A wild cat has completed a solo crossing of the Atlantic - all the way to Colchester
Essex Trading Standards officers caught the feral cat after getting a tip-off from a warehouse in Basildon.
Investigations into how the cat, now being cared for by Par Air in Stanway, Colchester, arrived in Essex revealed a remarkable 3,500 mile journey.
The eight-month-old kitten, which has been called Diamon Lil' by the Cat Protection League, survived the three-week voyage without food or water.
Despite that, the wild cat is in good health though extremely shy of humans.
It is thought the feral began its journey after finding its way on to a container ship which was loaded in Chicago.
It was then shipped to Charleston, in Illinois, before heading off to New York, then to Basildon before reaching its journey's end in Colchester.
It will be kept in quarantine at Par Air, in Warren Lane, for six months as a precaution against rabies.
Published Tuesday, January 14, 2003
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