Cat gets stuck in washing machine for full cycle, survives

An old folktale says that cats have nine lives and this one proved the same. Stefani Carroll-Kirchoff has three cats who frequently make their way to the washer and dryer. Due to this tendency of her cats, Stefani makes sure to check the washing machine twice before loading clothes.

Last week, she put in a load of laundry, set it to express wash and closed the door without checking. When the cycle was done, she came back to unload the washing machine when she saw that not only the clothes were still dripping wet, but there was a small white paw among the clothes, reported CNN.

Panicked, she quickly emptied the machine to see that her one year-old cat Felix had made his way into the machine and was in for the entire wash cycle. She rushed Felix to the Animal Emergency and Referral Center of Minnesota.

When Felix was brought into the emergency room, he had lost his vision and he had pneumonia due to his lungs being filled with water. Bu with care and treatment, he is doing much better. His vision is back and has started eating again. Felix is still on oxygen, but the doctors are positive he will make a full recovery. "I've been in shock the last few days. I mean, this is going to haunt me for the rest of my life," said Carroll-Kirchoff.

The medical bills are going up for Felix and Carroll-Kirchoff's daughter started a GoFundME campaign to pay for the bills, which have already crossed USD 7,000. "After this has happened, I'm going to find a way to give back," she said.

Carroll-Kirchoff has been working at a pet grooming salon and been a cat owner for over 11 years. She volunteers are a wildlife rehabilitation centre as well. "It's given me a reason to fight harder for animals and their well-being," she said.