Cat getting bigger, stronger but still skittish after freighter trip from Philippines to LA

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – A 4-year-old cat that stowed away in a container ship headed from Manila, Philippines, to Los Angeles is gaining weight and getting stronger after the trip without food or water left it near death.

Los Angeles County animal control director Marcia Mayeda says the orange-and-white female cat was weak and frail after the 7,300-mile (11,750-kilometre) trip. But after two weeks of treatments, the feline is in fair condition.

Hospital staff named the cat Pinay, a common name for a female Filipino.

The cat has cleared quarantine but needs to be adopted into a calm home because she is still skittish. Potential adopters can email daccevents@animalcare.lacounty.gov.

A year ago, a kitten named Ni Hao survived a freighter trip from China and was placed in a home.