A pub landlord gave his wife's kitten the kiss of life after accidentally putting it into the washing machine while it slept in a pile of towels.

Stuart Warden, who works part-time at Heybridge printers Wyndeham and Heron, had been helping his wife Suzanne, 41, with the washing when 12-week-old Frankie decided to go for a spin in the washing machine.

The former firefighter, who also runs the Swan Inn in Norfolk, had been loading some piles of towels into the machine at home without realising the ginger tom had bedded down in them.

Unbeknown to the couple, he then whizzed around for about five minutes before Mr Warden realised what had happened. Vets told 43-year-old Mr Warden that his quick-thinking had saved Frankie's life.

"I thought artificial respiration would blow water out of his lungs and the vet said it probably saved him," he said.

"It was horrendous, it's something I'll never forget. We've changed our lifestyle completely now it's happened and we check everything and then check again before we start the machine.

Published Tuesday, September 21, 2004

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