$15K Raised for Cat Who Went Through Wash

Animal lovers should send positive vibes to Felix, a 1-year-old tabby cat who survived a 35-minute ride in a washing machine last week—but barely. His Minnesota owner, Stefani Carroll-Kirchoff, says the cat must've jumped in her open washing machine as she turned her back to grab more clothes to throw in. "The clothes were dark and he is dark and the room was dimly lit," she tells USA Today. Felix spent more than half an hour getting thrown around with an extra-large load of laundry before Carroll-Kirchoff opened the washer door, saw a paw, and heard a meow. Good thing she'd selected the express wash.

An emergency trip to the vet revealed Felix was in critical condition with a concussion, suspected hypothermia, and bruises all over his body. He was also suffering from temporary blindness and pneumonia after the incident. Carroll-Kirchoff hasn't been sleeping much since. "This will haunt me for the rest of my life," she tells Fox News, which reports Felix's recovery will take several weeks. Carroll-Kirchoff's daughter, Asha Carroll McCullough, launched a GoFundMe page to cover expenses of more than $1,000 a day—more than $15,000 has been raised in a week—noting the cat was recuperating in an oxygen chamber. Still on oxygen as of Sunday, Felix was starting to eat and his vision was returning, per CNN. "We feel so, so lucky," McCullough tells Fox. "He is the miracle cat." (More cats stories.)