Princess, just eight weeks old, jumped in while her owner's back was turned.

Susan Gordon, 49, assumed her pet was in another room of her home in Aberdeen but ended up finding the animal clinging to a pair of jeans at the end of the wash cycle.

Mrs Gordon took her kitten to the Vets Now emergency clinic at Ardene House in the Kingswells area of the city. The clinic provides on-call cover for veterinary practices.

Judy Drysdale, senior veterinary surgeon at Vets Now's out-of-hours unit, said: "Princess arrived at the clinic on Friday night very shaken up and shivering, with a nose bleed and sore eyes but her owner had managed to dry her off very well prior to bringing her in to the clinic.

"Princess was admitted to the hospital for emergency care which included oxygen, IV fluids, diuretics to remove the water from her lungs, plus lubrication for her soap-damaged eyes and, importantly, pain relief for her bruised body. She was also placed on heat pads to bring her core temperature up to normal. By Sunday afternoon following treatment, she was purring and eating as normal and behaving as a young kitten does.

"Washing machines and tumble dryers are just the type of small, dark and often warm places that cats like to hide. We would like to urge owners to be careful and ensure the doors on such machines are closed at all times, and checked thoroughly prior to loading and switching on."

Vet Ann Wortley, from Ardene House Veterinary Practice, said: "Princess was very lucky to have survived her ordeal with no serious injuries."