I was wasting time, mindlessly watching cat videos on Facebook, when I ran across this horrifying video. At first glance, a cat using a clothes dryer as an exercise wheel is kind of cute – but the situation can quickly turn dangerous if the cat inadvertently gets locked inside when a drying cycle begins. Today’s blogpost focuses on a cat that only has eight lives left after an accidental spin in a clothes dryer.

Twenty Terrifying Minutes on Fluff

The Emergency and Critical Care Service at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center recently cared for a very unlucky black cat that had been trapped in a spinning dryer for about 20 minutes.

This unfortunate creature suffered significant head trauma, including bruising and swelling of the face and lips, and was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. He was unable to open his eyes due to ulceration of his corneas from the dry, hot air blowing around him. He was also unable to walk. These injuries are consistent with those reported in other cases of cats trapped in clothes dryers.

Swift intervention by the Emergency and Critical Care team saved this cat’s life. They administered a concentrated saline solution intravenously and the brain injury improved within minutes. But it took three days in the hospital for him to recover enough to go home.

Permanent Press Causes Permanent Injuries

Cats trapped in front-loading washing machines can suffer equally severe injuries.

In addition to trauma similar to dryer injuries, washer entrapment can lead to near drowning, aspiration pneumonia and chemical injury from detergent, bleach and/or fabric softener.

Preventing Laundry Machine Accidents

While this patient story is about a clothes dryer, the same risks apply to washing machines. The advice below applies to both machines to help keep your cat safe:

1. Don’t let your cat snooze, relax or exercise in your clothes dryer or washer.
2. If you need to leave the washer or dryer door open to air out, use a child safety appliance lock that lets the door be ajar without it being open wide enough to allow your cat access.
3. If you load clothes into the washer or dryer before you are going to run the cycle, close the door tightly or use a child safety appliance lock to prevent your cat from climbing inside.
4. Keep your cat out of the laundry room while loading the washer or dryer to prevent an unobserved entry into your washer or dryer.