine centre at Colchester, checked for rabies and other problems, fed and been looked after and now looks much better.

"Pharaoh will have to stay in quarantine and then it will be re-homed here."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6621708/Stowaway-cat-Pharaoh-survives-two-week-voyage-to-Britain-from-Egypt.html