The past week has been a whirlwind for Felix the 1-year-old cat. Or — at least — it has been like being caught in a washing machine spin cycle for 45 minutes.
“The personality on this guy is … it’s one of a kind,” said Felix’s owner, Stefani Carroll-Kirchoff of Maplewood. “He’s lovable, but he does get himself into trouble.”
On June 19, Felix’s trouble streak landed him in an ICU unit after the cat climbed into the washing machine in Carroll-Kirchoff’s basement. It wasn’t unusual for him to follow Carroll-Kirchoff while she was putting clothes into the machine, but it was unusual for her not to check to make sure no cat — the family has three in total — had managed to get into the machine.
Felix was in the machine along with 10 articles of clothing for 45 minutes. Carroll-Kirchoff had put the express wash on to save a little time and use less water. It turns out that could have saved Felix’s life, because when she opened the door and found him wrapped in a towel, he was in need of immediate medical attention.
A frenzy ensued. The family car was gone, and Felix’s lungs had filled with water. Eventually Carroll-Kirchoff’s dad, Heinz Latzel, made it home in time to bring Felix to the Animal Emergency and Referral Center of Minnesota in Oakdale. There, Felix was stabilized, but he was in rough shape. The vets expected him to have pneumonia and also anticipated he could be permanently blinded.
A GoFundMe was started by Carroll-Kirchoff’s daughter Asha Carroll and by Tuesday evening had reached and surpassed its $15,000 goal to help with the medical bills. The cost of having Felix in the medical facility is about $1,000 per day, and although he’s improving, a release date hasn’t been set.
Felix is missed at his household. He is a part of the Three Musketeers, according to Carroll-Kirchoff, along with Nala and Bleu, the family’s two other cats. For the past three days, she said, Nala and Bleu have been searching the house, calling out for him.
Felix still needs help breathing through an oxygen chamber, is on pneumonia antibiotics and has a concussion. But it is possible that he could make a full recovery, and the chemicals that splashed in his eyes and took away his vision did not take away his sight forever. Felix can see again and is now standing on his own and eating more. It is a relief to Carroll-Kirchoff, who was worried she had made an irreparable mistake.
“I said to my daughter, ‘This is a feel-good thing.’ I didn’t know there were this many good people in the world. We hear a lot of negative news,” she said. “I have people reaching out and helping that I have never met before. I could never repay what they have done.”
