It turns out cats really do have nine lives.

According to a Madison Police, two cats were thrown from a vehicle traveling on Stoughton Road in Madison last week.

A witness saw two objects tossed from a vehicle traveling in front of him and became concerned. Upon pulling over to examine what had been thrown from the car, he discovered it was two cats.

Madison Police spokesperson Joel DeSpain said the witness took both the cats to the local animal clinic. The cats were cared for at the clinic and appeared to be okay, he said. The police report said the veterinary staff found implanted microchips in both cats, which allowed them to identify the owner.

“The animal clinic contacted the police and the humane society first before contacting the owner because they wanted to make sure the owner of the cats checked out and was not part of the situation,” DeSpain said.

The incident report said the cats, named Mambo and Tubbs, were stolen from their home. Their owner, a 62-year-old Madison resident, had reported the cats as missing and was unaware of what had happened to them.

DeSpain said the witness was not able to identify the license plate number on the suspect’s vehicle, but reported seeing a Caucasian arm throw the cats out of a small, dark-colored car. DeSpain added that the vehicle was moving at about 50 mph when the cats were thrown.

“I have heard of cases where cats or animals have been abandoned or thrown out on highways in other places, but not here,” DeSpain said. “These are very unusual circumstances. You do not usually see this.”

[Photo via Ray Radlein/Flickr]