Cat Safety Alert: Why Clothes Dryers Pose a Real Threat

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.”

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.

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?