A cat is safe after surviving a harrowing ordeal on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

The Prince George’s County Division of Maryland-National Capital Park Police responded to the bridge in Alexandria, Virginia, after receiving a report of an individual attempting to throw a cat from a moving vehicle, authorities shared in a post on Facebook on July 12. When officers arrived at the scene, the cat was not in a vehicle, but stuck outside on the bridge.

Photos from the post show the cat, a fuzzy orange-and-cream feline, on what appears to be a remote part of the bridge, huddled in toward itself while peering up at the camera.

“Come on, I got you,” the officer says to the cat in a clip from the rescue, also shared on social media. In the footage, the cat gingerly ambles around near the bridge’s edge. “You can do it!” the rescuer adds.

Following the officer’s voice, the cat leaps up to a higher ledge, then up again to the railing near the roadway. The snippet ends just as the cat whines and tucks its head beneath the barrier, not far from the officer filming the scene.

“Thanks to the quick report from the citizen and the swift, compassionate response of our officer, the frightened cat was safely rescued without injury and is now receiving the care it deserves,” the police’s post read.

“We commend the citizen for speaking up and our officer for taking immediate action to protect a defenseless animal,” the post continued. “Acts of animal cruelty are taken seriously, and we encourage anyone who witnesses abuse or neglect to report it immediately!”

The post also included a snap of the rescuing officer clutching the cat — who appeared much calmer, caught on camera mid-yawn.

PEOPLE has contacted the PG Division of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police for comment.

Local outlet ABC 7 News reported that authorities are investigating the incident as suspected animal cruelty. Anyone with knowledge of the incident should contact investigators at PGPPCrimeTips@mncppc.org.

Source: people