Pictures of a cat riding on the bonnet of a car in Ohio has gone viral across social media and news websites, amid concerns for the animal’s welfare.

The cat, which was tied to a leash which was itself attached to the car's door pillar, was snapped by motorist Polly Vandall.

According to UPI local police are trying to locate the driver.

NY Daily News reported Vandall as saying: 'Immediately, I was thinking ‘How in the world did that cat get on there?’'

'I don’t believe she drives around town with a cat on, you know? I thought there’s probably a really good story behind this.'

Local police received a number of concerned phone calls from local residents after images of the cat were posted to Facebook.

Police Chief Michael Goodwin, who visited the social media site to view the images, commented: 'There was a lot of outrage that wanted these people hunted down, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and should never own a pet. It was pretty ugly on that end.

'Twenty-five years here in this city and that’s the first time I have ever seen that. We see a lot of strange things and just when you think you have seen it all, another day rolls by.'

Not a cat's place?

Vandall fell short of condemning the cat's owner: 'I feel judging her is not my place, you know? I feel like a cat’s place is not on the hood of a car.'

The director of Tuscarawas County Humane Society was dismayed by the images: 'The cat can fall off and be dragged or caught in the tire.'