I accidentally killed my darling cat :(((

[Jamietsa]

Hi everyone, I was searching online to just see if anyone has experienced something similar to what I have just experienced and I have, thanks to this site, so it has been a little help thank you. Yesterday my beloved cat Orca, a beautiful, scatty and unique 1.5yr old Bengal died and it was all my fault. I feel sick to my stomach, and the pain is so bad. I was in total hysterics when I found her.

She had climbed into the washer/dryer and completely unaware, I shut the door and turned it on for a 30 minute drying cycle. I heard absolutely nothing, no crying, no thudding, nothing. I can only think that she must have climbed in when I had gone to my bedroom to hang up some of the wet clothes. We have a washer dryer, so I opened it after the wash cycle, took out a few items that needed hanging as opposed to drying and made my way into the bedroom to hang them up. I then went back to the washer/dryer and closed the door and started the cycle. We have a front loading washer/dryer, so unless you bend down on your knees you can't see in. I wish, wish, wish I had checked. I wish that I had to add a couple more clothes to the machine, I can't stop thinking about it!

At around her dinner time, I decided to feed her, I called and called for her but heard nothing. I took her food bag and shook it, that usually does the trick but nothing. I turned the apartment upside down and began to panic. I also went outside calling for her, as I thought she might have got out the window, but nothing. I then came back in and just said to myself "she must be somewhere, the little sneak". I didn't in a million years think she had got in the dryer. 

When I went to open the machine to take out my clothes, I could see her beautiful patterned fur amongst them all! I couldn't believe it, I pulled her out as fast as I could, and for the slightest of seconds I thought she might be OK, but she wasn't. I can't get that image of her out of my mind, it is going to haunt me forever. 

I had seen her moments before I went to take out some of the wet clothes, she was, like normal, on the spare bed, half asleep. I went in and gave her a stroke and a cuddle and then went about my day. I can't, can't can't believe this has happened. I am always so worried about her, when I catch her near a window, or chewing fairy lights, I was always running around making sure she was safe, and now this. My heart is broken. She was my best pal, she would greet me from work and wake me up with my 'cat alarm' at 6:30am. She helped me through my break up!!

I just feel so so sad! Sorry for the rant, but I needed to say something :(((((((((

[kayc]

Hi Jamietsa, welcome here.  I am so sorry you lost your cat...it is more common than you'd think.  If you haven't already read this thread, I hope you will, I'll post the link for you to follow:

There are some good links contained within that thread that I think would be of help to you as well.
We want so much to protect our pets, they're like our kids, and it's really hard when something happens to them.  We wouldn't foresee something like this when we've never seen them get in the dryer before and it can really hit when it happens.  There are so many people that have posted the same thing happening to them that I hope you will do some reading on here to know you are not alone and maybe find some helps listed here.

[Jamietsa]

Dear Kayc,

I would like to say thank you so much for the welcome and your kind words of comfort. I have done a little reading and knowing I am not alone and that there have been other people that have suffered the same tragic accident does comfort me a little. I know that this is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my days. I have always been such an animal lover, a member of sea shepherd and other animal organisations. It just fills me with so much sorrow that I was the one to close the door. 

Thank you so much once again, just your reply has been a comfort and I very much appreciate the link to the other post.

 

All the best

Jamie

[kayc]

I know what you mean...in that other link is my story about my loss of Fluffy.  I do know what you mean about carrying it, there comes a time we have to forgive ourselves though.  They'd have been the last to hold anything against us.

[Clematis]

That is so sad - I really feel for you. I have a cat who is very dear to me, and since my dad died it is just the two of us. I always worry that something will happen to her and there are a lot of little mishaps because she is so frequently very close to me and I am not always watching her closely. Fortunately her reflexes are a lot faster than mine or I would be stepping on her constantly. Cats are small vulnerable animals. As much as we love them and try to keep them safe so they can live a long time, sometimes accidents happen.

My cat is a therapy cat and so I take her to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and schools. She and I both enjoy this but it does put her at additional risk, as vigilant as I am. One day I closed her tail in the car door and she screamed - it was horrible. We were both down on the ground next to the car and I opened the door a little because part of her leash was caught in the door. In the amount of time it took me to crack the door, pull on the leash and push the door closed, she waved her tail around and it caught in the door. Fortunately I had barely nudged the door closed and she was totally fine, but I didn't know that for awhile and I was totally freaked out. I sat on the ground with her in my arms for awhile crying into her fur before we went inside. Now I always look carefully for her tail before I close the car doors. I probably won't ever do that again, but something else could happen, as careful as I am.

There have been a number of stories here about similar things that happened to cats and it always wrenches all of our hearts - not only for you, but because it could happen to any of us who loves an animal, because they are all vulnerable.