Andy found his happy place some months ago…
…and if I’d only leave him alone, he could have a long snooze~! He took a four and a half hour nap after this series of photos was taken. The washing machine is a perfect kitty happy place, according to Andy, though I do make sure no kitty’s in it before I wash clothes.
Louie the ginger cat used to hop into the dryer for his snooze. It was a different combo washer-dryer. He climbed up there his last night. That was where I found his body the next morning.
The ending was a little sad on this one. Poor little Ginger cat. 💕
Yes,m I was sad for some time after I found Louie. On a happy note, when I went to the clinic to pick up Louie’s ashes, one of the technicians brought out Andy, a kitten at five weeks old, and asked if I’d like him once he was old enough to leave his momma!
Wow, that is a great story for Andy! He’s so cute, I bet he was a cutie at 5 weeks old!
That he was!
That’s Andy and Dougy at the top of my post when they were about two and a half months or three months old. Andy’s on the left side. Here’s one of my favorite videos of the kitty boys when they were kittens. It’s also the source of the heading photo of this blog: https://youtu.be/nSYeJ-o_ldg
I tried to find out how many pets die each year from washers and dryers but couldn’t get a number? I suspect hundreds?
A infra red sensor would detect heat and keep it in shut off mode,but jack the price up for many people who don’t even own a pet. Maybe have it as an option?
The opening of the washer I have is low enough I can see easily into it. The dryer would be a real problem since it is higher, but there is little chance of a kitty in there because the light comes on in it when the door’s open, so I always close it after I take clothes out.
I’ve heard cats being killed from both washers and dryers. They are curious creatures.
There are many ways they can end their lives because of that curiosity and other traits. One of the things kitty people have learn early on is what has to be done to kitty proof the home, which I have done. Another thing kitty people have to do is be alert to behaviors that have the potential to harm cats. I am very aware that Andy might climb into the washer so never toss any clothes into it without first checking for a visitor. The old dryer was more problematic because it was higher up on the machine and I didn’t always see the cat inside unless I peeked. I learned to do that when Louie was my kitty boy. The night he died from lymphoma, he climbed into the dryer, died there. I couldn’t find him where I expected him to be so that was my next place to look. I couldn’t see him till I leaned forward. It is a sad memory, one I try to set aside to remember him as the active, confident master of the house.
Oh yes that must of been traumatic to see your loved one laying there lifeless Doug! Cats do wander off to die in silence. I’ve always wondered why?
When you talked about Louie I misinterpreted what you were saying. I thought he had climbed in and had died because of the machine?
No, he was doing that thing animals do where they hide when they know they are very sick and dying.
I wonder If any other animal does that? I think elephants do that?
I think there are other animals that do it, though I can’t name any just now. How many times have you ever found a dead bird, for example.
not too often……but than thats food so It wouldn’t hang around too long.
True.
on a different topic Doug,have you ever watched Nova’s episode on cats? Its called “Cat Tales”.
If not you’d love it!
I couldn’t view it on my computer but you might be able to?
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/cat-tales/
I saw one about the lions among us or some such, but hadn’t seen this one. Thanks! If I can’t view it on my computer, it might be viewable on the public television site.
they even showed Dougy or Andy?
Before their time…!
My Calico got in the Dryer and went for a few spins. Thank God, I discovered it quick enough. That’s scary.
That’s my biggest concern and why I don’t just turn the machine on. Of course, since he gets in the washing machine part of the stacked washer-dryer, he’d get clothes tossed on him if i didn’t check first. On the old machine, the washer portion was a top loader, which is why Louie (later, Andy) got into that part. They used the top of the washing machine as a platform to hop onto to get to the higher dryer. The new stacked machine is front loading for both, so there isn’t a platform to use to hop into the dryer.
🐱 🙂 The bouncing & shaking spin cycle drives the cat(s) out of the laundry room and leaves no desire to crawl into the White enamel ‘monster’ ⚙️
Mine has some sort of programming that prevents that from happening by slowing the machine down if it starts to do that in either the washer or dryer. Sure beats the old machine, made in the 90s, that would wake the dead if it had an off-balance load! The new (2016) model has a low enough “window” into the happenings in the machine that both kitty boys like to watch what’;s happening during the washing process. It’s an amazing technology compared with the old one, too. It uses next to no water to wash the clothes, and even determines by its programming how ,much water to use based on volume of clothes being washed.
Nice to have state-of-the-art appliances 😉 mine is a 90’s model and that was a step up from my old Maytag ringer top with no spin cycle.
It was a my “gift” to myself. The 90s combo was workable, but certain functions no longer worked and couldn’t be repaired for lack of available parts or repair person. I could have lived with the old one till it completely failed but there was a good price on the new one.
♥♥♥♥♥♥ two ewe louie ~~~~~~~~~~
andy…due knot forgetz when de clothez iz comin outta de dryer they be nice N warm N reddee ta ree fur 😉 ♥♥
I don’t usually put fresh clothes where the kitty boys would like me to put them because I know my kitties! LOL!
My friends cats loved their washer and dryer too! They’re all so adorable.
There are some universals with cats: boxes and front load washer-dryers are perfect dens for kitties!
Looks like he’s in a space capsule, ready to go where no cat has gone before…
LOL! That he does! Of my two kitty boys, Andy would be the one to sneak aboard a space ship.
Louie looks as if he was already in command of the ship in that photo. 🙂
He had command of everything! He was a very confident cat.
we would like this place too… but there is no washer what’s big enough LOL
Maybe an industrial washer…? It definitely is popular with Andy. Dougy looks inside and hops inside for a little bit, but he doesn’t seem as interested in it as a place to snooze. (His favorite place is any pile of dirty clothes…)