Cat Stuck in Dryer Freed Using Lolly Stick and Butter

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Cats get stuck in the strangest places on what can seem like a regular basis. In part, this is because there are a lot of cats out there, meaning that there are bound to be some who make such mistakes from time to time. However, it should also be noted that there are powerful instincts that encourage cats to seek out spaces that seem ridiculous to us, thus increasing their chances of becoming stuck under such circumstances.

Recently, an Irish woman found her cat in the 6-inch wide vent for a tumble dryer, which forced her to call the RSPCA for help. Initially, the animal collection officer sent to help made an attempt to retrieve the cat with his hands, but that proved to be futile because of a couple of factors. One, the vent was too narrow for him to put his hands in very far. Two, even if he had managed to put his hand in, he wouldn’t had been able to get his hands around the cat because there was no space remaining. Fortunately, the animal collection officer found better results with a tried and true method, which was reducing friction in the pipe by using a lolly stick to smear butter on its interior. This enabled him to push the cat out of the vent with no injuries whatsoever, thus ensuring a happy ending for this particular case.

Why Do Cats Get Stuck in Strange Places?

Some people might be curious about why cats get stuck in such strange places. If so, they should remember that cats like to conceal themselves in locations where they can see their surroundings but others in their surroundings can’t see them. Generally speaking, this means places that are dark, small, and closed-in, which provide cats with a much-needed sense of comfort as well as security.

This is critical because while cats are predators, they are also predated upon out in the wilderness. As a result, they have developed strategies to keep themselves safe under such circumstances, which didn’t just go away when they made the leap to becoming domesticated animals. Combined with the fact that cats can spend something like 20 hours sleeping, it is no wonder that they have such a fondness for places where they can hide from potential threats. On top of this, it should be mentioned that cats also prefer a noticeably higher temperature than most humans, meaning that dark, small, and closed-in places are also useful for helping them keep themselves warm.

Of course, cats aren’t perfect decision-makers anymore than humans are. As a result, it is natural for them to make mistakes from time to time, thus causing them to become stuck in less than pleasant circumstances. Out in the wild, such mistakes can be very dangerous for them. Luckily, when pet animals run into similar scenarios, they can generally count on their human owners to notice the issue, come running, and then call for more help sooner rather than later.

What Should You Do When You Have a Cat that Is Stuck?

Knowing the right thing to do when a cat seems stuck isn’t as simple and straightforward as it sounds. In part, this is because the cat might not necessarily be stuck but is instead remaining in its current location because it feels better there than venturing out into the open. For example, while it is perfectly possible that a cat is stuck in a tree because it has climbed somewhere from which it can’t climb back down, it is also perfectly possible that it is still wary of whatever caused it to climb up in the first place, which is why people have sometimes managed to get good results by luring them with treats.

With that said, these make up no more than a portion of such cases, meaning that cat owners shouldn’t hesitate to call for help when they feel that is necessary. While pop culture might cause them to contact their local fire department, the better choice would be their local animal control officers, who possess the expertise, the experience, and the willingness to help out with such matters. Simply put, fire fighters specialize in fighting fires, meaning that they are not as good as the people who make it their jobs to handle such cases. Of course, this is assuming that the local fire fighters are even willing to help out in light of their other duties, which is by no means guaranteed.

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