The Burr family were getting ready for bed on a regular Friday night, until they found their six-month-old kitten in the unlikeliest of places.

Kim Burr was in between loads of washing when she realised Poppy, the family cat, was nowhere to be seen.

"I thought Poppy was on one of their beds, and they thought she was in with me in the lounge room," Ms Burr said.

"We got the biscuits out, looked through all the cupboards — we went all over the house, but we couldn't find her.

"And then I thought … maybe. I stopped the wash and there she was."

Poppy went through 30 minutes in a front-loading washing machine and miraculously, survived.

"I think she must've gotten in between me moving the washing basket out and getting the second load in," Ms Burr said.

"I would've felt her when I picked the washing up if she was in the basket.

"I didn't see the kitten anywhere [but] she must've been somewhere close by and jumped in as I moved the baskets and put another load of washing in.

"She would've gone through the spin cycle — it had about 10 minutes to go."

'Never seen a cat do this before'

Seasoned veterinarian of 32 years Tim Laws said he had never seen anything like it.

"I've seen some unusual things in my time, but I've never seen a cat do this before," Dr Laws said.

Once Poppy was discovered in the washing machine, Ms Burr initially believed her family pet had died.

Poppy the cat survived a half an hour cycle in the washing machine ( Supplied: Animal Medical Centre )

"I thought her neck was broken, she was limp, she wasn't breathing [well]," Ms Burr said.

"The kids were just hysterical, and they're still traumatised by it.

"I remember pulling all these clothes out and I found her."

Poppy was wrapped in a towel and rushed to Launceston's Animal Medical Centre.

"She had water in her lungs, head injuries and a very bruised eye," Dr Laws said.

"She was very out of it [and] her temperature was below normal.

"She wasn't far away from death, and if they didn't get her to us when they did … that little kitten is lucky to be alive."

Despite going through nearly an entire wash cycle, Poppy suffered no fractures or permanent damage.

"She was very concussed," Dr Laws said.

"She must've whacked her head going round and round. It's quite amazing that she's survived it and that she didn't drown.

"She must've been absolutely terrified whilst she was in there. It would have been very difficult. I suppose you're in with the clothes but the constant whacking of her head and gasping for air … it's probably not far from a [miracle]."

Poppy the cat is "lucky to be alive", the vet said. ( Supplied: Animal Medical Centre )

Nearly three weeks after surviving her ordeal, Ms Burr said Poppy was back to normal.

"She is a miracle cat. She's a very special cat," she said.

"It worried me after what happened, and I thought maybe she wouldn't like us, wouldn't let us cuddle her or pick her up, but she's totally back to normal.

"She's fully recovered back to her old ways of running and jumping off couches. You wouldn't know what she went through."

