Clean bill of health for washer kitten

Lucky kitten cheats washer, pic from Yahoo! News UK

At only seven weeks old, a kitten called Toby from Stonehaven has probably used up all his nine lives – and a few more – in order to lay to rest the old adage that curiosity killed the cat. Being a kitten, rather than a full-grown cat, probably helped too.

Discovered after his owner’s washing machine had completed a 30°C wash, including a spin cycle, it’s thought the kitten found its way into the drum to get away from last week’s heatwave temperatures, which even reached Stonehaven – kidding, it’s a really nice place with a stunning Art Deco period open air swimming pool, dating from 1934, and filled with cleaned seawater heated to just 2°C below the wash temperature, at 28°C.

Toby was rushed to the Kirkton Vetinary Centre where staff warmed the unconscious kitten and administered oxygen. His temperature very low, and he was suffering the effects of hypothermia due to the cold water, which he had also swallowed. Although the staff were concerned that the spin cycle may have resulted in fractures and internal injuries, it would seem that the young age and flexibility of the kitten helped avoid these complications, and Toby appears to have recovered with no evidence of long-term ill-effects.

He’s now back home, with his mother and four brothers and sisters.

It might not work, but there could be better ways for cats to try and keep cool…

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