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Would it be ethically wrong to purposely scare a cat from sneaking into the clothes dryer by turning the dryer on for a half spin when it decides to jump in?

It doesnt seem like it could hurt the cat if I only let it make a half spin or so. Also as long as I allow it to jump in of its own curiosity, the cat's fear wouldn't be pointed at me, but just the idea that jumping in the dryer can lead to a very scary result.

I'm just wondering if animal lovers world wide would curse me if I did this. Would it be considered a good or bad way to teach the cat not to get in the dryer?

I could be careful and check the dryer, keep the door closed, etc, but it seems over the years there's a possibility that the cat could sneak in and it be turned on without anyone knowing the cat is inside. I always worry about this when turning on my dryer.

You could say a cat wont jump in there with wet clothes, but sometimes you turn on the dryer if they've been sitting there a while to remove wrinkles, or you could have a front-opening washing machine, in which case the cat could jump in there too.

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  • I personally don't mind when my cat jumps into the dryer, since she's groomed every other day there's little to none chances of getting cat hair on my clothing. She just enjoys laying there so I let her while I fold my clothes.
    – Just Do It
    Commented Nov 4, 2015 at 15:15
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    People have down voted, but I think the more general question here is whether or not aversion therapy is effective in deterring cats from going into certain places. That's a pretty legitimate question.
    – Joanne C
    Commented Nov 7, 2015 at 15:48
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    People have downvoted this, but I for one am extremely glad that you asked the question rather than just doing it. I hope you'll take the advice given!
    – Victoria
    Commented Nov 11, 2015 at 20:22
  • Just closing the door for a few seconds may be enough. Maybe a few times, if they eventually try again. Cats don't like being closed in or trapped (love of small spaces aside, it's a control thing). Kind of the opposite of warning not to close the door in play when habituating a cat to a carrier, it makes them wary... which is what you want with your washing machine.
    – Megha
    Commented Jul 28, 2017 at 6:23

6 Answers 6

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Yes, it would be ethically wrong. It's a good way to injure the cat. Prevent the problem from arising.

Do you also worry about locking the cat in the refrigerator? How do you handle that? Same answer -- you watch what you're doing, watch the cat, and teach "Not for kitty."

(Besides, the cat's going to be most interested in laundry when it's dry and ideally warm. There isn't much temptation to walk on wet cloth. A cold damp T-shirt would be more than enough incentive for most cats to go elsewhere.)

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Would it be ethically wrong to purposely scare a cat from sneaking into the clothes dryer by turning the dryer on for a half spin when it decides to jump in?

Yes, absolutely wrong. There are many other ways to try to make a cat understand it is not allowed to go there. Use a water atomizer/spray if you really want the cat to get out.

I'm just wondering if animal lovers world wide would curse me if I did this.

Yes, probably. If you don't consider yourself an animal lover, maybe you shouldn't even own one.

I could be careful and check the dryer, keep the door closed, etc

Yes you should. Really, is it that hard to check ?

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  • You assume I'm the only person who does laundry? If not, you assume 3-4 different people regardless of the situation (being late for work, class, an event, game etc) will not forget to pay attention / check even once, while years of time pass? Cats don't learn like dogs. you say "No, spray with water, move from forbidden area" and the cat goes right back to doing what it wants.
    – J.Todd
    Commented Nov 7, 2015 at 20:50
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A dryer cannot even be turned on until the door is shut. So you would leave the door open, let the cat jump in, close the door, spin the dryer, open the door, and let the car jump out. You don't think that just closing the door for a few seconds would be enough scare the cat? Let's not spin the cat OK?

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NO!

Good way to injure or kill the cat.

Yes, we would curse you.

It is your responsibility to keep your cat safe. If it jumps into the dryer, you just pull it out and maybe it will get the idea that they shouldn't do it.

If you leave the door open, double check that the cat has not gotten into the dryer before you use it.

You asked if animal lovers would curse you - it strikes me that you would consider them a group in which you do not put yourself.

I find it odd that you don't include yourself in that group - I mean you have a cat and .. well, animal haters general don't have cats or dogs, or any type of animal living with them.

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Never ever do this to your cat. You can try spritzing some water on your cat as a punishment but never spin your cat in the dryer.

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Rather than put the cat inside I would have put something noisy inside. Like a belt bucle. Cats are afraid of big, powerful, noisy things, so this would likely be enough.

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