Sinbad the ginger kitten sneaks into Britain after surviving 17-day journey from EGYPT in a shipping container without food or water

• Journey started at Nile Linen Group in Alexandria port in Egypt on March 8 
• After 17 day and 3,000 mile trip, arrived in Moreton-on-Lugg in Hereford
• Staff heard meows from inside container, which had laundry linen in
• Called out RSPCA who found ravenous eight-month-old kitten, Sinbad
• Given two slices of British beef which was going company director's lunch 
• Has gone into quarantine for four months and then hopes to be re-homed

By Thomas Burrows for MailOnline

Published: 2 April 2015  

A ginger tabby cat sneaked inside a shipping container in Egypt before embarking on a mammoth 3,000 mile trip to Herefordshire - without food and water. The kitten, who has since been named Sinbad, was discovered by puzzled staff at Mediterranean Linens in Moreton-on-Lugg, Hereford. They heard meows coming from inside the container, which was carrying laundry linen. The RSPCA was called out to investigate and there they found the exhausted and ravenous eight-month-old kitten, who had made a bed for himself in one of the boxes.  

Sinbad the cat survived a 3,000 mile and 17 day journey from Egypt to Hereford in a shipping container

Sinbad with vet Amy Wheelr (left) and RSPCA inspector Pippa Boyd (right), who was called out by the company to investigate after they heard strange noises coming from the container 

Laura Quinn, from the RSPCA, described the case as 'unique' and said it was incredible Sinbad had survived the 17-day journey.  She told MailOnline: 'When we found him, he was really hungry, thirsty and tired but he also looked really friendly and was quite vocal.   'It's really unique, we've not had anything like this before. He had travelled quite some way. The linen company were also shocked by what had happened.'  

RSPCA inspector Pippa Boyd, who was called out to the scene, added: 'The company showed me the paperwork. They have to seal the containers and put a tag on there, which they did when the container left. 

They showed me the paperwork and the tag, and it did all match up. We thought maybe at customs someone might have opened it up, but they didn't.'  Once found, Sinbad was taken to the Laurels Veterinary Surgery in Whitecross, Hereford, where he was fed a little at a time. 

He has now gone into quarantine in Bristol for four months. He will then go to an RSPCA centre for checks and it is hoped he will then be re-homed. 

This map shows the route taken by Sinbad took, from Alexandria Port in Egypt to Moreton-on-Lugg, Hereford

Sinbad, a ginger tabby, was found in the container where he had made a bed for himself in one of the boxes 

RSPCA inspector Pippa Boyd said it was an incredible feat to have survived the 17 days and hard to believe

His epic journey began at the Nile Linen group in Alexandria port in Egypt on March 8. The container got to El-Dekheila port on March 9, Felixstowe in Suffolk on March 24 and then Moreton-on-Lugg on March 25. 

Graham Monteath, 56, managing director at Mediterranean Linens, said they could not work out what the noise was when the shipping container arrived. He said: 'I have never heard a cat meow like that in my life. I would never have thought that was a cat. One of the lads thought it was a baby. I thought it could have been a buzzard trying to get into the warehouse because we do get lots of them around here.

'I just turned round and thought "good God', what is that?" Then this cat's head popped out of the door. We checked the seal and it had not been tampered with. It was very odd. The RSPCA woman said that she was very surprised how well the cat looked. It had scratched open one of the boxes. There was not much of a mess but we did not use any of the linen by that.'

He added: 'I gave him the beef which was for my lunch. He scoffed it. So he got some good British food for his first meal on English soil.'     

Sinbad, the ginger tabby cat, started his epic journey in Alexandria port in Egypt (pictured) on March 8 

After covering 3,000 miles and following his 17 day ordeal without food and water, he arrived at the Mediterranean Linens (pictured) in Moreton-on-Lugg, Hereford 

The quarantine stay will cost the RSPCA almost £2,000, so an appeal page has been set up to cover costs.   Mediterranean Linens has donated £100. Donations have also been received from Paragon Laundry/ Clean Linen Services and Fresh Linen. So far £490 has been raised.  

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