Family spend £6000 rescuing cat from Egypt - then it ran away

The tom cat, who they named Omar, was an expensive prospect. According to The Daily Telegraph, Railton and Dawn Elliot racked up around £6,000 in vet and quarantine bills to return him to their home in Oxfordshire.

They met the cat and fed him whilst staying at a holiday resort in El Gouna next to the Red Sea in 2011 shortly before the start of the Arab Spring when unrest began in the country.

"The holiday resort was huge but deserted, so we were upgraded to a villa right on the beach front. The next morning the most beautiful cat appeared. It was clear that he was an abandoned, not feral, cat."

"People were leaving Egypt in droves at that time, and I think someone took the decision that if they were to leave their cat at the hotel, he might stand a chance of survival." Railton Elliot told the Telegraph.

The couple run a confectionary shop in Oxford. As well as offering a cash reward for the return of their beloved cat Omar, the successful finder will also be given a lifetime's supply of chocolate.

"We're absolutely heartbroken. We'd give anything to have him back. He's such a lovely and friendly creature." said Dawn Elliot.


Main image: Bastet, the official mascot of the Pan Arab Games, in 2007 (Getty)