'Disturbing' video shows man punting cat across a parking lot. Police want answers.

A video of a cat being kicked across a parking lot in Atlanta is drawing outrage on the web. Now police are looking for the people involved, and are trying to see if the animal is okay.

"It was pretty disturbing to watch," Lisa Bender of the Atlanta Police Department told WXIA. "And it's been proven people who are violent toward animals are typically violent toward people."

Police shared the video in the hopes that someone could provide information about either the person who kicked the cat or the person who filmed it, according to Atlanta Crimestoppers.

The video shows only the bottom half of a man, who is wearing white shorts, a white shirt and white shoes. Someone off camera shouts "Go!" before the video is slowed down for effect. The man waits a moment, then runs forward toward a skinny cat. The animal tries to move at the last second, but is kicked by the man.

The cat flies high into the air before landing hard on its back on the concrete in a parking lot. It rolls a few times before scrambling onto its stomach, as the video speeds up and people can briefly be heard shouting off-camera.

Police say the video was originally posted to Instagram. Hundreds of people commented on stories about the video calling for the person involved to face punishment.

Atlanta police say the incident happened in July 1 in the parking lot of a Chevron gas station in southwest Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Police told WXIA the person who kicked the cat faces animal cruelty charges, and could face a more serious felony charge if the animal turns out to have been seriously injured.

Police also asked anyone who knows about the cat to speak with them so they could "determine the extent of its injuries and ensure the cat receives proper care," according to Crimestoppers.

Police are offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Police in Kansas City, Mo., asked residents for help in June in a similar case, where a man kicked a cat across a football field.

"It’s just horrific," John Baccala, an official with the Neighborhoods & Housing Services Department, told the Kansas City Star. "I can’t imagine anyone doing that to an animal. It’s so horrifying to watch. It makes me sick to look at it."

This story was originally published July 10, 2018 at 8:14 AM with the headline "'Disturbing' video shows man punting cat across a parking lot. Police want answers.."