The cat was found in the front window of a police cruiser after officers attended to a driver who allegedly ran through two red lights.
A traffic stop in Victoria early on Sunday was punctuated by a surprise guest in a police cruiser – a cat who decided to make himself at home.
The cat was found sitting outside the window around 2am after officers dealt with a driver who allegedly ran through two red lights.
During the arrest on Kingston Street, officers noted signs of drug impairment. The driver agreed to take a field sobriety test but then refused to do so, resulting in a 24-hour driving ban and her vehicle being towed.
Video of the cat encounter has been posted to Instagram, and an officer can be heard saying in a soft voice, “Hey you, hey you, you can’t just jump in my car.”
The cat was released to the side of the road “without charge”, according to a police press release.
Police spokesman Bowen Osoko said the encounter with the cat is reminiscent of another incident that occurred around 20 years ago when a patrol sergeant picked up a stray kitten on the Johnson Street Bridge by a dark and rainy night.
Osoko said the cat rushed past the police car and the sergeant thought he hit it, but found it unharmed under the vehicle.
The sergeant drove with the kitten for the rest of the night, then took her to the station’s old communications center, where it was thought the kitten might stay for a brief period until he is taken to the SPCA.
Two months later, the kitten – nicknamed CC, short for Communication Center Cat – was still there, at which point he was presented with an official police ID card. CC was a staple at the center until his death two years ago, Osoko said.