Were any of these conditions different, he probably wouldn't have survived. And if the dryer thumps, even if you've done a load of tennis shoes, open it up right away and make sure, just to be on the safe side. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for Patches. He's doing well, all things considered, but we're not out of the woods yet. This article was first written a little over a year ago.
Patches is fine - fat and healthy.
Since this happened, I've talked to a rather large number of people who have known friends or relatives who've accidentally locked their pet in the dryer. Of all the stories I've heard, NONE of the pets survived. In every case, by the time the pet was found, it was dead. We were very lucky. If you know pet owners, especially cat owners, please have them read this article.