...would it make sense to put 'the cat' (le chat) in the washing machine.  I'm left to infer that this branding is a (subliminal?) holdover from the ritualistic cat torture that was once a staple of medieval French public entertainment.  

Rather than torching a sackful of feral felines, contemporary citizens opt merely to pitch a soapy effigy into the spin cycle.  

Progress comes in many forms.  Here's to hoping that the imminent elections in France won't rescind the cultural/humanitarian/animal rights/etc. advancement made over the last couple hundred years.