Kitten survives 40-minutes inside a running washing machine

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- The ordeal of a California cat that survived a 40-minute ride in a washing machine was selected as one of the most bizarre pet insurance claims of the year.

Veterinary Pet Insurance, based in California, said the 11 finalists for the Hambone Award, given annually to the strangest claims each year, includes Natasha, a 6-month-old kitten that took a ride in Oakland owner Daryl Humdy's washing machine along with a load of laundry, the Oakland Bee reported Friday.

"She had always been very nosy about the washing machine," Humdy said. "She would always peek inside it, but I never thought she would hop in."

Natasha, a Siberian forest cat, survived the ordeal with shock and hypothermia.

The company said Natasha was selected as this year's second place finisher, with first place going to a Massachusetts dog that ate an entire bag of onions and recovered from onion poisoning.

VPI spokesman Adam Fell said the Hambone Award is named for the case of a dog that consumed an entire Thanksgiving ham while locked inside a refrigerator.