STOWAWAY kittens have been saved from cat-astrophe today, following a marathon journey from Greece.The furry trio is spending its first day in quarantine after two weeks trapped in a container which arrived at the Port of Felixstowe from Greece.

STOWAWAY kittens have been saved from cat-astrophe following a marathon journey from Greece.

The furry trio are spending their first day in quarantine after two weeks trapped in a container which arrived at the Port of Felixstowe from Greece.

They were discovered while the container was parked at Ransomes Europark and Animal Health Officers were called.

The officers from Suffolk County Council's Trading Standards Department, who are responsible for the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases such as rabies, travelled to the site to collect the kittens.

A spokeswoman said stray animals from overseas can pose a very real threat of rabies even if they look healthy.

The tiny kittens, thought to be around four months old, are severely emaciated and dehydrated after their journey, however all of them have eaten a little food and have drunk water.

A vet who examined the animals hopes that as the kittens are having food and water they have a fighting chance of recovering fully.

The kittens will now be taken for further tests and be put into quarantine for fifteen days, after which time they will be put down unless someone comes forward prepared to pay for the quarantine costs for the next six months. The total costs at this stage are not yet known.

Peter Monk, member of Suffolk County Council's executive committee, said: "There are strict controls in place to prevent animal diseases such as rabies entering this country and it is vital that we do not forget the threat that it poses to people and to our native wildlife. Any animal found in these circumstances - no matter how harmless it appears at first - must be treated in this way." Anyone wanting more information on this case should call 01473 584368 within 15 days.