Cats and Clothes Dryers – A Warning

Many cat owners already know how very dangerous clothes dryers can be for cats.  But in case you don’t, a concerned reader asked me to share about it again, stating, “Reading this story about a Ragdoll almost drowning prompted me to write and tell you about our daughter-in-law’s Ragdoll mix rescue. She was loading the sheets into the dryer and turned away for a minute. she then closed the door and started the dryer. She said that it sounded like there were tennis shoes in the dryer and she immediately turned it off. Her Ragdoll jumped out! He was okay, probably because he is long, lean, and very floppy and limp. My Ragdoll Widget is in and out of the dryer all of the time when I am doing laundry. Just wanted to pass this on to all cat owners, and it might make us think about it when we are doing the laundry.”

[youtube]https://youtu.be/Q2rC38qeIKg[/youtube]

In general, for a cat, a clothes dryer is warm, enclosed and comfortable – an ideal spot for a kitty!  However, many owners have paid the price for not paying attention that their kitty was in the dryer and then hitting “start”.  Unfortunately, some kitties have lost their lives because of this – whereas others suffer minor injuries and the trauma of it.  I talk more about this in the video below – referencing the video above.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/Gd1iC6yYgFQ[/youtube]

I am always aware of where my cats are when I am home.  I can’t leave my house without knowing where my cats are – I can’t go to sleep at night unless I know where both of my cats are.  I think it’s a fear from childhood when Rags got out one night.  We didn’t check for him before we went to bed, and he had gotten outside.  He spent all night outside – and it feared the heck out of me thinking what could have happened to him.  So I now always check to know where my babies are.

Do you have routines like that?

Website |  + posts

Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,

Similar Posts

4 Comments

  1. Teresa Reid says:

    Yes, I do the very same thing as RagdollCatMom said too. I never ever leave the house without physically seeing where each of them are. That said, one time I forgot and got to the mail box, turned around and low and behold, Miss Mari was shut in my closet where she had been “investigating” while I got dressed. That made me even more aware of needing to know where they are even if I’m not out of the house. Most of the time when I’m here, they are in the same room with me anyway and follow me from room to room.
    Had a friend whose kitten jumped in the dryer without her knowing and did not survive. She almost had a nervous breakdown over it. Not kidding. I always look in the washer and drying before shutting the door, but mine have never wanted to be in there thank the Lord. Good topic Jenny. It might serve to save a life.

    The other thing this makes me think about when you said that Rags got out is having mine micro-chipped. Have been seriously contemplating getting that done in case a fire ever broke out and maybe someone not knowing would let them out to safety or if somehow in the summer they got out with someone coming in and leaving the room ajar. Just thinking about that makes me sick and think that Gracie would disappear forever she would be so scared. My vet said it costs just $48 here and does not have any membership fee like some of them have.

    Thanks for the video Jenny.♥♥♥

  2. Patti Johnson says:

    Awesome info and videos, Jenny! Great advice. I really didn’t realize dryers were such a danger as I just always got in the habit of checking and double checking where Miss PSB is at all times. And she has always enjoyed exploring the dryer. Plus, she’s fast and quite sneaky for a big girl! So being diligent about her whereabouts in our small apartment is just second nature to us. 🙂

    Big hugs!!!

    Patti & Miss Pink Sugarbelle 🙂 <3

  3. Mitsys Mom says:

    I am the exact same way. I have to know where my 3 Ragdoll babies are at all times. I am lucky that none of them have showed any interest in the dryer, but I keep the dryer door closed at all times unless I’m putting something in or taking something out. So I guess they really don’t have the opportunity to get in it.

  4. RagdollCatMom says:

    I’m like you – I have to know where my cats are at all times. I’ve been late to work more than once because I didn’t “see” all three of them one last time before going out the door! My crazy cat mantra is “One cat, two cat, three cat Go!” – As soon as I see all 3, I can go.

    Fortunately, my boys have never had much interest in the dryer. They’d much rather lay in a laundry basket of warm clothes!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.