It appears to be in a humane animal trap, but how a cat was transported inside that humane trap has some calling it possible animal abuse.
A woman from Washington, DC, is so mad at what she saw, she posted video of the action to Facebook and told WUSA9 she even tried to confront the driver.
"All he said was that it was a wild cat," said Jessica Wright, when she finally stopped the driver on Saturday (local time).
In the cell phone video she recorded, it shows a driver transporting a cat in what appears to be some type of humane animal trap, strapped to the top of the boot.
Ms Wright said she saw it as they were heading towards Tysons Corner on I-495S, with the vehicle driving at speeds around 100km/h.
"I was really upset about it," Wright told WUSA9. "I just can't imagine in what world you wouldn't think that, that wouldn't be incredibly inhumane, but also like socially unacceptable."
Ms Wright says she works as veterinary technician and was concerned about what could have happened if the driver had a crash.
Fairfax County Animal Protection Officer Sergeant Kim England said she'd never seen anything like it.
"I've been doing this for 10 years and I have never seen that with a cat. It's really frustrating and disheartening. First of all, you wonder why."
While it's not preferred, the sergeant also says it's not necessarily illegal.
In fact, there's not that many laws on the books when it comes to transporting animals in the state of Virginia.
The laws that exist are primarily said to discuss confinement and transportation of wild animals.
Fairfax Police's Animal Protection division is investigating other issues regarding this case.
"Anybody that's having a problem with feral cats is encouraged to call the non-emergency dispatch number so we can talk to them," said Sgt England.
Or, if it's an unwanted pet, she says you can release it to the county.
Ms Wright said the driver released the cat on Gallows Rd near Arlington Blvd just before she could get to it. She says she and two friends even went back to try and find it.
"I'd like to help find a home for it. I'm assuming that it's someone's pet because I can't imagine why you would want to relocate a wild cat and it didn't seem dangerous or anything, he was able to pull it out of the trap and let it go," Ms Wright said.
"That was such a callous and bold thing to do. I can't believe he did that, so I want to make sure that other people are aware that, that is completely unacceptable."
CBS News
