A tiny cat was left soggy but unharmed after being accidently left in a washing machine by his owner. Frances Leate of Colchester, Essex, was horrified when she switched her washing machine on only to realise her kitten, Scampi was trapped inside. She rushed back into her kitchen to be confronted with the awful sight of the the washing machine filling with water before starting to spin. The hysterical mum switched the machine off but the water remained in the drum and she watched her beloved kitten "drowning" in front of her because the automatic lock initially prevented her from opening the door. Frances said: "I could see his little body squashed up against the glass. He was looking out at me and it was just awful - I could see that he was drowning and I was desperately trying to get the door open." Frances dashed outside and frantically knocked on her neighbour Pam Morris' door and the pair finally managed to pull the sodden and lifeless moggy from the machine. She rushed to her car and drove him to her local vets. She was told the little kitten had a large amount of water on his lungs and was lucky to be alive. "He is completely back to normal and is an amazing little bundle of energy again," says Frances.

Credit : Martin Rose/Eastnews.co.uk