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BUKIT MERTAJAM: A female stray cat is reported to be in good spirits after surviving a horrifying ordeal where it was dragged by the neck, hanging from a tether tied to the back of a pick-up truck.

The incident was caught on video and has since gone viral, igniting widespread outrage on social media.

The cat, about 18 months old and weighing 2.8kg, sustained multiple injuries but is expected to make a full recovery, the Penang veterinary services department (DVS) said.

State DVS director Dr Saira Banu Rejab said the driver will likely be charged under Section 29(1)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 for animal abuse.

"The truck has also been seized as part of the investigation," she told reporters here.

Saira said the incident took place on Jalan Merak Jaya 5 in Simpang Ampat, Tambun. Enforcement officers approached the owner of the vehicle, who said it was driven by someone else at the time of the incident, she said.

The cat hanging by its neck from the pick-up truck.

She said the cat is now in the care of Penang DVS.

"We are monitoring her condition, and she is stable at this time," she said.

The vehicle owner could face a fine of between RM20,000 and RM100,000, imprisonment for up to three years, or both, if convicted. Saira said the investigation paper will be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office soon.

Earlier today, police said the cat had not been hung deliberately.

Seberang Perai Selatan police chief Chong Boo Khim said the driver was taking the stray cat to a veterinary clinic in Simpang Ampat when it jumped out of the back of his vehicle, hanging itself in the process.

The driver only realised what had happened upon arriving at the clinic.

The DVS has called on the public and animal welfare groups to report incidents of animal cruelty directly through the MyAnimalWelfare portal.

It said people should not take matters into their own hands, which could hinder official investigations.