A Melbourne woman was confronted with every pet owner’s worst fear when she heard a faint meow and realised it was coming from her dryer.

Minam, an 11-year-old cat, has made a remarkable recovery after surviving a terrifying four-hour ordeal inside a household dryer and then spending two days in intensive care at Lort Smith Animal Hospital.

Minam’s owner Syma told 7News the frightening incident began when she was drying a doona and unknowingly left the dryer door open long enough for Minam to climb inside.

“I left for work and to drop my kid off at kinder and I came back about four hours later and didn’t see him in his little house,” she said.

After calling his name, she heard a weak meow coming from the appliance.

“I opened the door and he was just standing there on the doona. He looked normal at first, but then when I picked him up, he had some drool on the side of his mouth and he started panting,” Syma said.

She said the dryer was still warm but doesn’t believe it had been running for the entire time Minam was inside.

Minam was rushed to the vet and treated for a series of serious injuries, including a bruised and swollen tongue, injuries to his mouth and damage to his eyes.

He also underwent scans to assess possible harm to his liver, kidneys and heart, and spent two days in an oxygen tank.

Despite the severity of the incident, Minam has now fully recovered.

“He’s completely fine. You’d never think that he was in the dryer at all. He’s completely demanding cuddles and pats and food all the time,” Syma said.

Lort Smith Animal Hospital said Minam’s survival was a reminder for pet owners to check where their animals were before turning on appliances such as dryers and washing machines.

The hospital has also urged people to keep appliance doors shut after use, noting that cats are often drawn to enclosed, warm spaces.