Cat falls asleep in a WASHING MACHINE and is trapped for a 12-minute cycle – but SURVIVES

A Burmese cat called Oscar has narrowly escaped death after he fell asleep in a washing machine and got trapped in a 12-minute hot water cycle with detergent.

Amanda Meredith, Oscar’s owner, heard a strange meowing sound inside her Mudjimba home, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, shortly after her husband, Angelo, put on a load of washing. 

At first, the pet owner thought the odd noise was coming from a cupboard. 

She went outside to hang out another load of washing, but when she returned inside the sound persisted, prompting her to investigate.

Burmese cat Oscar (pictured) has had a lucky escape after getting trapped in a hot washing machine cycle during a nap

That’s when she realised two-year-old Oscar was in the front loader washing machine. 

‘The poor little cat had his hands on the glass as he was doing the rotations and he was looking at me,’ she told ABC News.

‘It was tragic.’

The feline was stuck for a further two minutes as the cycle drained and the washing machine door unlocked.

Ms Meredith called her vet Dan Capps, of Beachside Veterinary Surgery, Coolum Beach, who said Oscar would be ‘touch and go’ for the first six hours. 

Oscar, who was left bruised and battered from the hard fins inside the washing machine, stayed at the veterinary practice for 24 hours and was given medication, including anti-inflammatories. 

Once he was home, Ms Meredith said he slept solidly for the next seven days. 

Vet Dan Capps has warned pet owners to check machines before turning them on as they become an ideal napping spot for cats during cooler months (stock image)

Dr Capps said the event is not that unusual, as washing machines are an ideal place for cats to cosy up during colder weather.

He urged pet owners to always check machines before putting on loads.

Ms Meredith said after a few weeks Oscar made a full recovery but she feels he has used up three of his nine lives.

Although the incident was horrifying for her at the time, Ms Meredith said she can now laugh about it- and Oscar does not appear to be too traumatised by the sight of the washing machine.

‘He sits there and watches it tumble-turn all the time,’ Ms Meredith said. 

A similar misadventure occurred in Tasmania in April last year when kitten Poppy became trapped in her owner’s washing device during a cycle. 

Despite suffering a concussion and getting water in her lungs, the little feline made a full recovery in three weeks.