Charity workers are hoping to find a home for a kitten who survived a 2000 mile journey as a lorry stowaway.

The brown and black kitten - who has been named Yonda by rescuers at Cats Protection Croydon, was found by staff at freight company Davies Turner as they unloaded a trailer at their depot in Crossways Business Park, Dartford.

She had travelled for nine days across Europe having set out from Ankara, Turkey

Cats Protection Croydon stepped in to provide care for Yonda and have now launched an urgent public appeal to raise funds to support her quarantine and re-homing costs.

Heather McCann, from the charity, said: “Yonda has had quite a journey - she was apparently very timid and frightened at first.

“We can only imagine she jumped into the trailer to find somewhere warm to sleep - I’m sure she never expected to wake up in England nine days later.

“We’re now appealing to the public for funds to help pay the remainder of Yonda’s quarantine fees, and the costs involved in looking after her at Cats Protection while we seek to find her a loving new home.”

A staff dress-down day at freight firm Davies Turner has already raised £230 towards Yonda’s costs while Ekol, the Turkish company who own the trailer she was found in, have also contributed £385 towards her quarantine care.

Yonda must spend the first six months of her British life in quarantine and she is currently being looked after at the Animal Inn in Deal.

If you would like to donate to the Yonda fund call Cats Protection’s on 03000 121212.

Cats Protection helped re-home Nutmeg in 2006 after the tabby and white cat had been discovered in aircraft hand luggage that had travelled 2,800 miles from Iran to Newcastle.