Cat Injured After Climbing Into Toa Payoh Laundromat Dryer; Had Come Out Panting

A cat suffered injuries after climbing into a laundromat dryer in Toa Payoh. Here’s how it happened.

Cat Hid Inside Laundromat Dryer in Toa Payoh; Customers Turned On the Dryer Without Noticing the Cat 

On Wednesday (21 August), a netizen known as “Kai Xin AvDay” shared on the Facebook group “Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats” about a cat which hid inside a laundromat dryer in Toa Payoh.

If you’re a cat lover, this story is going to be a heartwrenching one to read.

Apparently, a cat had climbed inside a dryer at a laundromat located at Blk 4, Toa Payoh Lorong 7. From a quick search on Google Maps, it appears that the incident happened at a laundromat named Happy Wash, which is located on the ground floor of Blk 4, Toa Payoh Lorong 7.

Perhaps the cat had climbed into the dryer because it was warm — cats are always looking for warm places to rest, especially with the rainy weather nowadays.

Two customers, a mother-son pair, had decided to use the dryer. However, they did not notice the cat hiding inside the dryer while they were loading their laundry into the dryer.

They turned on the dryer and only noticed the cat when the dryer stopped about ten minutes later.

But by then, it was too late.

The female tabby cat was seen slowly stumbling out of the dryer, visibly shaken.

If you didn’t know, dryers can operate at temperatures of up to 66ºC. So, you can only imagine how insufferable it was for the cat, which was tumbled around inside the dryer for ten minutes. It’s a miracle that the cat was alive.

Aiyo… Poor thing leh.

The cat was also seen panting in a corner after climbing out of the dryer.

The mother-son pair using the dryer immediately called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). The cat was subsequently taken by the SPCA to a clinic.

Fortunately, according to Ms Aarthi Sankar, the executive director of the SPCA, the cat did not sustain major injuries besides bruises. However, had the cat been trapped in the dryer for more than ten minutes, the cat may have suffered more extensive bruising and burns, heatstroke, and even asphyxiation.

SPCA Responds to the Incident

Before all you keyboard warriors decide to start flaming the mother-son pair for failing to notice the cat in the dryer, you might want to read the SPCA’s response first.

According to Ms Aarthi, CCTV footage at the laundromat showed that the cat entered the dryer on its own, and there was no visible movement signalling the cat’s presence while the mother-son pair was loading up the dryer.

So, while it’s a pity that the mother-son pair did not notice the cat in the dryer, it’s not 100% their fault lah. Regardless, this still serves as a reminder for laundromat users to check their washers and dryers thoroughly before use.

In fact, SPCA has urged the public to check the inside of large appliances both at home and in public before use, as cats and other small animals may use these appliances as shelter.