A GINGER tom which hitched a ride in a van to Nottingham may be from the Dover area.

The runaway cat was found by a soldier from Germany last Wednesday and is now in the care of the RSPCA. The soldier was shocked when the cat jumped out of his van when he started to unload it in the Midlands city.

The soldier immediately called the RSPCA. Because the van had travelled across the Channel from the continent, the animal had to be put into quarantine.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: “The van only stopped twice during the journey, and that was Calais and in Elvington near Dover. The cat must have jumped in at some point, and we think it might have been at the Dover stop rather than in France.”

It is an Ginger tom cat but it’s age is not known. It was thought it might be Siamese because it had small features.

Anyone who has any information about a similar cat missing from the Dover area should contact the RSPCA 24-hour hotline on 0870 5555 999.